Kuzul

Prior to Wednesday night’s game in Colorado, Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon had a couple of noteworthy “rough outings” this year—both of which came against the New York Yankees.

The first came in the third game of the year when he surrendered a game-winning home run to center fielder Curtis Granderson. The other came last month in the Bronx when he surrendered a pair of ninth inning, two-run home runs to third baseman Alex Rodriguez and right fielder Marcus Thames that turned what would have been a 9-7 Red Sox victory into a bitter 11-7 defeat.

Some members of Red Sox Nation have used the two outings as a basis for claims that Pappy has lost his mojo, and suggesting the front office should unload their enigmatic right-hander. After all, fireballer Daniel Bard is the organization’s closer-in-waiting, isn’t he?

The truth of the matter is that Papelbon had made a total of 28 appearances prior to Wednesday’s game, allowing an earned run in only five of those outings (opponents scored unearned runs off him in two other games). He had recorded 16 saves and had only one blown save (the May ballgame against the Yankees). Aside from the two outings against the Yankees, he had allowed three earned runs in his 26 other appearances (27.1 IP) for an ERA of just under 1.00 in those other contests.

So what are we to make of his back-to-back implosions in Denver this week?

In his entire career as a reliever, he had allowed two home runs in an outing only once—the May 17 game against New York. It was the same night he allowed the only walk-off home run of his career.

On Wednesday night, he added to each of those totals by surrendering two home runs, the second of which was a walk-off by Jason Giambi. And let’s be honest folks, he came darned close to allowing another walk-off in last night’s contest after surrendering a game-tying, two-run single to right fielder Brad Hawpe. He was taken to the deepest part of the ballpark by left fielder Seth Smith, whose fly ball was caught by center fielder Darnell McDonald with his back against the wall.

He has lost four games and is sporting a 3.98 ERA as we eat breakfast this morning. So it seems fair to ask: Is there something wrong with Pappy?

Thanks to Dustin Pedroia, Pappy’s second meltdown in as many nights did not result in an lose for his team. The Red Sox diminutive second baseman went five-for-five and belted three home runs in the game, including a two-run shot off one-time closer Huston Street in the tenth that delivered a much-needed 13-11 victory. He knocked in five runs, scored four times, and reached base a sixth time via a walk.

The win averted a three-game sweep at the hands of the Rockies.

It was the first three-homer game of Pedroia’s life.

Afterwards, Pedroia said, “I’ve been feeling good at the plate lately, been seeing the ball good, hitting the ball all over the place. When you feel good, the only thing is you’ve got to get a good pitch to hit. Tonight, I got good pitches to hit and I didn’t miss them.”

The teams combined for 24 runs on 33 hits, using a total of 14 pitchers in a game that lasted four hours and 48 minutes.

The Sox got off to a bad start in this one as Daisuke Matsuzaka, activated from the DL earlier in the day, had trouble finding the plate and allowed two runs before retiring a batter. But Dice-K regained his composure and retired three straight batters with two runs in and the bases loaded in the first to escape further damage. He settled down thereafter and kept the Rockies off the scoreboard as his teammates rallied to take a 6-2 lead behind Pedroia and Adrian Beltre, who had three hits, including his 11th home run, and drove in three runs.

But once Matsuzaka was pulled from the game, the bullpen couldn’t make the lead hold up as the Rockies rallied for six runs in the sixth to reclaim an 8-6 lead. Third baseman Ian Stewart and first baseman Todd Helton each had a two-run single in the inning.

Colorado’s bullpen didn’t fare much better, giving the lead right back in a three-run seventh. Jason Varitek had the big blow with a two-run double off Manny Corpas. Pedroia added a two-run homer off righty Rafael Betancourt in the eighth to give the Sox an 11-8 lead. But the combination of Scott Atchison and Bard gave one back in the eighth inning, and Pappy surrendered the lead in the ninth, thus setting the stage for Pedroia’s heroics.

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It’s beginning to look like the guy the Boston Red Sox will be adding to the roster at the trade deadline is a guy they already have under contract: Josh Beckett.

