This was a joke, right Pete?

The only reason you come to your own blog after many days is to say you'll be focusing on the Insider?

So why is this different for you?

An entire series went by with the 1st place team in the division... yet, nothing.

You're a funny guy Pete. Question: Was I really that far off when I said your blog was ending? ah, you don't have to answer that......

This is our blog Pete. Your name is on the top of the page ONLY because your employers wouldn't know what to call it. And they don't want to get rid of it since it creates a tiny bit of revenue.... They see that now.

Whether it's posters like Meso, Gil, smitty, PP, Bob, keith, JJ, jc, james c, squirrel, paulie, bob, Tim or myself, we've got it covered my friend.

We no longer come here for your insight... because well, you give none.

So enjoy your day/night job at the Insider..... Have fun responding to every Oriole employee you can get around to.

Cheers

..............................................................................................
Pete's reply: Wayne, you've been here two years spilling your paranoid and inaccurate ramblings and you still think "The Schmuck Stops Here" refers to me?

Key to the Redox series will be O's getting a lead through 6-7 innings and maintaining it. Here is why:

1. The Bosox are 17-0 when they lead after 7 innings
2. They are 15-1 when leading after 6
3. Trailing after 8 they are 0-20
4. Leading after 8 they are 16-0

Have fun in Bean town Schmuck. It's raining cats and dogs in NY and NJ right now so I sorta doubt that we'll get the game in tonight.

And so truth-be-told, I am at times entertained by you Wayne. We certainly don't tent in the same camp but that is beside the point. I was out of town this weekend and may have missed it but I want your take on the series win vs. the rays. I was pleasantly surprised to see them come back and take a road series from the rays after such an embarrassing home sweep at their hands a few days earlier

Any chance wayne could clear waivers and be sent to the minors ??

wayne, why the hell do you care how often Peter posts in this blog entry? You can and do {ad nauseum} post whenever you want. You never agree with anything he writes anyway.

Go Orioles !

Hey Peter,
I feel bad for you, Boston is normally a gorgeous town, but with the weather being the weather. It probable won't be as much fun as it normally would be.

Anyway, I hear the Minnesota Twins might be having a fire sale. You have no idea how happy it would make me, if the Orioles some how could get a hold of
Francisco Liriano via trade. As long as he's healthy that would wisk away these dreary clouds and make it a sunny day!

wayne,

I guess what Pete is inferring is that his blog is no longer considered a serious blog. The"nuts and bolts" are focused on and contained in the Orioles Insider blogs. even though the overwhelming number of comments, debates and discussions occur on his blog. Am I missing something here? Somebody help me out.

Gil,
I think you nailed it. I don't think you're missing anything. The "bolts" are definitely on the Insider, however some of the "nuts" are still here.

the banter that occurs here is much more entertaining than that which occurs on the inside.

Gil,

There would be more comments on the Insider. Many however, don't meet the O's 'suck up' requirement. Now that may be a little harsh, but it's obviously true.

It's about revenue Gil, This little blog of Pete's was like a 2nd gig for the guy. While he gave the SUN a little % of whatever he could sell (strip adds, etc), it was hardly satisfying to the SUN.

Then the SUN figured out that if Pete comes to the Insider, his posters will come with him, thus the bog will be relavent.....and we can bill. Bill in a way my you, that allows the SUN to keep all of the rev.

In other words, Pete is an employer of the SUN, thus when they said.... um Pete, be a good company man and start focusing on our official Blog, thus bringing your posters....

Well, Pete then just did what most employers would do. And he's doing it very well I might add.

@ Mesotheliangelos - good stats on the redsox. I wonder if they differ much from other teams in the % they win when coming from behind after 6 innings.

@ wayne - like you, I don't come here for Pete's insights, but rather to read the comments from the peanut gallery. I seldom post either place, but even more rarely on The Insider because the captcha codes are tedious to enter in and its frustrating to compose a post and have it rejected b/c I cannot parse the mangled text.

@ the squirrel - where did you read about a Twins fire sale? Care to post the link?

One letter I can handle

Iceman,

Pete has certainly developed a diverse group who meet regularly on his blog, kind of like the webinar I was on this morning. What do you think the "Sun's" intentions are for the nuts who remain, present company included?

