Orioles Take Three Out Of Four At Fenway

It seems like ages ago but do you remember when the Boston Red Sox looked like the class of the American League this summer? They had moved past their abysmal 2-10 and appeared destined for big things in October.

They still could be in the postseason but this team gives new meaning to the term "limping into the playoffs." Tonight, the Baltimore Orioles (65-90)-one of the worst teams in baseball this season and for the past decade-won 6-4 in Boston's (88-68) regular season home finale at Fenway Park.

The O's won three of four against the Red Sox in a series that meant everything to the home team and nothing to the visitors who have been out of contention since I don't know, June? The same things are being said over and over about this edition of the Red Sox and at this point you have to think they are all valid: they're frontrunners, they have no heart or no pride, they think the playoffs are a given.

Despite all this negativity, Boston is in good shape for the AL Wild Card. They're 2.5 games up on the Tampa Bay Rays (who lost both games today in a day-night doubleheader with the Yankees) and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. A win here or there in September (5-16) and it would be locked up but hey, did you hear Sweet Caroline tonight? That was awesome.

Not even Josh Beckett (13-6) could shake this team out of its malaise. The Texas wannabe toughguy went 7.1 innings, allowing six earned runs on seven hits with a walk and eight strikeouts.

Tommy Hunter kept Baltimore in the game until he had to leave in the seventh with a groin strain. He went 6.2 innings, allowing four earned runs on nine hits with a walk and four strikeouts.

In a season that has been a huge disappointment from game one, Carl Crawford actually had a great performance. Too bad, nobody will remember it since it came in another unforgivable loss. Crawford was a homer shy of a cycle with two RBIs; Adrian Gonzalez (2 hits) was the only other Red Sox with multiple hits.

It's hard to choose the most pathetic aspect of this series finale (other than the final result): Baltimore rallied from a 4-1 deficit tonight and also, closer Jim Johnson had his third straight 1-2-3 save (9th save of the season) over two days and each took 10 pitches or less.

The greatest softball player in all the land, with apologies to my girl Jennie Finch, Mark Reynolds was the offensive star for the Orioles. He got the scoring started with a solo homer in the second and then a two-run blast in the seventh which tied it at four.

After tripling to lead off the third, Crawford scored on Jason Varitek's ground out. Crawford added a two-run double in the fourth and David Ortiz made it 4-1 with an RBI single in the fifth.

Normally, that would be enough against the O's but no lead is safe right now for Boston. J.J. Hardy (2 hits) cut it to 4-2 in the sixth with an RBI single and then Vlad Guerrero knocked in two with an RBI single off Alfredo Aceves in the eighth.

It wasn't Aceves' fault since he came in with runners on second and third with one out. He's wiggled out of countless situations like that this season but you can't expect that every time out. I would have intentionally walked Vlad to get the force at every base but hey, what do I know?

There are six more games of this misery and probably a few after that (don't expect a long stay in October) but I can't ever remember a Red Sox team in my lifetime that has disintegrated down the stretch like this. It's embarrassing.

After an off-day tomorrow, they've got three in New York (against the AL East champs) then wrap up the regular season with three in Baltimore. Can they get into the playoffs without winning another game? We shall see I guess.

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I Guess It Was Papelbon's Turn To Blow It

You know where this is all leading don't you? The Red Sox will back into a playoff spot say next week in Baltimore as the Tampa Bay Rays run out of gas and finally hand over the AL Wild Card to an undeserving Boston squad.

Tonight it was closer Jonathan Papelbon's turn to blow a game-giving up his first run in 21 games (July 16)-as the Orioles (64-90) won 7-5 over the Red Sox (88-67) at Fenway Park.

Terry Francona is scared to death of making Papelbon work more than an inning so this was only his fourth save opportunity of over one inning. Naturally, summoned with one out in the eighth Papelbon gave up a bases-loaded double to Robert Andino (3 hits, run), who is a shoe in for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

This result was dulled by the fact that a few minutes earlier in the Bronx, the Yankees blanked the Rays 5-0. As it stands, Boston leads Tampa Bay by two games (one in the loss column) with the regular season ending next Wednesday.