The Red Sox have laid out a tentative schedule for his rehabilitation from his supposed “back injury” or whatever it was that was really ailing him prior to being put on the disabled list last month. They will have him throw a simulated game on Saturday and then face hitters next Thursday, July 1.

After that, he’ll begin a normalized routine in the minors, pitching every five days. In consideration of the fact manager Terry Francona has said he will need at least three rehab starts, maybe four, then he’ll pitch in the minor leagues on July 6, 11, 1, and probably the 21st.

Red Sox Nation should look for him to return to action in a Sox uniform sometime around July 26, meaning he will have missed 68 days of action.

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The Red Sox activated Daisuke Matsuzaka in last night’s series-finale against the Colorado Rockies. In order to make room for him on the roster, Boston placed third baseman Mike Lowell on the 15-day DL.

Lowell reported that he felt a twinge in his right hip during pregame drills on Tuesday night. He said he will consult with his hip surgeon, Brian Kelly, to determine his next course of action.

It is uncertain as to whether he will need another cortisone shot or a Synvisc injection, but he seemed to be leaning in the direction of a cortisone shot.

Lowell says the cortisone shots tend to help for a longer period than the Synvisc, but that he’s hesitant to have too many because of the cartilage deterioration they cause. The Synvisc injection provides substantial improvement for just a few days after which, the effects quickly wear off.

Lowell reportedly informed manager Terry Francona, via text message, of the hip discomfort after he experienced pain on Tuesday. Francona then used him as a pinch hitter at the end of the game, and Lowell ran down the baseline like a 90-year-old man who needed a walker.

Reports say Lowell is upset with the way he has been used by Francona – he has only had a handful of at-bats over the last few weeks – and that he notified his manager via text message rather than talk with him because their relationship isn’t very good right now. 

Yesterday, manager and player met and decided that a stint on the DL is the best way to go. Lowell told the media he is on board with the decision.

About his hip problems, Lowell said he is a candidate for hip resurfacing or for a hip replacement. He will wait until the off-season to decide how to proceed, as either procedure would likely put an end to his career.

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Caption: Clay Buchholz was outstanding once again, shutting down Kansas City over seven innings tonight in the Red Sox 1-0 win at Fenway Park.

One year ago, in the wake of Clay Buchholz’s play-me-or-trade-me remark on NESN, many of the callers to local sports-radio talk shows were calling for the Sox to ship the young right-hander out of town.

When I interviewed Buccholz in Pawtucket a few days later, he said his remarks were misunderstood. He said he was ready to play (and contribute) at the major league level, and that he just was trying to tell the Red Sox that he was ready to become a factor in the American League East.

But the Sox front office didn’t think he was ready. While he no longer had the deer-in-the-headlights look with runners on base, he was still somewhat timid on the mound at the big league level. He was still prone to nibbling and falling behind in the count. As it was back in 2007 when I first interviewed Buchholz, the Red Sox wanted him to get innings under his belt, repeat his delivery, refine his control and garner confidence.

Even during spring training earlier this year, there were LOTS of talk-show callers declaring that the Red Sox NEEDED to ship him to San Diego in exchange for 1B Adrian Gonzalez.

Well, I wonder what those folks are thinking right about now.

As the 2010 season approaches the one-third pole, Buchholz has EASILY been the club’s best pitcher. He’s been everything that his most ardent supporters—myself included—believed he would become…and he is well on his way to being a first-time all-star this summer.

It was interesting to hear Peter Gammons talk about the Nederland, TX, native during the NESN postgame report. He remarked that Buchholz is completely different in the Red Sox clubhouse prior to his starts. Whereas in the past he was a bundle of nerves, tonight he sat in front of his locker playing a guitar—trying to learn a few new chords.

He did his thing once again this evening. He won his seventh game, allowing four hits (three singles and a double that ticked off the glove of 3B Adrian Beltre) over seven shutout innings, leading his ballclub to a 1-0 win over Zack Greinke and the Kansas City Royals.

