The game of baseball can be a funny game at times yet it can be a cruel one as well. What amazes me the most is how one miscue can change the course of the game for better or for worse depending on who you’re rooting for.
Well that’s what happened to the Boston Red Sox in their 5-4 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Josh Beckett was well on his way to another great outing when a popup fell between center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury and second baseman Dustin Pedroia in the 4th inning with one out due to a little miscommunication. Beckett temporarily recovered as he got Vladimir Guerrero to pop out. But he fell behind Luke Scott 1-0 and on the next pitch Scott knocked the ball out of the park admiring it along the way to put the O’s up 2-0.
Beckett gave Scott a nice little stare down and it left us to wonder if Scott would see the light tower buzzed in his next AB. Nothing came of it but Beckett did say after the game, it was filed away in the ol’ noggin. He also had words with the home plate umpire at the end of the inning.
“Those things have a way of working themselves out,” he said.
“Is this TMZ? I thought we were talking about a baseball game. You want to know about bat-flips and talking to umpires,” said Beckett. “I think we should probably just stick to the game. I thought we did a good job battling back, and we came up one run short.”
Looking a little rattled, Beckett got behind Jones 2-0 and gave up another home run that put the O’s up 3-0. The Oreos added another run in the 6th to go up 4-0 and it looked the Red Sox were going to lose their second straight game.
But a big rally in the 8th inning, led by a three-run homer by Kevin Youkilis tied it up at 4-all only to see Daniel Bard end up taking his third loss of the season after allowing a run in the bottom half of the inning.
Any momentum the Red Sox had built up on the California swing of this road trip looks to be lost right now. The starting pitching hasn’t been as good as it was then and up until the 8th inning last night, the offense appears to be stuck in neutral again. At some point, it has to start ticking on all cylinders. We’ve seen flashes of it but still haven’t seen the whole enchilada.
The Red Sox do have the right man on the mound tonight though as Jon Lester has owned the Orioles throughout his career. A win to end the road trip would be a good way to get things back on track as the local nine returns back home to Boston tomorrow night.
We’ll be back later with tonight’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. But for now enjoy the overnight links by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.
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Head-scratching: For now, parts not adding up for Sox [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]
Sox lose the handle late [Boston Globe]
Curt answer to a flip response [Boston Globe]
After pushing back, momentum is lost [Boston Globe]
User errors doom Red Sox [Boston Herald]
Explosive 4th sinks Josh Beckett [Boston Herald]
No end to short story [Boston Herald]
Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia miscue hurts [Boston Herald]
Red Sox fall late to Orioles, 5-4 [CSNNE.com]
Notes: Ortiz turning things around against lefties [CSNNE.com]
Sox not interested in Pudge Rodriguez [CSNNE.com]
It was Giveaway Night for the Sox [CSNNE.com]
Rapid reaction: Orioles 5, Red Sox 4 [ESPN Boston]
Flipped bat: Filed for future reference? [ESPN Boston]
Pedroia on Lee’s popup: ‘Has to be caught’ [ESPN Boston]
Bard’s tale: Bad location, crossed-up catcher [ESPN Boston]
Closing Time: Orioles 5, Red Sox 4 [Full Count]
Beckett on Scott: ‘Things have a way of evening out’ [Full Count]
Josh Beckett Declines to Discuss ‘Bat Flips and Talking to Umpires’ After Rough Outing in Baltimore [NESN.com]
O’s have the answer, late rally is for naught [Providence Journal]
Pedroia’s fielding lightens load for Sox pitchers [Providence Journal]
Red Sox Journal: Lowrie’s emergence is limiting Scutaro [Providence Journal]
Youkilis confident in Boston’s offense [RedSox.com]
For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSNNE, ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.
And if you must check out the enemy news, head over to the Baltimore Sun website. You can also check out our Bloguin brother, the Oriole Post.
10-12
9-12
Despite the fact that he won in his last outing, Buchholz has yet to fire off a quality start (6 IP, three earned runs or less) this season. Despite the fact the Red Sox were losing last night 3-1 in the 7th, he was in line for his first quality start until the Baltimore Orioles scored their fourth and final run of the night in the 4-1 win.
You don’t want to see them lose any momentum they built up in Anaheim but you know they cherish their days off. The bullpen is definitely well rested now since the starters have been great as of late. Sure