Road Trip of Mass Frustration

West Coast Victims: 2 M's: 3

The Sox can't get on that plane and away from the west coast soon enough. It was 2008 road futility all over again this trip, where the Sox went 2-4 and choked in the later innings in those four losses. Today, the Sox had a chance to win the series with a 6.1 inning 2-run start by Masterson, but once again they disengaged their bats early in the game and let an egregious two-base error by Nick Green do them in. The most maddening instance of opportunities squandered by the Sox came in the fourth inning, when M's starter Jason Vargas loaded the bases with no outs. Bay comes up the plate, but can't deliver the big hit, instead fouling out to Sox nemesis Russell Branyan. Then comes a slumping Mikey Lowell, who grounds into his second twin killer in as many at-bats, squelching the rally and making the Nation wonder why he was put in the cleanup spot. Drew would have been much better hitting fourth behind Bay. His patience at the plate might have walked in the go-ahead run. Alas, hindsight is 20/20.

Youk can't get back fast enough for this team's scuffling offense. Even J-Bay was, with the exception of his dinger yesterday, stymied in this series. Lowell's exhibiting signs of fatigue at the plate, the DH's aren't doing any H-ing, and there's nothing doing after about the fourth inning. Hopefully coming home to Fenway (and the Eastern time zone) will help wake the Sox bats, especially since the hot-as-a-pistol Blue Jays will be there to welcome them home. Good outings this series by Beckett and Masterson and a decent outing by Penny were the silver lining to this trip, but it would have been nice to come out of it with a better record than 2-4.

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!