Hardball Heaven

Well, that didn't work out too well did it? Yesterday's painful doubleheader sweep by the Yankees yielded 41 runs and 61 hits, with several members of the Red Sox bullpen lying on the field like roadkill in the end. The Sox are now 3 1/2 games behind NY as Josh Beckett prepares to face the Big Ugly in Game 3 in about an hour.

Most logical fans conceded the first game going in, but we figured we'd get a win against Sir Sidney in the night game. Unfortunately, Jon Lester's early-game problems continued and the lefty who can't get lefties out put us in an early hole. To the offense's credit, they battled back from 5-1 and 7-5 deficits to take a 10-7 lead before the bullpen imploded. The Yanks put up seven in a hideous 7th inning, with Timlin and Hansen your primary grenade throwers. Making matters worse, Johnny Traitor was a true All-Star yesterday, both with the bat and the glove. All he did was go 6-for-12 with 2 homers, 7 RBI and 4 runs scored. Like I said, painful.

The one thing easing the pain yesterday was the annual WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund telethon, which raised close to $3 million.

The best we can hope for now is to win 2 of the remaining 3. Time for Mr. Beckett to step up.