The Boston Red Sox entered their game last night against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park on a high coming off of a three-game sweep of the Angels in Anaheim. But apparently they were either bothered by jet lag or too much partying at Beckett Bowl on Thursday night.
Even with Kevin Youkilis taking out Tigers starter Armando Galarraga on a line drive off of his ankle in the 5th, it took the Red Sox offense until the 9th inning to wake up. And when was all said and done, it wasn’t enough as the local nine fell short in a 6-5 loss.
You have to give the Red Sox credit though. On a night where they couldn’t get much done, they didn’t quit.
They took advantage of the ineffectiveness of Tigers closer Jose Valverde to load up the bases for David Ortiz, who promptly put the Fenway faithful into a frenzy with a grand slam. But with runners on first and second, Mike Cameron apparently thought the Statue of Liberty play was on as he watched a called strike three to end the rally and the game.
Jon Lester didn’t have it last night at all. He never really got into any rhythm on the mound last night. He really didn’t have good command of his pitches nor did he execute them well. He did record seven strikeouts but also allowed a career-high 11 hits.
This is the third straight start where Lester hasn’t looked good on the mound which is something we’re not used to around these parts. Lester is usually dominant around this time of the year but he’s looked far from the form in the early half of the season that made him an AL All-Star.
The trade deadline comes up for all 30 of the MLB teams at 4 p.m. and as the day goes on, we’ll learn if the Red Sox are buyers, sellers or will just stand their ground. One thing’s for certain, as the Rays and Yankees continue to make moves, the Red Sox will either have to do something or decide to put this season behind them.
I certainly hope it’s not the latter.
We’ll be back in a bit with today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups, any news and links from the day but for now enjoy the overnight links after the jump.
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Video: The Nation Lives For Terry Francona (New Version) [SOX & Dawgs]
Wait till next month: Red Sox should hold off on trades [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]
Red Sox don’t have enough [Boston Globe]
Lowell awaits word on next assignment [Boston Globe]
Visitor’s pass for Damon [Boston Globe]
Sox recap: Tigers 6, Red Sox 5 [Boston Herald]
Johnny Damon has ring tone [Boston Herald]
Rehabbing Jacoby Ellsbury: ‘We’re all on same page’ [Boston Herald]
Mike Lowell in waiting game [Boston Herald]
Jon Lester loses it [Boston Herald]
Cameron: ‘I guess I’ll be the goat for today’ [Clubhouse Insider]
Will the Red Sox make a deal? [Clubhouse Insider]
Ortiz’s slam not enough, Sox lose 6-5 [CSN New England]
Sox running out of options before deadline [CSN New England]
Ortiz’s grand slam goes for naught [ESPN Boston]
Source: Sox not close to anything [ESPN Boston]
Sox have a few hours, but not optimistic about a deal [Extra Bases]
Wood, activated by Indians, possible Sox target [Extra Bases]
Damon: Sox would have won one more if stayed [Full Count]
Gammons on The Big Show: Relievers available are ‘bottom feeders’ [Full Count]
Closing Time: Tigers 6, Red Sox 5 [Full Count]
Patterson explains ill-advised stolen base attempt [Full Count]
Lester laments a night when he had ‘nothing’ [Full Count]
A real pain in Damon’s back [Full Count]
What happened in Cameron’s last at-bat [Full Count]
Jacoby Ellsbury Feeling Much Stronger, Will Rehab With Pawtucket This Weekend [NESN.com]
Dustin Pedroia Takes Practice Grounders at Fenway Park [NESN.com]
Johnny Damon Running From Father Time to Catch 3,000 Career Hits [NESN.com]
Johnny Damon Continues to Insist That He Never Did Anything Wrong to Boston [NESN.com]
Jon Lester: ‘Just One of Those Nights’ [NESN.com]
Red Sox Let Golden Opportunity Pass Them by in Disappointing 6-5 Loss to Tigers [NESN.com]
Jon Lester in Need of Another Turnaround to Help Red Sox [NESN.com]
Has Injury Bug Left Red Sox and Spread Throughout American League? [NESN.com]
Lester struggles again in Boston’s return to Fenway [Providence Journal]
Sox unlikely to be a big player at trade deadline [Providence Journal]
Red Sox Journal: Ellsbury’s next rehab stop will be in Pawtucket this weekend [Providence Journal]
Ellsbury headed to Pawtucket [RedSox.com]
Progress for Pedroia, Varitek [RedSox.com]
Set to return, Drew scratched again [RedSox.com]
Papi’s clutch slam not enough in wild ninth [RedSox.com]
For more slices of Boston Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal and WEEI websites.
And if you must see what the enemy papers are saying, head over to the Detroit Free Press, The Detroit News and MLive.com websites. You can also check out what our Bloguin brother, Detroit4lyfe, has to say.
Photo credit: AP Photo