Erik Bedard returned from his fake injury (lat), not to be confused with my favorite solider Carl Crawford who bravely put his name in the lineup tonight after missing yesterday's doubleheader with a stiff neck, and as usual, Bedard worked slowly and ineffectively.

Bedard went 2.2 innings (really), allowing four runs (one earned) on five hits with two walks. For the second game in a row, Scott Atchison was great. This time he threw 2.1 scoreless innings and even Matt Albers pitched in a 1-2-3 sixth. Sadly, the usually reliable duo of Daniel Bard (2-9) and Papelbon didn't get it done. Bard was charged with two runs that crossed home against Pap.

Did I mention that a Dutch pitcher started for Baltimore? Yup, none other than Rick VandenHurk made the stoners in Amsterdam smile. He went three innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts.

Adrian Gonzalez's (3 hits, 3 RBIs) RBI double in the first got the Red Sox out to a good start, it felt like they hadn't scored a game's first run since August.

Luckily the Orioles piled on four runs in the third as Nick Markakis (3 hits) had an RBI double, Vlad Guerrero reached on Josh Reddick's error (scoring Markakis) and Mark Reynolds (2 hits) drove in two with an RBI single.

However, no lead is safe with Baltimore's Double A caliber rotation and bullpen. Gonzalez crushed his MLB-leading 12th opposite field homer of the season (27th overall), a two-run blast in the third. The Red Sox went ahead with a pair of runs in the fourth on Mike Aviles' (2 hits) RBI single and a fielding error by Reynolds (his 30th of the season; what a five-tool player).

For the second time in three games, the O's new closer Jim Johnson got a 1-2-3 ninth for his eighth save of the season.

Josh Beckett and Tommy Hunter square off tomorrow night in Boston's regular season home finale. It makes me sick to write it but the Red Sox need to win to earn the series split with the AL East's sisters of the poor. Tampa Bay and New York have a day-night doubleheader tomorrow. Fun times, baseball!

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Time Stands Still As The Orioles Beat The Red Sox

In MLB, you play teams in your division approximately a million times each season so it was only a matter of time before the Baltimore Orioles found a way to knock off the Boston Red Sox.

The O's (39-55) snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Red Sox (58-37) with a 6-2 win last night at Camden Yards.

Rookie Kyle Weiland (0-1) made his second start for Boston (both have been against the Orioles) and while he had better results this time, the former Notre Dame closer still didn't come out on top. In his MLB debut, he was lit up and ejected after hitting Vlad Guerriero but the Red Sox rallied to win. This time around, he went six innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts.

Normally reliable Alfredo Aceves was also touched up for three earned runs in two innings, including back-to-back homers by Derrek Lee (two-run) and Mark Reynolds (3 hits) in the eighth that extended Baltimore's lead from a measly 3-2 to an insurmountable 6-2.

Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie (4-13), who entered with the most losses in MLB, had one of his better outings of a terrible season. He went seven innings, allowing two earned runs on eight hits with a walk and four strikeouts.

Jim Johnson went the last two innings, picking up the save (his first of the season) by not allowing any hits or runs.

Reynolds gave the O's a 1-0 lead in the second with an RBI double which scored Adam Jones (2 hits). Nolan Reimold's ground out brought home Matt Wieters (2 runs, 2 hits) to make it 2-0 Baltimore in the second.

Wieters upped the margin to 3-0 with an RBI single in the third which scored Nick Markakis.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia provided the Red Sox' only runs with a two-run bomb (his second in as many games) in the fifth. The eighth of the season, it scored Josh Reddick (3 hits), who continues to tear the cover off the ball.

Boston's six-game road trip wraps up this afternoon as Andrew Miller takes on Jake Arrieta. The Red Sox are currently 3-2 on the trip and 1.5 games up on the Yankees in the AL East so one more win would be nice. 4-2 looks a lot better than 3-3 plus you can't lose two out of three to the Orioles, ever.

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