Gil,
I'm happy to include myself as a regular "nut" as well. I read this blog multiple times everyday but don't post much. I'm sure the Sun is very happy that there are regular visitors to this site. I think the Sun is happy to have any and all of us. I actually find almost all regular posters on this blog to be very entertaining. Some of them, and you fall into this group; are also informative and thought provoking. I just like to take an occasional shot at wayne once in a while. Sorry you thought I was grouping you in with the "nuts".

@ Tom
Fire Sale Link

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/284253-is-a-twins-firesale-coming?eref=fromSI

Also, I was remiss everyone should root for Tillman! I am rooting that he can put together two solid starts together!

Iceman,

No offense taken. I am proud to be a contributing member of "Schmuck's nuts club". Like Tom in Seattle, I don't post much on the Insider blogs because of the sometimes undecipherable codes you must enter. The only Insider blog that I have had comments deleted is Dan Connolly's blog. Dan appreciates a good sense of humor as long as it is his.

Preliminary look at the Boston radar does not appear to be that ominous. There is a line of showers 75 to 100 miles south of beantown moving north at about 30 mph, but they should move through before the game. I think they will play. Now here's wayne with the traffic.

Tom in Seattle,

Jays are 10-3 when leading after 6
Yankees 17-4 when leading after 6
O's when leading after 7 are 15-1

Couldn't find Tampa's records. But Boston has clearly the better numbers when they lead after 6 or 7. Not by much though.

---

Check this out guys:

Corey Patterson (Jays) has recorded a hit in six consecutive and also has 11 multi-hit games this season (2nd on the Club)...Over his last 18 games, is batting .344 (22-64) with 6-2B, 3B, 12-RBI & 13-R.

As NB says, make of it what you will.

Pete -

It's May 16 and your blog is still going? What gives?

Mark Reynolds was discussed in an article in Fangraphs. I can't say I have too much reason for optimism. Here are a few pieces:

....Adding to the misery is the news that Buck Showalter has hinted that Reynolds needs an extended period of time off in order to get his act together, which sounds a heck of a lot like a manager losing confidence in his slugging third baseman.....

....First of all, the obvious: Reynolds is hitting .174/.287/.313. That’s just putrid...

....I’ve read where folks point to his walk rate as a positive sign but the fact is, he’s walking just a little more than his career average (12.5% vs. 11.4%), and worse than 2010 (13.9%). Yes, his strikeouts are down to just one third of the time, which is about 5% less than his career rate. That these are supposed to be the two positives doesn’t bode well for Reynolds....

...an expected BABIP of .253 doesn’t suggest that he’ll be charging above the proverbial Mendoza line terribly soon. He is hitting a rather silly number of balls as infield flies at nearly 19%....

The one thing that I find alarming is he's hitting more GB's then his career average (37.5%), less flyballs (47.7%) and his infield flies have increased by 5% over his career average (17.5%)

At this point, I'm HOPING he can at least repeat his '10 season, and that's not saying a whole lot.

"Whether it's posters like Meso, Gil, smitty, PP, Bob, keith, JJ, jc, james c, squirrel, paulie, bob, Tim or myself, we've got it covered my friend.

We no longer come here for your insight... because well, you give none."

Wayne, don't flatter yourself. Many still come here to read Pete's insights and talk the O's...we certainly could live without you (and I guarantee this blog would thunder with applause if you never returned).

We established long ago that you're an insecure man with no life who sits on his couch all day, hope to draw his "15 minutes" of attention by spreading negativity and chirping non-stop like a parrot we'd all like to throw something at.

I feel bad for you wayne. What a sad, pathetic existence you must lead. Seek help, amigo...preferably soon.

Christopher,

You mean I'm a troll who lives in my Mom's basement?

Yeeeeeeeees..... I've made it guys. To the point where Chris has given me the ultimate compliment.

And ummmmmmmm Chris buddy. I don't see much talking about the O's coming from you sir. Seems you just come to read my post, then to write in to respond to me. Who can blame you though?

For the record Chris my friend (and we are becoming amigo's)....

I feel sorry for me TOO. During one game this year while walking to my seats, a Yank fan said 'dude, i feel sorry for you having to wear that hat. Does it stand for zero'?

Well, I gave a come back worthy of him and his inflatable date.... but that's beside the point... the point is....

....when I sat down, I couldn't help but to think...

.... the dude's right... I feel sorry for me too.

Thanks for helping me to get through this difficult time Dr. Chris. You've helped me to come on contact with my inner hurt.