If you are looking for something to complain about, here it is: he walked four batters (he also struck out four).

Maybe Clay was playing The Beatles, “With A Little Help From My Friends”, which would have been an appropriate selection in consideration of the fact that his teammates mustered only five hits and one run to support his efforts in tonight’s game. THAT certainly can be defined as A LITTLE HELP.

But THAT was all he ended up needing…

Well, THAT and a couple of scoreless innings of relief from Daniel Bard (who hit 100 mph on the radar gun) and Jonathan Papelbon (who threw a couple of outstanding split-fingered pitches in his outing). Bard surrendered a leadoff double to Jason Kendall in the eighth inning, but after a sacrifice bunt he escaped unharmed with a strikeout and ground out (a hard-hit ball which, thankfully, was hit within the reach of 2B Dustin Pedroia).

The lone run of the game came in the second inning as Adrian Beltre led off with a single and J D Drew drove a double off the Green Monster in left-center field…Mike Lowell then knocked Beltre home with a ground ball to second base.

That was all of the scoring in the ballgame…and that suited Buchholz and his teammates just fine.

The Sox loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth inning on a double by David Ortiz, an intentional walk to Victor Martinez and walk to Beltre…but, incredibly, Drew bounced THE FIRST PITCH to first base to end the inning (hey, JD, when the reigning Cy Young Award winner is struggling to find the plate, maybe you should make him throw a strike, huh?).

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The win snapped the Red Sox two-game losing streak.

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Buchholz is 3-0, with a 1.32 ERA, in his last three outings.

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Terry Francona rested Kevin Youkilis and gave Mike Lowell a start at first base, in part due to Lowell’s career numbers against Greinke (4-for-7).

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After watching RHP Josh Beckett throw a side-session yesterday, Francona said the team has decided to “slow down” the right-hander’s rehab. According to Tito, Beckett (who is on the 15-day disabled list after hurting his back on a slippery mound in Yankee Stadium on May 18) is unable to “complete his delivery consistently enough” to maintain the rehab schedule they had originally charted.

Tito said: “We don’t want it to lead to anything else.”

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Kevin Millar was the guest of Don and Jerry in the NESN broadcast booth during the game. I honestly and truly enjoy listening to him talk…he is a hoot.

Hey, Kevin, drop me an e-mail…let’s do some shots some night before a game!

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Caption: In a scene that has become all-too-familiar during Red Sox games, a Red Sox starter hands the baseball to manager Terry Francona after getting bombed. Last night, it was Tim Wakefield’s turn to get pulled mid-inning, after surrendering a grand slam to shortstop Yunieski Betancourt that gave Kansas City a 9-5 lead. The Red Sox lost, 12-5.

Last night at Fenway Park, knuckleballer Tim Wakefield was as brutal as brutal gets. If anyone needed a reminder as to the reason manager Terry Francona decided he would be moved to the bullpen when Daisuke Matsuzaka returned to the rotation, it was Wakefield himself who provided that reminder with an utterly abysmal performance.

The problem is the knuckle ball is inconsistent. It cannot be depended upon. The pitcher doesn’t know where it is going, the catcher doesn’t know where it’s going, and the hitter doesn’t know where it’s going. Sometimes it dances…and at other times it doesn’t go anywhere.

And when you’re trying to climb over two rivals in the standings, you need something more consistent from your starting pitchers than to throw the ball and cross your fingers. (Yeah, I know, I know – that is exactly what we’ve been getting from Beckett and, now, from Matsuzaka. What’s a manager to do?)

Last night, Wakefield allowed nine runs on 12 hits and three walks in just 3.2 IP. It was the fourth time in seven starts this season that he allowed five or more runs in an outing… and that just won’t cut the mustard in the AL East.

Red Sox Nation may be fond of the right-hander, and he may not be happy about pitching out of the bullpen, but he has not shown he is capable of providing the ball club with anything resembling a consistent performance when he takes the ball. And given my choice of Beckett, Matsuzaka and our favorite knuckleballer going to the bullpen, I say it’s gotta be knucksie.

