This Is Beyond Embarassing

Just when you thought things couldn't go any worse for the Boston Red Sox, they fell to 5-17 in September following a 9-1 blowout loss this afternoon at Yankee Stadium. That clinched homefield throughout the American League playoffs for the Bronx Bombers.

Jon Lester (15-9) has to be hurt since he made his third straight awful start in a row. 2.2 innings, eight earned runs, eight hits, one walk and three strikeouts is not exactly what Boston (88-69) needed from its ace.

The Rays and Angels both won tonight, meaning that Tampa Bay is only 1.5 games behind the Red Sox while Los Angeles is 2.5 games back in the AL Wild Card. Yeah, this probably won't end well.

If you need any further proof that something is up with Lester, Freddy Garcia (12-8) looked like Roy Halladay in comparison. I guess that's also an indictment on Boston's hit or miss lineup that they were blanked by Garcia for six innings. He allowed six hits with a walk and three strikeouts.

The wheels fell off for Lester and Boston in the second inning as New York (96-61) put up six runs. Jesus Montero started it with an RBI single, Russell Martin added a two-run single and Derek Jeter crushed a three-run opposite field shot in Williamsport East.

No Red Sox shitshow these days would be complete without mental errors and mistakes all of their own doing. Today Marco Scutaro couldn't throw to third (for a force) since Mike Aviles didn't break to the base. Also, former Gold Glover Carl Crawford dove but dropped a ball he should have had. Both plays came in the second inning; I'm not naive enough to say they were the difference in the game but damn, they didn't help.

Montero had a two-run double in the third and a solo homer in the sixth for a depressing 9-0 advantage.

Boston got on the board in the seventh with an RBI double from Crawford.

Tomorrow is a day-night doubleheader that when it's all said and done, could be the ugliest day of this suddenly going nowhere season. Tim Wakefield and A.J. Burnett duel in Game 1 at 1:05 p.m. with John Lackey and Ivan Nova wrapping it up at 6:30 p.m.

Thank God the Patriots and the rest of the NFL (minus the Cowboys and Redskins) are in action tomorrow cause I can't take much more of this. It's all over, the Red Sox are done. If Lester is hurt, they have absolutely no hope of doing anything. Game over.

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Yankees Win Marathon 9-Inning Game, Burnett Shocks World By Not Imploding

The super slow motion of a typical Red Sox-Yankees game is bad enough but when somebody like A.J. Burnett wins for New York, a contest that takes way too long turns into a marathon (four hours and twenty one minutes) of torture.



The Yankees (82-53) took two out of three at Fenway Park as they beat the Red Sox (82-53) 4-2 tonight. Boston is back to the slim half game lead atop the AL East while the season series moves to 11-4 in favor of the Red Sox (three left in NY in a few weeks).



Logic dictated the first two outcomes of this latest series: CC Sabathia was due for a win against the Red Sox while Josh Beckett is light years ahead of Phil Hughes at this point. This was the game that on paper that seemed to be a lock for the home team since Jon Lester was starting. As the crappy cliche goes, that's why they play the game.



Burnett got a no-decision but by not completely shitting the bed, he was wildly successful. He went 5.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts.



A high pitch count (114 pitches) was the thing that caused Lester to crumble. He lasted only five innings, allowing one earned run on seven hits with three walks and six strikeouts.



Robinson Cano's (2 doubles) first inning double drove in Curtis Granderson (2 hits) for a 1-0 Yankees lead.



With both starters out relatively early, it became a battle of the bullpens and to their credit, New York was better. Alfredo Aceves (9-2) was charged with two earned runs and Daniel Bard gave up an earned run and two hits.



Russell Martin put New York ahead with a two-run double in the seventh and pinch-hitter Eric Chavez came through with an RBI single for a 4-2 cushion. Those guys have both been Red Sox killers this season.



Boone Logan got an out, Cory Wade got an out (and earned a fraudulent win) while Rafael Soriano pitched a scoreless seventh and David Robertson had a scoreless eighth. Mariano Rivera had to work in the ninth, loading the bases with two outs and Adrian Gonzalez at bat but Rivera struck him out looking with his 28th pitch to get his 36th save.



One positive for Boston is that Felix Doubrant made his first appearance since April 17 and it was a good one. He recorded four outs, gave up no hits and struck out two. If he can give them anything, it could be big since they desperately need a lefty out of the bullpen for the playoffs that's not named Franklin Morales.



The Texas Rangers come to town this weekend for a three-game series: Andrew Miller vs. Derek Holland tomorrow night, Erik Bedard vs. Colby Lewis on Saturday afternoon and John Lackey vs. Matt Harrison on Sunday afternoon. Hopefully the Red Sox can keep their momentum going vs. the Rangers that they gained last week in the Lonestar State.



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Beckett Stumbles But Still Manages To Beat Yankees

Josh Beckett couldn't keep up his dominant form (3-0, 1.00 ERA) against the Yankees this season but he still found a way to win as the Red Sox triumphed 9-5 tonight at Fenway Park.



One of my childhood favorites Mo Vaughn was also in the building for the second day of the Jimmy Fund telethon.



Boston (83-52) evened the series (1-1) and moved to 11-3 vs. New York (81-53) this season while going back to a 1.5 game lead in the AL East.



Just as CC Sabathia finally found a way to beat the Red Sox yesterday, Beckett (12-5) got it done despite having far from his best outing. He gave Boston seven innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits with three walks and eight strikeouts.



Yankees starter Phil Hughes (4-5) continued his mostly forgettable 2011. He went 5.2 innings, allowing six earned runs on eight hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Remind me again who will start Game 2 of the ALDS for the Yanks?



Boston used the longball-three two-run homers-to rough up Hughes and a pair of relievers: Boone Logan and Luis Ayala.



Derek Jeter (2 hits, stolen base) gave New York a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the third. Boston answered in the bottom of the inning as Marco Scutaro scored on Dustin Pedroia's (2 hits) ground out and Jed Lowrie knocked in Jacoby Ellsbury (2 hits, 2 runs) with an RBI single.



David Ortiz's two-run bomb (28th of the season) put the Red Sox up 4-1 in the fifth but New York countered with four runs in the sixth. Robinson Cano and Eric Chavez had RBI doubles (two runs scored on Chavez's since Josh Reddick had an error in the right field corner) and Eduardo Nunez's sacrifice fly gave the Yankees a 5-4 advantage.



Jason Varitek's hit and run lucky swing resulted in an RBI double which tied it at five in the sixth and Ellsbury put Boston ahead for good with a two-run shot (his 24th of the season; 1st career opposite field homer) off Logan and over the Monster.



Varitek wrapped it up with his two-run blast (his 10th of the season; 11th time he's had 10+ homers). Daniel Bard got his 31st hold with a 1-2-3 hold (on 13 pitches) and Jonathan Papelbon got a 1-2-3 ninth in the non-save situation. Pap struck out a batter and all seven of his pitches were strikes. The good news is they should both be available tomorrow night too since they didn't appear on Tuesday.



Tomorrow in the series finale, Jon Lester faces Yankees train wreck A.J. Burnett in another matchup that clearly favors the home team.



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