:-)
:-(

wayne, just because you don't have a life it doesn't mean that Peter Schmuck shouldn't have a life, either. Hurling insults at him for not posting enough entries on HIS blog hasn't stopped you from posting multiple entries here.

He may be working on the Orioles Insider for the next few days because Dan Connolly is dealing with the recent passing of his mother. Is this a good enough reason for you?

Here's another thought: if you are so frustrated with the lack of Pete's posts on this site, CREATE YOUR OWN BLOG. I'm sure it'll be very successful.

Thanks for proving my point, wayne (or should it bey whyne?)

If you actually bothered to read and participate in constructive conversations, you'd see I post quite frequently on these boards. But you're to wrapped up in being a troll (very good word choice to describe yourself - first thing you've written that's actually spot on) and getting your daily dose of attention on these boards.

It's funny you complain about the blog and these boards - if the this site ever shut down, your raison d'etre would disappear.

Thanks for proving my point, wayne (or should it bey whyne?)

If you actually bothered to read and participate in constructive conversations, you'd see I post quite frequently on these boards. But you're to wrapped up in being a troll (very good word choice to describe yourself - first thing you've written that's actually spot on) and getting your daily dose of attention on these boards.

It's funny you complain about the blog and these boards - if the this site ever shut down, your raison d'etre would disappear.

sorry to interupt......but back to baseball??

I really think these next couple of games are very important for both the Red Sox and Orioles. Boston is at .500 for the first time this season and the Orioles are 1 game under .500.

Tonight's pitching matchup is Tillman against Dice-K, who isn't the MLB Japanese star Boston once hoped they payed for. But Tillman is to the O's as Dice-K is to Boston - inconsistent. Depending on which pitcher(s) shows up, it could be a high scoring game on either side.

Tomorrow's matchup is Britton against John Lackey. This is another interesting matchup. Britton is facing a Boston lineup that could explode anyday of the week, so lets hope he continues to impress. Lackey is coming off of a mediore 2010 and has been just horrible in '11 with a 8.01 ERA - for the Orioles sake, lets hope he continues that trend,

If the O's sweep this 2 game set, that would put them 1 game above .500, 3 series wins in a row (including 2 against divisional opponents), and in a positive momentum going against the Yankees. I'm saying it would be a "turning point", but these next two games could be big for the Orioles.

Lets hope this Oriole offense can put more than a few runs up.

*typo

I'm NOT saying it would be a "turning point", but these next two games could be big for the Orioles.

Not a good monday. Can I get a weather update please? Will I at least be able to watch the O's tonight?

I actually admire you, wayne. I think you're fairly funny most days. I don't care too much for you rippin on old man Pete, but I can appreciate your fortitude, and your unwavering disgust for all things black and orange; because sometimes I feel that way, too. Sometimes I just want to renounce my allegiance to Baltimore Orioles baseball and resign to rooting for a clear-cut winner like the Red Sox or Yankees, but I don't do it. I can't do it. There's something in my blood, my dna, that begs to be the losers that the Red Sox and Cubs fans have been for so long. It's an identity now...

I just don't understand why you don't abandon the SUN blogs altogether and head over to Camden Chat where your endless wit and unflattering diatribes can truly be appreciated for what it really is - an attack on all things Baltimore Orioles.

dave in glen burnie;

Further to your post about Reynolds, I wonder whether some changes to his hitting style have hurt him. Remember 3 weeks or so ago he was talking about reverting from the way he was doing it to the way he was doing it in the NL.

It brought to mind in ST when the coaches tried to alter the way Kevin Gregg was throwing the ball. He'd been doing well until they changed him and then just started getting whacked. If I remember right, he went back to his old way just before the season started. It took him 4 or 5 appearances in the regular season before he seemed to come back to form.

Are Reynolds struggles due to having his style changed as well as having to learn a new league and pitchers he's never faced before? I hope so. That you can come back from in time.

Why on earth is Reynolds batting before Hardy...he's hitting 150 points lower!

Pete -

That first inni9ng could have and should have been a much bigger inning....after Dice-K walks 3 batters why on earth is Wieters swinging at the first pitch? Seems like bad baseball to me!

Agreed, dave taylor. Really wish we could have blown this thing open there in the first inning. Something tells me that with Tillman matching Dice-K's pitch count, we're going to need as much action in the top half of the inning as we can possibly muster.

