Win As A Team, Lose As A Team:Peter

Jenn, are you out there? Helloooooooo.... Well, assuming you are and you're still watching the Sox, you have to admit. It's getting very frustrating these past few games. With tonight's 3d loss in a row, the Sox are now a full game and a half behind the Rays in third. And not a week ago, we were knocking on the door just a half game astern of the Stripes. It's these damn injuries! Entering tonight's game, Jenn, we had nine starters on the DL. NINE! Was that enough? Noooooo! Barely a few innings into tonight's game, Yooouukk is striding to the plate for a whack at the ball, and suddenly--an excruciating pain in his ankle. No contact with anything; no foul ball off it; no-one slid into it--just sudden pain. Before you know it, he's limping off the field and into the X-Ray room. Nothing showed, and he says he'll be "good to go" tomorrow, but the way this injury bug is biting, I'll believe it when I see it. Look who's gone: Jake and Hermida both out with busted ribs; JB has back problems; the Dustman and Tek both have foul ball broken feet;Martinez a busted thumb; Bucky a strained hammy; and on and on and on. It's like a war zone out there. Tonight with Yoouk gone, the Rays manager, Madden, realized that Papi had no protection in the lineup and just intentionally walked him three times, even to the point of putting him on in the 9th as the tying run. Why not? Not Yoouk to worry about making the Rays pay for this audacity. I mean, it had to happen eventually. Water seeks its own level, and, while I think that the lineup that Terry cobbles together on a daily basis has done an admirable job since the second week of the season, you have to face facts. At some point the bench guys just aren't going to be able to keep up.
So, maybe tomorrow Yoouk will feel OK and help right the ship, but the DL guys are still out. There's a bit of possibly encouraging news on the horizon. JB tossed 65 pitches in a simulated game against minor leaguers and is set to pitch for the Pawsox this weekend, and Jake is starting to throw again, and could be back with the club this weekend, but at least initially only as part of his rehab. At least he seems to be on the way back though. Strange to look at the daily league leaders and not see him listed under stolen bases.
I keep hoping that the regulars will all be back together and the result will be a surge in the standings for the team, but that's at least until August--if no-one else gets hurt in the meantime. Oooouuuuccchhhh!!