Did the Orioles Sink the Red Sox Back in May?

Yesterday I posted a blurb about how the Orioles dealt a death blow to the Angels season and wondered if they might do the same thing to the Red Sox this month. According to the Boston Herald's John Tomase, maybe they did it back in May when they swept the Sox in a three-game set at Camden Yards:

The Red Sox actually began that series on a bit of a roll. They had won 5-of-6 and were coming off a three-game sweep in Toronto that perhaps spoke more to the Blue Jays’ early-season ineptitude against the Sox than anything the visitors had done.

At 11-11, the Red Sox had finally returned to .500 for the first time since 4-4. They already trailed the Tampa Bay Rays by 5 games in the AL East and didn’t want to risk falling any further behind.

The Orioles appeared to be the perfect foes. Baltimore was just 4-18 and in the process of costing manager Dave Trembley his job....

The Red Sox have righted the ship since that 11-14 start, but not enough to seriously reinsert themselves into the playoff race. For that fading goal to have any semblance of hope, they’ll need to do a lot better with the Orioles, who are 16-10 since Buck Showalter took over as manager (Trembley was replaced for a time by Juan Samuel), this week than they did in the spring.

Remember the Mother's Day Massacre from 2007? Of course you do. Lost in all the misery of the losing earlier in 2010 is the fact that we have given the Red Sox their own heartburn, a series they refer to as The Lost Weekend, a time where their playoff-contending momentum was derailed by a wretched, demoralized Baltimore club.

If the Red Sox had swept the Orioles that weekend (as many clubs were doing at that point), they would be 4 games back instead of the 7 they find themselves now. Still a tough hill to climb but 7 games looked nearly insurmountable now, especially given who they are chasing.

If they lose this series to the Orioles, they could find themselves as much as 9-10 games back. Season over. Here's hoping the Orioles oblige them.

Orioles Dash Angels Playoff Hopes...Who's Next?

The Angels entered the weekend 9.5 games behind the Rangers for the AL West title and with, by record, the worst team in the American League coming to town. They and their fans were still deluding themselves about this being the beginning of a run at a playoff spot.

They can't be thinking that now. Over a weekend where they could have made up some ground on the Rangers, they scored one run all sereies, got swept and now sit 10.5 games behind the Rangers with 31 games to go in 2010. Season over, courtesy of the Baltimore Orioles.

Red Sox fans are just as delusional. They really think that they can still catch the Yankees and/or the Rays even though they are 5.5 games back with 31 to go. That's a lot to overcome barring a collapse by one of those teams  which is highly unlikely because those teams are both pretty damn good.

Can the Orioles have an impact on the playoff race? Probably not a big one. But with 6 games against the Red Sox in September, they can certainly squash any hope Boston has for a postseason berth.

Repercussions of the Sweep

As much fun as it was to watch the Oriole sweep of the Red Sox, it is almost as much fun watching the aftermath in New England. Here's a taste:

Eric Wilbur - Boston Globe: O What A Disaster

There are worse things in baseball than getting swept by the Orioles, but...no, actually that's it. Getting swept by the Orioles is the worst thing in baseball. There....

After watching this team for the past 30 days, anyone who thinks they can make a run at the American League East without either making drastic moves or drinking from the Fountain of Youth (provided it is MWRA approved) is driving the optimistic train to la-la land. Run prevention has become a bigger joke than "Where would we play Willie McGee?"

...Perhaps that's a portion of the reason that you can inexplicably find tickets for this week against the Angels for as little as $6 on StubHub - even more surprising, $6 standing room seats for John Lackey's first start against his former club. Still, isn't that telling all the same?



Tony Massorotti -The Boston Globe: Sox Succeeding Only to Keep It Close

The Red Sox already have lost twice as many games to the wretched Baltimore Orioles as they did all of last season, dropping the third and final game yesterday in a weekend sweep at the hands of the worst team in baseball.

It’s starting to feel like this could be a long summah – and the Sox know it.

"It doesn’t get any easier. Everyone thought Baltimore was three easy wins, and we got our [behinds] kicked three times," second baseman Dustin Pedroia told reporters after yesterday’s loss.




Boston Dirt Dogs - The Boston Globe: Widespread Panic

Sox Swept in the Place Formerly Known as Fenway South, A Nation Prepares to Throw in the Towel on 2010...Getting Swept in Baltimore Is Inexcusable and Unforgivable.

John Tomase - Boston Herald: Big Changes Looming After Sox Swept By Lowly O's

The Red Sox are a dysfunctional mess. Victor Martinez can’t hit to save his life. Beltre keeps making poor plays defensively and has become a free-swinging singles hitter. Mike Lowell is struggling to find a groove while playing sporadically. Jacoby Ellsbury [stats]’s injury and absence have killed them.