Wayne, get over yourself. You will never, ever get any respect from me by busting on the guy who allows all of us--including you--to post here. I definitely come here for Schmuck's insight because he has quality perspective on the O's. You should actually take some notes from the guy: he can criticize the team without rooting against them.

Wow, so who wants to give an estimate for Tillman's IP tonight? Unless he gets on a roll, I'm saying he hits 100 pitches in the fifth inning.

Mark Reynolds is tough to watch.. His swing is bad, his timing is bad, he is getting out on all manner of pitches. If he's a guess hitter, then he's guessing all wrong.
I wonder what Buck is going to do with the guy if this continues.

I really don't think anything will happen with Reynolds. He's going to hit below .200 this season, there's no doubt in my mind. Hopefully he can hit some homers and drive in the occasional run also. I see Buck giving him a day off here and there but he's going to be here and playing all season.

I don't know, Jon. Right now, Reynolds offers the ability to get walks. I'm not sure that Jake Fox couldn't offer more with steady playing time at third base.

That said, I don't want to see Fox regularly playing third. I'm much, much rather see Reynolds get locked in and start mashing, but jim66 is right: Reynolds is mighty tough to watch these days.

I wish Josh Bell were lighting it up at AAA, but he's sticking around .280 with very few walks.

Left oblique strain for Derrek Lee. That puts him out for 5-6 weeks? Sheesh. Tatum up to catch backup, Fox plays first. Not good news.

Dice-K gave up 7 walks in 4.1 innings. As he hits the showers, it's hard to believe we've only gotten 3 runs out of him so far.

Then again, we're the O's....

And on the flip side, he swings at almost everything, but Vlad is just fun to watch. I don't know how he hit that 0-2 pitch in the gap. And Jones just keeps getting better.

Can Michael Gonzalez never pitch again? I don't ask for much.

This is a bad move.Buck will regret this.

It's not Mother's Day is it?

In the name of God, what is Michael Gonzalez doing in this game??

Mike Gonzalez, pack your freaking bags, please.

gonzalez has nothing but barely an idea where the ball is going, and his own bad luck.
Why did Buck bring him in to pitch to the lefty? he gave up a homer the other day.
When is trying to get some of these guys straightened out going to stop?

Ahh it's good you're seeing the ligth about Vlad G, Jim66.

What the Freak is Showalter doing though. Tillman had one more inning in him. I know there were long intervals between innings and maybe Tillman stiffened up a bit. But Mike Gonzalez????? Come on Showalter you are smarter then that

6 to 2 so much for that stress free evening! Mike Gonzalez... NO!

Gonzo is here because AM paid good money for him to be the CLOSER for the O's.......

No matter his # of blown saves before arriving... No matter he has stunk up the joint since day 1......

Buck has to keep putting him out there because AM's eye for talent says he should be on the team.

Why would any of you get frustrated when Gonzo comes in? He is who we thought he would be.

Go back and read what I wrote when he was signed........

If someone just listened to me....

Ugh

Mother's Day redux.

dumb and deserved

But you still never say "I told you so", right wayne?

5-0 the last time I checked, and 6-5 now with two relievers already spent. Yikes...

Ah, yes, the O's begin to lose, and Wayne begins to rejoice.

"Yes, an opportunity to bash MacPhail! I'm so awesome! I love it when the O's fall apart!"

Hey Wayne, I'm actually just going back to read what you wrote about how great the Kevin Millwood signing was.

In the meantime, how about you root for the Orioles?

All right now I am pissed!
Luke Scott should have been pulled in favor of Pie

Gonzo should have never been put into the game!

Accardo smells!

6 to 5

This is why the Orioles have lost for 13 years in a row!

Unbelievable!

longest 3 outs ever. Ugh Lee

Hey, at least we escaped with the lead.

Sox pitchers aren't doing anything to stop the O's bats tonight, so let's just get those five runs back.

no excuses buck
your bullpen sucks and you're paying for it

notice very few bullpen innings in tampa

insane

how does varitek get a hit?
how?

There's one.

Wow O's fans! The O's are undefeated or something like that when they score 4 or more runs, and you all are jumping ship. Have faith. The Sheriff of Swattingham just hit it out. Grab a paper bag and breathe.

gonzalez throws 2 letter high fastballs by varitek, then screws around with the curveball
i quit

nb - I'm down

meso - you stole my thunder...deep breath everyone

This bullpen is a disgrace.

