Dragnet "What's The Going Rate For a Win?": Sox at Rays

Three losses by a total of five runs. Two extra innings, one wasted brilliant major league debut and two more errors from shortstop Julio Lugo.

That's the stat line from Boston's current three-game losing streak, a stretch which has included two collapses against the Angels - the first game required a rally before that collapse - and then a mighty missed opportunity in Tampa Bay last night, when the Sox stranded runners in both the 10th and 11th, not to mention a chance to step on the Rays' neck early when they left the bases loaded in the third while Matt Garza scuffled mightily. In the broader scheme of things, the past two losses are, precisely, the kind of games that come back to haunt a team at the end of the season. All the Sox can do now is try to put them behind them and, perhaps, pretend they didn't happen at all.

Another strong start from Clay Buchholz might go a long way toward fulfilling that tonight. The rookie was impressive in his last outing, pulling down a win while mixing his Bugs Bunny curve with a solid sinker and changeup to keep batters off balance. To give him credit after a whole lot of WMYM doubt early on, Buchholz has improved step by step, start by start so far, to the point where he's about two-straight starts from looking more like a No. 3 starter than Jon Lester. Of course, after Jon-Jon's rocky start on three days rest earlier this week, that doesn't take much, but Buchholz has been taking steps in that direction nonetheless.

Tonight, he faces off against Edwin Jackson, a pitcher whose four starts have trended in the opposite direction from Buchholz's. Jackson, now 2-2, got out to a 2-0 start before getting slapped around by both the White Sox and Yankees. Of course, he is a relatively imposing - and surprising - 2-1 in past starts against the Sox, so maybe he has something up his sleeve. Perhaps someone can ask Terry Francona why David Ortiz is getting a night on the bench when he enters with the best past hitting record against Jackson. While they're there, they also might want to ask about when Sean Casey is headed for the DL, a move that seems all but perfunctory after the team called up Brandon Moss this afternoon, a night after the Mayor left with a right hip flexor in Tampa.

So, is it a bounce back night? Or are the Sox headed for more first base sliding frustration? The balls in your hand, Clay. Bueno suerte amigo.

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