Sweep-A-Roo.....

So whats left to say really, I get tired of watching the same pitchers do the same thing.  I am tired of typing it, as you are tired of reading it.  I know that Terry Francona is a good manager (I think), however his actions over the last few games would earn him an F, and if he managed in New York, it would be a ticket back to whatever rock he crawled out from under.

  For the 5th time in a row, the Sox bullpen took a game that was either very close, or that the Sox were winning, and turned the game completely around in favor of the opposing team.  The definition of insanity is to repeat the same actions and expect different results.  So with that being said, I'm not sure why Francona keeps running Craig Hansen and Manny Delcarmen out to the mound in tight spots.  They have failed more times than they have successful, thats a fact.  Last nights game was just one of those games where the cause and effect could be the Sox alot longer than that one fateful inning that saw a 4-1 lead turn into a 7-4 deficit.  If you did not see it, you missed a meltdown like you rarely see at the big league level.  Manny Delcarmen and Craig Hansen combined to give up six earned runs, on four hits and two walks, in 0.0 innings pitched.  David Aardsma pitched a third of an inning, and Javier Lopez got the Sox out of the 54 pitched 7th inning.

  The Sox rallied to score in the 8th and 9th inning off the vaunted Ray bullpen, but the hole they were put in by Hansen and Delcarmen was too much to overcome.  On a positive note, Dustin Pedoria was a single short of the cycle, and could have stopped at first to accomplish this feat, however he hustled to second in the 8th inning for his second double of the game and fourth hit.

  For the Sox it is now onto to New York, where they are now in a position where anything short of a series win will be disasterous.  The Rays host the Royals for four games at the Trop, so if the Sox mess around in New York, the divisonal race will be over before the All-Star Break.

  For Theo and Terry Francona it off to Barnes & Noble to see if they still have a copy of bullpens for dummies.  This is Theo's sixth year putting together bullpens for the Sox, and I would have to say that this could be his worst effort yet, however 2006's bullpen deserves an honorable mention.  Make no mistake about it, this is defcon four for the Red Sox right now.  They are in serious jeapordy of letting this season and division slip away.  The Sox are now in a position of weakness when it comes to dealing with other teams as far as trades are concerned.  Needless to say...July will be an interesting month in Red Sox Nation.