Jim et al,

You all know I'm not a fan of Gonzo's however the defense let him down twice and the ump missed a strike 3 call right before the Veritek hit. How's any of that his fault?

Relax comrads,

The O's have this one in the bag.......

or put another way.....

'in the bag'

Koji the Magician, gets it done. We're almost there. Deep breaths.

drew singled. lowrie doubled, crawford on a reynolds screw up, varitek-who he had 0-2, bad call or not, no excuse

gonzalez is not to be trusted. he has an era of 9 or more.rapada has an era of 9. Meso, whatever way you cut it, that is just terrible work by gonzalez. Contrary to what he thinks, he hasn't anything figured out.

Red Sox fan near me can't wait to face Gregg in the 9th. That's worries me as an O's fan.

que kevin gregg meltdown in 3...2....1...

Crucial opportunity for Gregg here... earn the respect!

this guy's a mess

I think Gregg may have more blown saves than saves by the end of the year. Typical, typical stuff. And why isn't Koji the closer?

disgusting

From the minute I saw Gonzalez warming up in the bullpen I knew the O's were not going to win. This has got to be the most frustrating team on earth!

Painful.

Congrats, Wayne. The O's lost, which is fodder for your version of fun.

For the rest of us who still root for this team... painful.

Not good

they should be ashamed
the bullpen pitched 3 innings and gave up 10 hits and 8 runs...throw in a few walks for good measure

at this point, go get klein and see what he's got

Someone should be fired!
I don't care who, but someone should be fired! That was nothing short of disgraceful!

Gonzo
Accardo
Gregg

They should be made to walk home!
Gregg just doesn't even care!

Heck, I would have kept Koji Uehara for another inning. He looked sharp tonight.
I can't wait for tonight's press conference. Showalter will be like, we won't let this loss get us down. I already forgot about it, myself. The fans just need to learn how to let go, offer it up blah blah blah....

I would have kept Tillman in for one more inning. Anything short of his arm falling off, I would have kept him in for one more inning.

OH, I am Mad!!!!! Disappointed!!!!

Very Disappointing Buck!!! Very Disappointing!

Gregg is killing me! When I saw he was up for the 9th inning of the game versus Boston, I cringed. He walks too much and is unreliable. We have too many good starting pitchers to give the ball to this unproven reliever. Errrrrr! We had this game!

Is it too early to call up Dan Klein?

These losses are tough, no matter how you slice it. Note to MacPhail: Think twice about not signing guys like Texeira and A-Gone. They will haunt you for a long time. There are too many positives from this loss that were overshadowed by the negatives. Inconsistency! It's expected. The good news is: they can make it all right tomorrow with a win.

Good night everyone. Don't start taking the frustration out on each other. Tomorrow is another day.

I'd say unbelievable...except its really not. We just don't have the bullpen horses- Its time to cut Gonzalez loose- the fool pitches like he's wearing a match suit in a gasoline rainstorm. The guys are tight just waiting for him to screw up.

I thought Tillman would be back- only 89 pitches, but he was in a little pain on the third base cover the inning before. That sort of lead should be safe in a professional bullpen.

Working backwards, its probably got to be Koji to close, Johnson to set, and Gregg in the 7th until he can get guys out a bit more reliably.

Ugh.

I fear this is one of those statement games. Making one for the Sawx, and missing one for the O's.

With New York next, a win tonight, with the Sox coming off their sweep, would have been huge.

Tomorrow is suddenly a pretty critical game. And if the weather holds, there might not be one, and thus it's tonight with no redemption, and the Yankees who are looking for a quick bounce.

D-Lee going down...Brandon Snyder coming up?

Gotta win tomorrow. Thank goodness for Zach...complete game coming?

Note to Zach Britton: Be prepared to go 9 tomorrow night if you want to win!

The O's still shrink in big games against the Red Sox and Yankees. It's been like that for a very long time and until I actually see that change, I won't believe that it ever will.

let's see if the GM has the sack to make some changes. I vote he does not.

When Matusz comes back, forcing either Tillman or Bergeson out of the rotation, isn't it time to end the Michael Gonzalez experience? I mean he's a left that can;t get anyone out - he serves no purpose that I can see. Wouldn't it have been nice to have either Bergy or Tillman coming out to pitch that 6th inning? Isn;t this kind of obvious?
I mean it's a huge weakness that we have no lefthander in our bullpen (I can't count rapada yet) but I think we just need to recognize it and move on. Gonzalez sucks.
Britton vs. Wakefield, I think we've got a good shot at a split here.
Go Os!!

