We were away for the weekend on a mini-vacation and it seems like Boston Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima may have been on one as well yesterday. While his countryman Daisuke Matsuzaka wasn’t spectacular but rather solid for six innings, it was Okajima who imploded during the 4-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday afternoon.
Daniel Bard worked an easy 7th inning for the Red Sox and allowed a leadoff single in the 8th. Bard gave way to Okajima who promptly allowed a single to Justin Smoak. With the Red Sox leading 2-1, former Red Sox backup first baseman Casey Kotchman laid down a bunt which was fielded by Okajima, who double clutched his throw to Adrian Beltre at third twice and then failed to get Kotchman at first.
This proved costly as Michael Saunders followed with a 2-run single to put the Mariners out front 3-2. Milton Bradley pinch-hit for Rob Johnson and put a bunt that went between Okajima and Kevin Youkilis that allowed the final run to score.
Okajima didn’t talk to reporters after the game but the loss was clearly his fault. In my opinion, he should have stated what happened instead of letting his teammates speak for what they might have thought happened.
Against a team that they should have clearly beaten, the Red Sox were simply outdone by the bullpen of a last place team. If they want to compete in the AL East and for a playoff spot, the bullpen needs to be improved and quickly.
Dice-K might not have been great on Sunday but he gave the Red Sox a chance to win. Unfortunately the Mariners made him throw a lot of pitches and he only last six innings. Had he been able to go another inning, maybe the result is different if Bard is able to pitch the 8th.
But that didn’t happen and now we are watching the chances of our team making the plays slip away quickly. The Red Sox find themselves eight games out of first place behind the New York Yankees and five games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for second place and the AL Wild Card.
The trade deadline is looming large for the Red Sox and they’ll definitely need to make a move to bolster their chances of a postseason spot.
Speaking of the trade deadline and what the Red Sox need to do, we’ll have something coming up shortly with The Bottom Line and Fenway West as to what we think the Red Sox need to do. But for now, enjoy the overnight links after the jump.
Matsuzaka can’t control when he’s lifted [Boston Globe]
Hesitation pitcher [Boston Globe]
Help arrives, with a catch [Boston Globe]
Recap: Mariners 4 Red Sox 2 [Boston Herald]
Sox must find relief for weak spot in ’pen [Boston Herald]
Red Sox bats running on empty [Boston Herald]
Wild Dice K good enough to win [Boston Herald]
How much should the Sox pay for relief? [Clubhouse Insider]
Sox can’t hold late-inning lead, lose 4-2 [CSN New England]
Red Sox close to slipping out of contention [CSN New England]
Okajima not talking after meltdown [ESPN Boston]
Closing Time: Mariners 4, Red Sox 2 [Full Count]
Source: Jays seek elite prospect for Downs [Full Count]
Red Sox Season Statistical Anomaly Due to Poor Situational Play [NESN.com]
Starting Pitching, Play of Kevin Youkilis Can’t Make Up for Poor Relief Work in Seattle [NESN.com]
Are Red Sox or Angels More Likely to Make Second-Half Comeback? [NESN.com]
Victor Martinez’s Return Could be Key to Turning Around Red Sox Offense in Crucial Series [NESN.com]
Bullpen Disasters Cost Red Sox Series, Highlight Need for Relief Help [NESN.com]
Sunday In Seattle Gave Us A “Case of the Mondays” [Nuggetpalooza]
Small ball means big problems for Sox [Providence Journal]
Sox not using injuries as a crutch [Providence Journal]
Martinez expected to return on Monday [Providence Journal]
Red Sox Journal: Not bad outing for Dice-K, but pen gives it up again [Providence Journal]
Red Sox likely to activate Victor on Monday [RedSox.com]
Francona appreciates Red Sox’s character [RedSox.com]
Red Sox unable to fend off Mariners late [RedSox.com]
Why Hideki Okajima not talking means something [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]
Red Sox heading for trade deadline nightmare [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]
For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal and WEEI websites.
And if you must read the enemy papers, you can check out the Seattle Times, Everett Herald and Tacoma News Tribune websites.
Photo credit: Reuters Pictures
