Yesterday’s loss to the Tigers was a ballbuster. Not because it snapped a gorgeous six game winning streak and ruined a rare decent start from Clay Buchholz, although those things did suck. What truly bothered me about that loss was that it didn’t have to happen.
The Red Sox scared up a two-run lead in the top of the eighth, and when that happens, you shouldn’t have to let it slip away. But there we were, watching helplessly as Tazawa neatly handed everything right back to the Tigers. Yes, it was the polite thing to do; I mean, he was a visitor in their house and the runs served as a fine gift to the Tigers and their fans in attendance. But for a team battling to hold position in the toughest division in baseball, it was a travesty. I will never forget what Taz and Koji meant to the Sox in 2013; they were literally unhittable for most of October. But those days have passed, and both men now represent liabilities when they take the hill. The kind of liabilities you’d never drop money at bet365 on. It has to stop.
Speaking of travesties, the line-up Farrell put out their to back up Buchholz was almost laughable. I am all for resting the players and making sure nobody’s spleen falls out halfway through the summer. And I could almost deal with the lack of Ortiz. Or even the absence of Pedroia. But no Sandy Leon? Come on, now, motherfugger. I know the catcher position is the one you’ve got to go easy on, but the man’s swinging one of the hottest bats on the team. Taking Ortiz and Sandy out of the equation is not just a silent “screw you” to Buchholz, it’s a slap to the face of the fans. Which also came in the form of catcher Bryan Holaday’s 0-for-4 showing.
I will never understand the Mind of John Farrell. But it let it be known that a day without Sandy Leon is like a day without sunshine. And with that maneuver, Farrell earned his team a loss.
Get that shit right next time, Johnny.
