Will the Red Sox ever get the stink of last place off them for good this season? They’ve been playing inspired baseball for the past couple of weeks and have put some distance between themselves and the .500 mark, but they just can’t stay out of the basement. Last night’s rain-extended game started out bad and with the exception of more Big Papi highlights, didn’t get much better.
Doubront had a rough first inning giving up four runs, thanks in part to a Middlebrooks error (Do I hear a “Youk woulda had it?”). Felix would go six but gave up seven runs (five earned) on 11 hits. Albers started the seventh but couldn’t finish it, giving up two runs. Mortenson went the rest of the way.
We haven’t picked on Bobby V’s in-game decisions too much, but I think letting Punto hit in the seventh was a mistake. After Kalish singled and stole second, I would have preferred Aviles hitting or Punto bunting to get the runner to third. It didn’t matter in the end, but that could have been a big run, especially after Papi homered off of 50-year-old Darren Oliver in the eighth. Punto’s at-bat in the ninth was almost comical it was so bad, I think his time is short as a member of the Sox.
So here we are, in the too-familiar neighborhood called last place. Again. It’s a filthy place to be. The furniture isn’t very comfortable and the toilets clog all the time. There are sketchy people hanging around the street corners who don’t look very friendly. And what is that smell? Let’s try to make it a short stay.
