Red Sox News & Notes – 9/15

Toronto Blue Jays' Adam Loewen, center, gets a high-five from Kelly Johnson, left, and a pat on the back from Mike McCoy after the Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox 5-4 in a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Wednesday Sept. 14, 2011. Loewen's two-run single in the eighth inning put the Jays ahead for the win.

With John Lackey on the mound and the Boston Red Sox losing 5-4 to the Toronto Blue Jays, the natural inclination is to blame him for the loss. Well despite the fact he gave up two runs in the 1st inning, he didn’t pitch too bad at all.

Sure his pitch count only allowed him to work 5.1 innings but he did leave with a lead at 3-2. Franklin Morales got him out of the 6th and the offense added another run in the bottom half of the inning. Alfredo Aceves worked the 7th and walked a runner.

The big blow though came in the 8th inning when the normally reliable Daniel Bard came in and walked the first two batters he faced. I say normally because for the better part of the season, he’s been dominant. Lately though it’s been another story. And of course that other story, a flaw in his mechanics, cost the Red Sox the game on Wednesday afternoon.

His throwing error loaded up the bases after the two walks and he finally got the first out of the inning when J.P. Arencibia grounded out to third base. Adam Loewen put the nail in the coffin though for the Red Sox with a two-run single.

The Red Sox couldn’t get anything done against Jays starter Ricky Romero in the 8th and it was the same thing in the 9th against Frank Francisco.

Fortunately though for the Red Sox, they got some help from the Baltimore Orioles who beat the Tampa Bay Rays. This keeps their lead over the Rays at four games in the AL Wild Card standings. The Angels are lurking as well as they just 4.5 games behind.

The Red Sox remain four games behind the New York Yankees for first in the AL East as the Yanks fell to the Seattle Mariners 2-1 in 12 innings.

Besides now having to worry about the injuries (you can add Adrian Gonzalez to the list after he left with a calf issue on Wednesday), we now have some concern about Bard. Right now you can honestly say the only pitchers to trust down there are Aceves and Jonathan Papelbon.

We should really know after this weekend as to whether or not the Red Sox will make the playoffs. The Rays are in town for four games and at four games behind, they could leave Beantown in a tie for the AL Wild Card. They could also leave down eight games or somewhere between both of those.

Anything is possible but let’s hope the Red Sox lead remains at least four games. Otherwise, their may be lines at the Tobin Bridge and I don’t mean lines of traffic.

We’ll be back later with this evening’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.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

Bard and Sox can’t hold on [Boston Globe]

Set-up guy needs to reset himself [Boston Globe]

This pitching decision goes in rookie’s favor [Boston Globe]

Finally at Fenway in her 88th season [Boston Globe]

Red Sox set up to fail [Boston Herald]

Time for results, not finger pointing [Boston Herald]

Ill-timed ills for David Ortiz, Adrian Gonzalez [Boston Herald]

Bard blows lead, Sox fall to Jays, 6-5 [CSN New England]

Red Sox await Bard’s return from recent slump [CSN New England]

For Lavarnway, it’s not rocket science, or is it? [CSN New England]

Notes: Lackey starts rough, settles down [CSN New England]