YUCKKKKK!!--Peter

Maybe we should go back to interleague after all, Jenn. How you can lose to the O's is hard to figure/ How you can be up 10-1 after six and a half innings and lose is beyond me! But that's exactly what happened. Everybody was hitting, many of them getting multi-hit games. Yooouuukk and Jake got homers to go with other hits. Papi continued his renaissance, going 2-4 with a double and ribbie. Smoltz was exactly what we'd hoped for when he was signed. After four he was up 4-1 and cruising. Then the rain came and he had to come out due to the length of the rain delay because he'd cooled off. No problemo! Masterson came in for the 5th and gave up nothing--nada. Ditto, the 6th. In fact, he picked up four K's along the way. So, here we are in the O's half of the 7th and the wheels fall off. In fact, just about everything falls off or apart. By the time TOM and Oki had rescued the club, it was 10-6. Unfortunately, Oki's help lasted just long enough to get into the O's 8th, when he is 'credited' with giving up four more runs on five hits without getting a single out. I say 'credited' because the runners he left on base that later crossed the plate were his responsibility even though he had help with this conflagration. Saito, our other closer (after Papelbon, and I'll get to him in a moment)continued the parade by allowing a hit while only getting one out. It's now 10-9, Hose and time to bring on Laser.

Unfortunately, he wasn't up to the task tonight. He did close out the inning, but not before getting his second BS of the season. After King the second out, he allowed a hit that plated the tying and winning runs. Then, he got the final out. Saito takes the loss. So, our vaunted bullpen tonight was just bullshit.

Just to rub sodium chloride in the wounds, in our half of the 9th, we get a couple of runners on base, only to have our guys strand them there, two by K, including Bay. Boy, is he in a slump! Couple of weeks ago, he was over .300. Now, he's under .270. You know my old 'what if' trick, Jenn. If all of the runners LOB on both sides had scored, who would have won? Tonight, it's our heroes. The Hose stranded an even dozen runners, compared to the O's six. Add all those in and it's Bosox 22, O's 17. Really frustrating.

I guess Steemah's record is still half his for at least another day. Last night's save for Pap put him in a tie for most saves in Sox history with Bob Stanley, better know to all Sox fans as "Steemah", as in, you guessed it, a Boston accented Stanley Steamer.