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Dragnet Climbing Horses: Sox at Twinsby Cameron on May 10 at 5:21PM | comments (0)
[ comments (0) ] [ BallHype ] What do you do when you blow two straight saves? You climb back on the horse. Unlike the blurb sitting atop the boston.com Red Sox section, the Sox have NOT lost two straight. Rather, it's Jonathan Papelbon who has lost HIS last two outings, both in the bottom of the ninth, sandwiched around an efficient 5-1 victory on Thursday.  Another night, another blow save for Papelbon. And that's the problem, isn't it? While that makes that particular section front of boston.com look moronic, it doesn't alleviate the frustration that is the current Boston predicament: The Sox have been good enough to be absolutely undefeated on a rough midwest trip so far. Instead, they're 4-2. That's a good start, but 6-0 would have been an EXCELLENT start. Tonight, Daisuke Matsuzaka gets another chance to try and put his stamp on the team's direction. In the process he could deliver a huge victory over a Minnesota team that is proving significantly more resilient than fans and kitchen pundits of the neverending horse race that is the MLB trade market expected after what appeared a rather one-sided trade of Johan Santana to the Mets just before the season started. Instead, reinfused with the energy of centerfielder Carlos Gomez and fellow outfielder Delmon Young - who was gleaned from the Rays for young pitcher Matt Garza - the Twins are riding high atop the AL Central, a division in which they were supposed to compete for third. At best. One of the reasons why has been a surprisingly deep and exuberant pitching staff, which tonight showcases the season-debut of one Glen Perkins. You've got about as good an idea of how he'll do as WMYM does, but if past precedence tells us anything, it's that Boston often A) has trouble against pitchers the first time they see them and, B) it often struggles to hit well in the Metrodome. For what it's worth, here's the lineups heading out there in the artificially clean air of Minnesota's favorite short-lived indoor monument to Hubert H. Humphrey. So, time for another bounce back. And perhaps a chance for Paps to try and redeem himself. Again. Otherwise these two outings will be more than just a blip ... they'll be a legitimate rough patch. That's the last thing that the Sox, let alone Papelbon himself, can afford to consider. |
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