It’s scary down there, boys.
Earlier today I did something really, really stupid. My husband bet me a dollar I wouldn’t eat a hot pepper he grew in the garden. I told him I wasn’t eating anything for just a buck… but maybe for twenty. He agreed and I ate a Super Chili. It may have been the stupidest move I’ve ever made. It was so painful, I thought my throat was going to close up and I was going to die right in my driveway. I drank a half gallon of milk trying to stop the pain. My entire face went numb. It was not fun.
Why am I talking about eating hot peppers in a post about the Red Sox? Well… as painful as it was to eat that pepper, it has been even more miserable watching the Red Sox play baseball this season. If that, in fact, is what they call what they’re playing.
The Sox opened a three-game series last night with the only team worse than them in the AL East — the Toronto Blue Jays. I figured this series might get the team back on track, beat up on someone lowlier than them. I was wrong.
Felix Doubront continued to have troubles and lasted only four innings last night and gave up five runs on six hits against a pretty weak hitting Jays line up. Might the Sox have put too much pressure on Felix this season? He looks just a tad tired to me…
Heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, the Jays had a 5-0 lead. The Sox started chipping away, scoring a run in the fifth, one in the seventh and one in the eighth to cut the lead to 5-3. It looked like the bats were starting to heat up and there was a slight possibility they could catch the Jays and avoid falling into a tie for last place.
And then Daniel Bard came in for the top of the ninth. (Yes, I may have groaned when I saw him.) With a man on second and two outs, Bard served up a high slider that Colby Rasmus jacked just over the right field wall for a two-run homer that put the Jays up 7-3.
The thing that just kills me about this turn of evens was that the Sox came back with a two run dinger of their own in the bottom of the ninth off the bat of birthday boy, Mauro Gomez. If only Bard had done his job… I might just possibly be writing about a rare win today. But that’s just how this season has gone — more painful than eating hot peppers.
These losing ways are obviously getting to the players too. Mike Aviles voiced his frustrations to reporters after the game.
“I’ll tell you what, it’s not fun,” said shortstop Mike Aviles. “I know it’s a tough game to play. In all honesty, we’re out there trying to win. We’re not trying to lose. It’s just unfortunate we can’t get anything going in the right direction. It’s just not fun.”
It’s not fun for me either, Mike. *sigh*
The Sox and Jays face off again tonight with Daisuke Matsuzaka taking the mound against Aaron Laffey. If the Sox lose this one, they’ll be all alone in the basement. I was really hoping to never have to type those words again this season. But… here we are.
