Toeing the Rubber

Josh is not amused (Photo by Kelly O'Connor and used with permission)

A three game losing streak and being four games out of first made me a bit cranky last night, I’ll admit.  Especially when those three games are lost to division rivals.  I wasn’t “mad” but I was certainly cranky enough to just shut off the television and the computer and not think about baseball for a little while.*

Which, I know, is pretty ridiculous.  The AL East is a tight race right now and the team is going to lose some games and there has been a lot of good to take out of these recent series (Beckett for starters) as well as the bad (let’s not talk about Daniel Bard right now).

Beckett didn’t face the media last night.  He left before they got to their seats in front of the table where managers and starting pitchers are forced to rehash a game that ended moments before, for better or worse. I can’t give him grief for bolting last night.  After his last start against another division rival, Tampa Bay, where he pitched well but got a no-decision even as the Red Sox got the win thanks to a Jarrod Saltalamacchia walk-off homer, he said that he’d take the no-decision every time if each game ended that way.  Of course the game that followed the Rays game was a loss against the Detroit Tigers where he gave up 10 hits and 4 runs – and he faced the media after it.  What was the point last night? He’d sit down and be bombarded with ten different versions of the same question “Are you disappointed that your offense didn’t help you out?”.  I say good for him for taking a night off from that.

Tonight the series against Baltimore ends and tomorrow the Washington Nationals come to Fenway for interleague play.  Friday night the pitching matchup will be Felix Doubront vs Stephen Strasburg. As exciting as it will be to have the likes of Strasburg and Bryce Harper playing in Fenway, I’m more excited for Saturday’s starting pitcher for the Red Sox…Daisuke Matsuzaka.  I have no expectations for that game but just the idea that the team can so quickly fill the hole left when they sent Daniel Bard to Pawtucket to work out his issues gives me hope for the rest of the season.

I went to sleep cranky and woke up full of hope. This is pretty much the theme for my relationship with the 2012 Red Sox.

*This isn’t entirely true.  Before I shut off the television, I went looking for the Stanley Cup game. I haven’t paid much attention since the Bruins were knocked out, but I knew enough that there was a  possibility of the LA Kings sweeping the New Jersey Devils to win the cup and thought it would be a nice way to end the sports evening.  Thing is…I couldn’t find the damn game. I can complain all I want about how the New York Yankees are the sweethearts of baseball media but compared to hockey fans I have no beef at all. Absolutely ridiculous that I had to search for what could have been the championship-winning game.