Ouch. The Rays DO Still Have Some Sting Left

Look, we could sit here and re-hash it all night. The loads of missed opportunities at the plate. The horrendous Julio Lugo error - ok, maybe it was just a pedestrian level botch job, but it was still an error - that resulted in the early tie in the game. Wakefield's slight nonchalance early in the game, or maybe it was just just his inability to find the razor wire he walked all last season, just the latest example of how Wakefield's game, though it may not show in the statistics, isn't quite up to the snuff it popped up last year.


Regardless, it was rough, it was a loss to the Rays and perhaps most importantly, it was a loss in a game  Boston should have won. After dropping two straight to the Angels at home amidst widespread flu and more minor or developing injuries than a Kabul MASH ward, the Red Sox needed to win Friday night. Throughout the game they put themselves in a position to steal a win from a game that easily could have been a loss. Then, in extra innings, they found a way to lose a game they should have won. Without question.

That's the bottom line, so here's the bottom line grades:

STARTING PITCHING: √-
Sure, Wakefield could have been better, particularly considering the fact that he was in one of his favorite settings. But no matter what public perception may hold, this Tampa Bay lineup is developing more consistency than past years' despite a lack of pop at a couple key positions (Delmon Young anyone?). Still, Wakefield got through his six innings, and while he'd surely be the first one to complain about not going seven, his outing should have been good enough for a win. Oh, if only it had earned one.

MIDDLE RELIEF: √
David Aardsma was terrific, and truly is the perfect complement to the slow-tossing Wakefield. Bryan Corey was worth his usual dose of Alka Seltzer, but he got through 1.2 and ate up some big outs. Overall, an impressive outing for a guy whose week has included being designated, waiting for another team to snatch him up, resigning a minor league deal and then finding his way back to a big league mound. Not too shabby. Then Javy Lopez got the job done, a day after a horrific outing in the Fens. To call that a hell of a way to bounce back is no understatement.

SETUP RELIEF: N/A
No need in a tie game, though Aardsma very well could have earned a √+ in this role if Wakefield had held up.

CLOSER: -
Sorry Mike Timlin, WMYM loves you, but it wasn't your night. Really, Timlin didn't pitch particularly badly, he just got hit by a couple of hitters who were due. One base hit scraped over the edge of Dustin Pedroia's glove. The two legitimate base knocks were both in the worst possible position on the field. Regardless, it happens. It just stings a bit worse when it comes in a game when your team is on a two-game losing streak and you're playing a team you really ought to beat.

LINEUP: -
Only four runs. That hurts against Tampa Bay. Only four runs, three of which came when Matt Garza couldn't keep a grip on the ball in a 40 pitch inning. To say that the Red Sox hit, ran and shot themselves in the foot enough to play themselves out of a potential win is the understatement of the year so far. And as much credit as Sox fans may want to give Big Papi for sliding headfirst into first base in the 11th, it didn't save the out, and it didn't save the Sox in the end. Now they have to find a way to bounce back, or else a bad night on the Treasure Coast could turn into a bad weekend. And no one goes to Florida for bad weekends. No one.

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