Bullpen Disaster!

(June 26)

Short Take:  That hurt.

How's that for home-field advantage, Sox Fans?  The Sox had Minnesota's number coming and going and still failed to put the Twinkies away.  A 6-3 lead entering the ninth inning is nothing but a 7-6 defeat.  This one hurt.

The top of the line up was clicking.  Ray Durham started the game with a solo homerun and the message was sent early:  the Sox wouldn't be rolled in this game.  Scoring opportunities went by the boards in the second and third innings, including two key strikeouts by Carlos Lee and Magglio Ordonez stranding Durham at third base.  

Rocky Biddle had the stuff to win this game.  He went 6.2 innings allowing three runs, four hits, striking out six, walking four.  It was two more homeruns by the Sox in the sixth by Carlos Lee and Jose Canseco that looked to make the Sox winners.  Two more runs in the seventh made it 6-2 Sox and a rested bullpen stood ready to finish off the victory.

Nope.  An infield trampoline bounce was enough to get Matt Lawton to first with an rbi single in the seventh.  Bob Howry managed to squirm out of a nobody-out bases loaded jam  with a strikeout and a double-play.  That was the last bit of good luck the Sox would have.

The luck all went the other way in the ninth.  The Twins used Paul Konerko's glove for a badminton racket, bouncing 2 of 3 singles off his glove leading to one run.  Next a dribbler skipped through the hole past Herbert Perry's glove and well underneath the glove of our low-range defensive specialist Royce Clayton at short.  

Would this be a good time to mention Royce was 0 for 4 with two strikeouts?  Get him out of here.  Josh Paul was 0 for 4 with a K and another stolen base allowed.  Why are we carrying three catchers?  With these two hitting #8 and #9, is it any wonder we couldn't turn the line up over?

Back to the ninth inning disaster.  A key strikeout by Keith Foulke for the second out looked to finally shutdown the Twinkies but no, it was a triple high of the right-field baggie brought home the tying and winning run.

Baggies, white ceilings, trampoline bounces, and pool table squibs through the infield, but that's the game played in Minnesota so we Sox Fans just have to get used to it.  It's only one loss unless we want to make it more.  

I think I'll be sick.