Great Pitching, Kansas City Offense

When was the last time you remember being able to blame a Red Sox series sweep on anemic hitting?


That was certainly the case with Sunday afternoon's setback, the lastest in a dome which was long as good as a second home for Boston in Florida, where snowbirds and retirees mingled with travelling fans to provide a true home field advantage on the road.

No more.

Not only is this Tampa Bay team young and, admit it, pretty exciting to watch, this particular incarnation has some pitching to throw around. That was evident throughout the three game series, but it may have been most pronounced today, when a David Ortiz-less lineup was shut out by Jamie Shields, blowing a strong starting effort for the second straight day, this one from ace Josh Beckett.

Yes fans, that smarts as bad as it sounds. Beckett is absolutely the guy the Sox wanted on the mound to break out of a very scary skid - four straight - in a place where they needed to win to prove they still CAN win on the road. After all, if you can't take a game in Tampa Bay, how can you expect to roll through west coast swings and Yankee Stadium?

Are there mitigating factors behind the skid? Sure. The Red Sox have more regulars on the DL right now than anyone in the bigs, and while fill-ins have done the job for most of the season, the past four games have exposed Jed Lowrie's bat a bit, exposed the team's tendency to chase pitches early in the count more when they're on the road, and generally exposed a lack of power when Big Papi is out of the lineup. After sitting out two games in a row with a bum knee, it's questionable whether Ortiz will be back in the lineup Tuesday when Toronto heads to the Fens for a guaranteed monster series. If he's not, then fans might have to buckle up for some more rocky performances, as much as that may be the last thing anyone wants to hear right now.

STARTING PITCHING: √+
Three runs may be more than Beckett gives up on his best days, but this was still one of the better ones. A career-high 13Ks, a dominant fastball and strong breaking pitches kept everyone but perennial Beckett bugaboo Jason Bartlett (he's 5-of-8 against the big Texan in his career) off balance and should have been more than good enough for a win. Unfortunately, just as Clay Buchholz learned the hard way in the bottom of the eighth last night, with the lineup hitting as poorly as it is at the moment, it just wasn't.

MIDDLE RELIEF: N/A
Beckett went seven, which is more than long enough to pave the way to ...

SET UP RELIEF: -
Another outing, another laboring afternoon with a run allowed for Manny Delcarmen. To say that Little Manny's star is falling is an understatement. His velocity seems to be back on target after his flu bout last week, but Delcarmen's pitches have floated into the zone a bit too often. And when you're a targeted power arm in the late innings, even occasional zone floaters won't get the job done. End of story.

CLOSER: N/A
Anyone else think Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon are getting a bit antsy out in the bullpen right about now?

LINEUP: -
Strikeouts. Wasted opportunities. Chasing pitches early. It's getting ugly in the 1-9 spots right now, folks. In fact, rather than just rant about it some more, why not just take a look at this Inside Edge Report Card. Yes, a D sounds about right at the moment.

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