For two days in a row, the Boston Red Sox have a had a chance to pick up ground on the New York Yankees thanks to the Baltimore Orioles. But thanks to the Toronto Blue Jays, the bullpen meltdown on Wednesday and the unpredictability of an Andrew Miller start, they’ve failed to make up anything in those two days.
Actually the only thing we can pick up upon is the fact the Red Sox are slumping badly right now.
While Terry Francona always says that if Jacoby Ellsbury can get on base, good things happen. Well the same thing can be said for Dustin Pedroia. He is the little engine that could for them, the energy to this team. But when he goes 1-for-20 in the series against the Jays, you can see why the Red Sox only won one of the four games against the Jays.
Last night Pedroia came to the plate in the 9th as the tying run against Frank Francisco. Normally, he’s the man you want at the plate in that type of situation. But Francisco struck him out and ended the hopes of a comeback.
While you’d probably never see Pedroia pinch-hit for in any situation, you can ponder the thought of why Tito didn’t use Adrian Gonzalez in that situation (I’m just throwing that out there).
Sometimes I get the feeling that when Miller is out there, I’m watching a Daisuke Matsuzaka start because honestly you just don’t know what you’re going to get anymore.
He started out strongly after his callup, only to revert back to his old mechanics. Once he had figured things out, he looked good for a few starts. Now he’s back to struggling again.
Last night it was the long ball that cost.
The three-run homer by J.P. Arencibia in the 2nd inning put the Red Sox in the hole they would never recover from. Edwin Encarnacion added insult to injury with a solo shot in the 3rd inning.
And to make matters worse after the Red Sox had cut the lead down to 5-3 thanks to the red-hot Marco Scutaro in the 7th inning, Michael Bowden gave it right back when Eric Thames smoked a home run to right center.
Honestly, if this continues, the Red Sox will probably not win the division. It could also allow the Tampa Bay Rays to get right back into the AL Wild Card race which makes this three-game set this weekend in St. Pete all the more bigger.
We’ll be back in a later with tonight’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. But for now, enjoy the overnight links below by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.
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Stumbling Sox fall down again [Boston Globe]
Battle could be in cards [Boston Globe]
Up north, Pedroia quickly went south [Boston Globe]
Mostly, a year of seasoning [Boston Globe]
The distinction here is a reach [Boston Globe]
September blues linger in latest Red Sox loss [Boston Herald]
Dustin Pedroia’s slump hits entire club [Boston Herald]
Curt Young likes Lackey’s stuff [Boston Herald]
Andrew Miller’s in a bad way [Boston Herald]
Sox drop series, game vs Jays, 7-4 [CSN New England]
Miller’s unpredictable season continues [CSN New England]
Rapid reaction: Blue Jays 7, Red Sox 4 [ESPN Boston]
How Mike Aviles has prepared himself to be this season’s Dave Roberts [Full Count]
Closing Time: Andrew Miller’s woes continue in loss to Jays [Full Count]
It’s been five games Dustin Pedroia wants to forget [Full Count]
Bill Lee Says Baseball Will Never Die, But Something Must Be Done to Improve Tempo of Game [NESN.com]
Red Sox Slump Continues Presenting John Lackey With Golden Opportunity to Prove Big-Game Mettle [NESN.com]
Which Team in the Playoff Hunt Would You Want Red Sox to Face in ALDS? [NESN.com]
Boston can’t dig out of early hole [Providence Journal]
Consistency is the name of Scutaro’s game [Providence Journal]
Red Sox Journal: Wakefield’s next shot at 200 comes on Tuesday [Providence Journal]
How the Red Sox can turn back the concern [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]
For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSN New England, ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.
And if you must check out the enemy papers, head over to the Toronto Star, Toronto Sun and the Globe and Mail websites.
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