Blame it on the rain

Did that seriously just happen? Did the Sox seriously lose two out of three to the last-place Yankees with their best pitchers on the mound? Did A-Rod launch the game-winning homer off Jonathan Papelbon or was I hallucinating at that point?

Now they have to fly cross-country to Oakland and prepare for another West Coast swing. I read someone put it on another blog (can't remember where), "Okay, let's get the losing streak started and get it over with while it still doesn't matter quite as much in the long run." Maybe that's what we're looking at here.

I am going to sincerely try to keep an even keel if that happens--I really don't want to turn into a Chicken Little any more than I wanted to turn into a gloating, cocky asshole mid-May. We are still ahead of the Yankees in the season series and still way ahead of them in the division standings. It doesn't matter what the standings are--the Yankees and Sox always play each other to the death, or at least that's how it feels. The major difference last night was that Mariano Rivera came out looking like the 2000 version of himself, while Oki and Jonathan unfortunately picked last night to have the bad moments every pitcher encounters.

Another important fact to keep in mind, disappointing as it was yesterday that we didn't capitalize on a chance to really kick the Yanks when they're down, is that the Yankees lost a lot more than a game up here this weekend. Roger's future is up in the air right now, as he's missing even the postponed start with a groin injury. Andy Pettitte looked good yesterday--right up until he screamed in pain after delivering a pitch to Julio Lugo. Moose looked like crap and they're teaching Johnny Damon to play first base. I'm not saying they're finished--but the reality of their current situation is at least worth acknowledging on a dreary Monday morning after a game I looked forward to all week ended so disappointingly.

Comments

[Devine]

I got very mad at the end of this game. I normally feel pretty even-keeled, but last night got my goat for whatever reason.

Last time I recall being so angry at baseball was a game in Detroit last year that the Sox ended up winning 3-2 after Youkilis hit a 2-run homer off Todd Jones with 2 out in the top of the 9th. Up until that point, I was fuming. Of course, the euphoria that followed matched the boiling rage that preceded. Not so last night.

I wasn't angry at all when they lost 2 last week to the Yankees...maybe it's the home turf...maybe it's that it felt like there were some nice chances to win this game/series. At least my only Fenway game this year in person, on Saturday, they won.