The Bullpen Couldn't Save Us - Jenn

It was the Toronto Home Opener and the first of a three game series. And again it was about the pitching, but not in the same way it was for the final two games against Oakland. This time it was our bullpen. But instead of helping us achieve another win, they helped us achieve a loss.

But before I get to the bullpen, I should talk about what it took to get us there. The first five innings were great. A classic pitchers duel. And the pitchers were Tim Wakefield for the Sox and Shaun Marcum for the Jays. Both sides were scoreless through 5.

In my opinion, there's absolutely nothing better than a pitchers duel. I know there are people that don't understand the passion of baseball fans. They say the game's too slow, it doesn't have the pace and intensity that a basketball or football game has. These people have never seen a pitchers duel. And they definitely didn't see tonight's game. See, for me what's so cool about baseball, especially when you get to the later innings, is that the whole game can change with just one pitch. One pitch, that's it. Whether it's a 95 mile an hour fast ball that freezes the batter striking him out and ending the inning or a pitch that hangs up in the strike zone for the batter to knock out of the ballpark in a home run. Either incident could change the face of the game. And that's exactly what happened tonight.

Everything was going great - for five innings. But then in the bottom of the sixth, Wakefield faltered. Matt Stairs stepped to the plate and got a home run, the first of the game. If it had just been one run, that wouldn't have been any big deal. Unfortunately it wasn't just one run. After Stairs, another six batters would come to the plate and two more runs would score. Gregg Zaun thankfully ended the agony when he hit into a double play to end the inning.

Things looked bleak, especially by the fact that the Sox had only had one hit off Marcum through six innings. But a miracle happened. Marcum also faltered - this time in the top of the 7th. Papi walked. Lowell got a single and JD came up to bat with two men out. All he needed, Jerry Remy said, was a home run to tie the score. "There's no way," I thought. But a single to score a run, that would keep the game alive. Well Rem Dawg was right. With two outs and Ortiz and Lowell at first and second JD smacked it over the right field wall and the score was tied. Oh my God, there was hope.

But those hopes were dashed with the Red Sox bullpen. After the catastrophe of the 6th inning Wakefield was replaced by David Aardsma, a new addition to our bullpen. Well, he walked David Eckstein after an 11 pitch at bat. Aardsma was replaced by Javier Lopez, but he too couldn't get an out. So Lopez was replaced by Manny Delcarmen. He managed to get the next two batters out. Unfortunately designated hitter Frank Thomas got the better of Delcarmen and belted the ball to the gap in left center field allowing Eckstein and Shannon Stewart to score two more runs that would put the Jays on top 5-3. A single from Eckstein in the 8th would score Aaron Hill giving the Jays a 6th run and make the final score 6-3.

Now I know it's early. It is after all only the fifth game of the season. But here's the problem with the Sox that I love so much. Their bullpen. They're either on or they're off. Tonight they were off. Waaaaaay off. And it cost us the first game of the series. There are two left. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.