Craphead

Yikes. That series in Seattle was not a fun time. (For Sox fans, at least. The Mariners' fans seemed rather pleased.) Three games, three Sox losses. When did the Mariners start being good anyways? They are nine games above .500 (42-33) these days, but besides Ichiro, Johjima, and Putz, who do they have? Apparently, they have a bunch of anonymous relievers with sparkling ERAs (though a bit on the WHIPpy side), and eight (!) players with at least twenty-eight RBIs. Nice. Their bullpen has lead them to a 3-0 record in extra innings, and a 13-9 record in one-run games. Yep, the Mariners have become good. But the Sox still should have been able to take at least one of the games in Seattle. (Note: Seattle is 24-15 at home, and 18-18 on the road. Very impressive.) Boston needs to do a lot better if these teams meet again in the first round of the playoffs. At least they aren't likely to be starting Batshit and Not Jason in the playoffs. Hopefully.

It has been a draining couple of weeks for this recently-infrequent blogger. Much working. Not much sleeping. Probably a similar schedule to Gordon Edes, actually. Except I don't have the magical properties of his Pad O' Stats to rely on. Curses. I might also be going through a "dead arm period", but I am not sure, as I have never actually worn a uniform. Perhaps I could take a page from the Baseball Desert playbook, and take a pre-game nap before the Sox' 10pm starts, but that would require missing exciting Phillies action. Besides, it's best to diversify, and have multiple favorite teams. (I learned the diversification lesson when I sunk my first million into Chris James rookie cards.) So, I do my best to stay awake until 1:30am watching the Sox, fueled by Aquafina and peanut M&Ms, and then get myself out of bed at 5am or so. Unfortunately, not unlike Julio Lugo, my best has not been good enough. Not by a long shot. I have missed many ABs due to intermittent napping, only to be jolted into consciousness by random low-flying airplanes, train horns, and rapping announcers. I consider myself fortunate that I have not been designated for assignment. Yet. (If J. C. Romero had been able to keep his WHIP under 1.9, Red Sox Nation may have cut ties with me first.) Fortunately, the Sox don't have another 10pm start time until August 3rd.

Boston really should have come up with the win on Wednesday. Monday night, with Batshit getting bombed (What was he doing throwing, instead of rolling, the ball to 1st base? Poor fundamentals!) and Tuesday night, when Not Jason seemed determined to walk as many opposing batters as possible in the time allotted, just didn't go well. But Wednesday did, at least pitching-wise. Matsuzaka was brilliant- eight innings, three hits, one earned run, one walk, eight K's- but wound up with a no decision. Benjamin turned in a strong effort on the Extra Bases Blog with frequent updates and subtle humor, though her use of the wrong form of the word "flare" cost Boston a run. I did not see CHB on the pre-game, which was also promising, as his appearance typically sends me into convulsions. (Somerville Hospital does NOT get NESN HD.) It is almost disconcerting having two such disparate entitities both writing for the Globe. Amalie, the Champion of all that is Righteous and Good. And CHB, who is well, not so much with the good. (Though, I must admit, every time Amalie writes a one sentence paragraph, I'm pretty sure an angel loses its' wings.)

But, most incredible of all, was The Great Papelbon. He entered the game in the 9th inning, with the potential winning Seattle run on 3rd, and only one out. He left the game after the 10th, having fiercely overpowered all five batters he faced. Two strikeouts. Fourteen of seventeen pitches thrown for strikes. Those 4402 offseason ducks stood a better chance than those five Seattle batters. Pure ferocity. Papelbon has a 0.93 ERA in June, with a delightfully miniscule WHIP of .41. But that's just part of the story. Since I acquired a Limited Edition Jonathan Papelbon BIG Bobblehead, he has appeared in six games. In those six games, he has not been scored upon. Six and two/thirds innings, two hits allowed, ZERO walks allowed, EIGHT strikeouts. That's a 10.79 K/9 ratio, for those without a conveniently located calculator. Needless to say, I have already ordered my Lugo bobblehead. (It may be our pink-tie wearing SS's only hope. Well, that or vitaminwater.)

Unfortunately, Joel Pineiro was summoned from the bullpen, dragging a balky ankle and a 4.80 ERA in for the bottom of the 11th inning. One out later, his ERA was 5.04, and the Mariners had piled onto the field to celebrate their walk-off victory. Craphead.

The Sox return home this weekend to face Texas (they play those Texas dudes A LOT!) in a three-win series. (Yep. Three WIN!) They still boast the best record in the league, but the LA Angels have pulled to within .003. It's time to increase that margin, folks.