Another West Coast Disaster

I told you guys the West Coast would be a bust. And was it ever. Three of Boston's four losses were by one run. They should have come out at 4-2. Instead they leave the Pacific Time Zone with a 2-4 record and a mere 1.5 games ahead of the surging Yankees for second-place. Which you already knew if you've read any of Aviv's increasingly smug posts. (Just kidding, bro...mostly.)

Yesterday's game was especially painful. Justin Masterson pitched one of the better games of his career. 6.1 innings of two run ball. And even with the nine hits, he registered six strikeouts and gave up no walks. He gave the Sox every chance to win this game and they simply didn't take advantage of the opportunities they had. Such as that double-play in the fifth inning that left the bases loaded. Or the one in the sixth inning that left guys on first and second. The pitching staff can only do so much. If the bats don't get it done, sooner or later your team pays the price.

And once again, Boston paid the price. The ninth started off well enough with two straight outs. But then Nick Green finally cost the Sox with an error, putting Cedeno on second when he should have been out. Two batters later, Ramon Ramirez finally proved he was mortal, giving up a single that allowed Cedeno to score the winning run. It's a loss that Ramirez really didn't deserve. Not only because of Green's errant throw, but because the Sox should have had at least two more runs on the board.

The top of the order...hell, 1-5 if we want to get the full picture, went a combined 4-19 last night with no RBI and just two runs scored. The only guy who came through in any fashion was J.D. Drew, which tells you how bad it was. Jason Vargas isn't a lousy pitcher, but he isn't that good either. It was a pathetic hitting display by Boston. Add in those oh-so timely double plays, and it was pretty much a crap-tastic day at the plate for the Sox.

I'm trying to find something positive to take away here. There was Masterson's pitching as previously mentioned. Delcarmen and Oki did a good job in relief. Jeff Bailey didn't suck at first and got a hit. But that's about it. Maybe I should go back another 24 hours and recap Beckett's fourth win of the year. Because yesterday left a pretty bad taste in my mouth.

The Sox have an off-day today as they travel back to Fenway for six games. They start tomorrow with three games against the AL East-leading Blue Jays and then have another three with the Mets starting Friday. I think it's pretty obvious that this first series is pretty damned important. The Sox have to close the gap with Toronto and widen their lead on the Yankees. Two of three would be a good start, a clean sweep would be phenominal. Especially since the Yankees are taking turns with walkoff wins. When A-Rod actually delivers, you know they're riding a lucky streak.

There is this; the Sox are only one game off their 2008 pace. Last year at this point they were 23-15. So all is not lost. A couple of wins against the Jays would get them right back on track.