Hardball Heaven

Julio Lugo's hitting woes (0 for his last 31) are well-documented, but now he's in a baserunning slump too? Trailing the Rangers 5-4 last night in the 8th inning, Lugo was brought in to pinch run for Dustin Pedroia, who had just smoked a 2-out double. Kevin Youkilis, who had homered earlier in the game, was at the plate. A single ties it up - and Lugo inexplicably decides to try and steal third. The catcher double pumped, and they still got Lugo, who may have been safe if he had chosen to, um, slide. Bad, bad decision. (Note professional illustration of brain fart, above).

Of course, that's not why the Red Sox lost this one. Cruising along with a 4-0 lead, the wheels came off for Josh Beckett, who all of a sudden lost his command and started getting boxed around. The lack of offense from the big Sox power hitters continues to be a source of concern. One would think that coming home after a long West Coast trip, the cozy confines of Fenway would cure what ails the offense - but it hasn't happened yet. Maybe today with Kameron Loe on the mound for Texas?

One cool side note from this one: the much-heralded Jacoby Ellsbury made his major league debut last night - filling in for the injured Coco - and got his first big-league hit, beating out a slow roller to short. Appropriate.

2:00 game time today.