With Derrick Lee out, now we might get to see how bad Luke Scott is at 1B for an extended period.

But ANYBODY can play 1B....right?

Though, seriously, can Uehara please be the closer? I didn't care for the Gregg signing at first, and now I hate it. He just isn't a good closer. I know Uehara doesn't have the greatest stuff, but he knows how to use it well. Gregg is just painfull. I used to complain about George Sherill....

Paulie,

Yes, this was a statement game considering it was similar to the Mother's Day massacre. I watch the games on MLB TV. The NESN channel replayed the Mother's Day massacre comeback highlights right before that 9 inning rally. That brought back some painful memories, and this one just poured salt all over those unhealed wounds.

But in the grand scheme of things, as many said, it's not surprising. I had faith they would win, but it didn't happen. Oh well. It's only an effing game. Let's see how they respond tomorrow.

Bold prediction: Z-Great Britton pitches 8 strong innings, allowing only one earned run. Lackey gets shelled for 6 earned runs. Final 9-1 O's.

Folks - Lackey is on the DL. It's gonna be Wakefield

Thanks Mike!

That makes me change my prediction:

Wakefield gets bombed for 7 ER, final 10-1 O's.

I am nervous about no D Lee. If Snyder can field let's bring him up for a cup o' coffee

Terrible game management.

Basically unless our starters need to throw a complete game shutout everytime for us to have a chance to win with this joke of a bullpen.
well, at least
Maybe now we won't have to watch Luke Scott standing on the track with balls dropping 15 feet in front of him anymore.

"...like he's wearing a match suit in a gasoline rainstorm."

LMAO.

Waspman's early and intuitive predictions about the Red Sox's problems this year look even money right now. We learned tonight that John Lackey will not pitch tomorrow and is going on the DL. Varitek couldn't throw me out stealing and I will be 65 soon. The little second baseman screws himself into the ground on every swing when he should be trying to just meet the ball. The team is ripe for an implosion. Nothing gives me more joy than watching the Red Sox and Yankees scuffle. That being said, Adrian Gonzalez sure would look good in an Oriole uniform.

This was a game that the Red Sox tried to lose. If the Orioles truly are to be contenders rather than pretenders, tonight was a missed opportunity. A very big one.

It looks like another of Andy's bargain basement aquisitions will be down for awhile..Derrick Lee. That could affect the defense just as the loss of Hardy affected the offense.

You get what you pay for.

Let it out guys.... let it out.....

Only one person to blame for Gonzo, Accardo and Gregg..... Only one person to call out when it comes to the pen.....

And for the record.... AGon is the kind of in his prime, massively productive hitter, AM will never 'buy'.

Go ahead all... Let it out.

what exactly was the strategy in pitching to youklis tonite? throw him fastballs so he can bang the ball off the wall? He's been horrible hitting off-speed stuff all year. Tonite was a DT game. Ok, everyone on board with the strategy. Yep. Ok go get 'em. Good meeting, guess we get to do what we want.
Did you see the look on Buck's face after Koji threw Youklis an 0-2 fastball and he wacked it off the wall?At some point, you know Buck is thinking it's either them or me, and I'm not going anywhere.

"It's part of the game," manager Buck Showalter said. "We just couldn't stem the tide. We squandered some chances to open it up, because you know they are going to make a run."

I don't know, it's not part of oriole baseball to come back from 5 or 6 down. It's part of Oriole baseball to spit the bit.
How to Lose 90 Games: Chapter 3.

Of course the Pen is a mess.

Andy traded the 2 best RP arms in David Hernandez and Kam Mackolio.

...yeah right...

"because you know they are going to make a run" - Buck

Why Buck? Are we afraid of Jed Lowrie, because other than AGon, no one else in their lineup's been hitting. Maybe you give them too much credit, and as a result, the boys play with a little more fear than they need.

Bottom line in this one, Buck mismanaged. After Tillman appeared to hurt something, see if Berken can go for 2-3 innings and then JJ , Koji, and Gregg. Gonzo's ineffective of late, so why hang him out to dry for 3 hits and 4 runs?

Sorry Buck, but Boston hasn't been making too many runs of late. You allowed them to make a run at it.

Nonetheless, let's se how they respond today. We don;t need another meltdown for 8 games like we did after blowing the NY game earlier this year. Win today, and restore some confidence.