Mostly Good Pitching and Timely Hitting

Well, folks tonight's game has got to be the most frustrating one of recent weeks for JB. The poor guy's been pitching his heart out--looking like a champion--and all he gets is no-dee after no-dee. Tonight is just the latest example. He went six solid innings, allowing just a single early run, getting a game WHIP just over 1.0 and dropping his ERA another few notches to 1.73. When he left, he had a 2-1 lead, complements of JD, who got the first with a sacfly and the second with a shot into the cheaps in right. An inning later, Big Papi, who had a 3-4 night, also put one in the right field bleachers and JB looked a lock for the W. However, in today's world nothing's ever a lock.
In came Bard in the 8th to set up Papelbon and immediately gave up back to back HR's in the space of four pitches--tie score, blown save (not to mention a jump in his ERA to 3.52). One more no-dee for JB. Fortunately, there's about 3/4 of the season left and thus, plenty of time for him to pick up a bundle of W's.
Now it's the 9th and The Laser takes over. After getting the first batter on a simple grounder, he quickly gives up a pair of hits and a freebie BB. Bases loaded and only one out. A simple sacfly puts the Bengals in the lead, and in the 9th that's NOT what you want your closer doing. Not to worry. Pap digs deep, again really pitching (you regular blog followers know by now what I mean), and quickly puts the Tigers out of their misery--two guys, two K's, time for the post-game showers. The way Pap's throwing the ball this year when he has to, the Sox better be careful. The Pentagon may want to take his arm as a weapon and send it to Afghanistan! Those Hellfire missiles have nothing on his heater!
It's now a season high six in a row and with the Rays' loss, the Hose are just a game and a half out.
Beginning tomorrow, the Sox host the team that's gone even longer than the Sox' now ended 86 year Series drought--the Cubbies! Believe it or don't, their last Championship was over 100 years ago. Hell, the country didn't even have 48 states yet. WWI hadn't happened and Taft was in the White House. Here's hoping for more streak. A little concern is now we have two members of the rotation on the DL: the Diceman and Lackey. I sincerely hope this isn't the beginning of a repeat of last year.