Evan Brunell -NESN.com: Is It time for Red Sox to Consider Changes?

A month has gone by, and it is clear that things have to change for the Red Sox to start winning. Is it as simple as waiting for Mike Cameron and Jacoby Ellsbury to return?

Or is something bigger needed?

One thing this team could stand to add is home-run power. Well, there's a slugger on fire in the minor leagues that just might be ready. That's none other than Lars Anderson, who slogged through a poor 2009 at Double-A before tearing the level apart this season and getting a promotion to Triple-A.

...Want home runs but don't think Anderson or Reddick is the solution? Perhaps Chris Davis is.

Speaking of looking outside the Red Sox organization ...

...Is the Red Sox' future designated hitter currently cranking home runs in Washington (Adam Dunn)?

...Or could a ex-Boston left fielder assured of making the Hall of Fame and still ripping the cover off the ball make a return to town? Paging Manny Being Manny.

(This is my favorite. Brunell is a tool who has written about Baltimore derisively and arrogantly viewed them as a Sox farm team (especially when he hungrily eyed young Nick Markakis). I love watching him flail for solutions like Chris Davis, Manny Ramirez and rushing young prospects to try to save an lost season. Good stuff.)

Red Sox Reaction

Gotta enjoy these while we can...


Surviving Grady

Apparently, sometime after the rain delay of last night's game, Tito decided to give the lads a rest and replaced the entire team -- particularly the bullpen -- with robot doppelgangers. This was evident the moment the Sox headed off the field with only two outs in the bottom of the sixth; robots, despite their advanced computer brains, are notoriously bad at counting outs. And because robot players are also inherently lazy and nonchalant, within what seemed the blink of an eye, our comfy 10-1 lead became an 11-10 kick to the pills. So what should have been a chapter for the John Smoltz memory books became a first-night-in-prison hazing for our relief corps.

Over the Monster

Then, something disastrous happens; the opposing team forgot that they were supposed to lose this game, and the first team (our heroes) reminds us all that an entire bullpen can have an off-night. I'm not sure there's anymore I want to say about this game.

Extra Bases

Manny Delcarmen walked out of the Red Sox clubhouse right behind Justin Masterson, just after midnight, and placed his hand on Masterson’s left shoulder. “Unbelievable, dude,” Delcarmen said, and then they both walked silently down the tunnel toward the exit.

Boston Dirt Dogs

Papelblown!

Sox Blow the Biggest Lead in the History of Earth
Final: Baltimore 11, Boston 10
When Push Comes to Save, Papelbon Is No Mariano
But It Was Nice That He Got That Ceremonial Save on Monday
Markakis Cracks Two-Run Double Off Pap to Give Orioles the Improbable Win

Joy of Sox

Okay, so maybe watching last night's game was like passing a kidney stone ...Earl Weaver once said, "This ain't football, we do this every day." And so last night becomes a distant memory -- and lo: A new day and a new game.(Still, if everyone in the bullpen was going to have a shitty outing, it was awfully nice of them to do it all in the same game.)

Red Sox Monster

So there we all were, watching the Red Sox cruise along in the sixth inning with a 10-1 lead against the worst team in the American League East.

And then what happens? A cherry bomb goes off in our hands, that's what....

...it's not every day that a team is historically bad, which the Red Sox qualified for tonight by allowing the biggest comeback win in Baltimore Orioles history.

Comments on the game thread from Sons of Sam Horn:

It's weird, it's the same thing for me. This is a totally ridiculous loss and I'm sure that it'll bother me later, but right now, I'm more amazed than anything.

Embarassing. I haven't seen a little water cause somebody to melt this badly since Margaret Hamilton.

what a nightmare

One of the worst losses I've ever seen. Brutal.

That's the worst loss of the season - hands down - absolutely disgusting and unnecessary. What a choke!

Markakis is 0-7 vs Paps w/ 4 Ks. (1 minute later) Wow. I mean, I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO GLAD I DIDNT GO TO THIS GAME.

kill me now.

Baltimore 11, Boston 10

I stayed up watching the Pirates vs. Cubs and the Twins vs. Royals waiting for the rain delay to be over but having the day job and being worn out from a post-work hike, I had to surrender to sleep.

And now this.

Honestly, I have no idea what to say. The play by play is insane. Oscar Salazar singles to the catcher?

God bless MLBTV. I'm going to have to go back and watch the rest of the game before I comment. I'm just in shock...