He was staked to leads of 3-0 and 5-2, but he was unable to get through the fourth inning, when he surrendered seven runs, including a grand slam to light-hitting shortstop Yunieski Betancourt with his last pitch. And this was against the KANSAS CITY ROYALS—a team, with last night’s output, is now slightly better than league-average in runs scored (having played one MORE game than league average)…This wasn’t the New York Yankees!

EVERY Royals hitter had at least one hit. EVERY Royals hitter scored at least one run.

Wakefield’s ERA now stands at 5.68 – which is slightly better than Ramon Ramirez’ mark of 5.85 (1 IP, 1 ER) and only slightly worse than Hideki Okajima’s 5.40 (.1 IP, 2 ER). The three were responsible for yielding all of the Royals tallies last night.

Of his performance, Wakefield said: “When I left the bullpen I thought I had really good stuff. I had good stuff in the first inning. I just wasn’t able to repeat that.”

Umm, no kidding! Unfortunately, the game of baseball is nine innings long, not one.

After a good first inning, his night got increasingly worse. He wriggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the second inning, surrendered a pair of runs in the third, and then got pasted in the fourth. And while the manager and coaching staff might say something trite like, “everyone has one of those days,” the fact of the matter is that Wakefield has now had four of those days in seven starts.

Tim, if you want to know the reasons you’ll be back in the bullpen when Beckett is ready to return to action, save last night’s game on your DVR and watch it… THAT will provide you all the answers you need.

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Kevin Youkilis reached base for the 27th straight game… he drew his 30th and 31st walks of the month.

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Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury is back on the disabled list due to the rib cage injury suffered in Kansas City during the first week of the season.

He missed the next five weeks and returned to the lineup just last Saturday, but during the week, he suffered a relapse of the symptoms that took him out of action after colliding with 3B Adrian Beltre.

After being put back on the disabled list earlier today, Ellsbury implied that the Red Sox medical staff gave him bad information last week when they told him playing would not aggravate his condition.

He saw a thoracic specialist earlier today, who confirmed his fractured ribs appear to be healing “faster than normal,” but he was also informed that playing had worsened his condition.

Ellsbury said, “(He) basically advised me that I need to be at a further state of healing before I resume play. To this point, right now I really don’t have a timeline for when I’m coming back.”

“Just talking with the medical staff, I’m going to do everything I can to get back on the field as soon as possible.”

He played three games after being activated, going 1-for-14 and making a diving catch in the outfield. Then, after a hitting session with coach Dave Magadan on Tuesday afternoon, he complained of pain.

He said he has experienced many of the same symptoms that occurred in the immediate aftermath of his collision, including pain when he tries to take a deep breath, “Basically, I tried playing with a level of discomfort, knowing that I was not 100 percent, and doing so worsened my condition.”

The media asked Ellsbury if he had been told PRIOR TO coming off the DL that playing might worsen his condition. He replied, “When I came back (I was) pretty much of the understanding if I came back…it wouldn’t regress…Unfortunately, that was the case this time.”

He said he’ll proceed more cautiously before he returns again, “When I talked to the specialist, he said you need to be at a further state of healing (before trying to play). When I come back (next time), I’ll definitely be farther along in the process.”

Earlier in the week, Ellsbury asserted that his original injury was misdiagnosed. After the game in which he was hurt, he underwent X-rays while still in Kansas City, which came back negative, and the injury was diagnosed as bruised ribs.

It’s not unusual for rib fractures to go undetected initially. Often, it isn’t until a second round of tests shows the inflammation indicating fractures.

He said, “I think (the team) downplay(ed) it because they misdiagnosed (my injury). They said you treat (a bruise and a fracture) the same way… How do you treat a bruise the same as a break?”

Red Sox medical director Thomas Gill maintained at the time that the team follows the same protocol for treating bruised ribs as they do for fractures until the club can make a fuller determination.

But he is the same guy who told Ellsbury that he would not aggravate his condition by playing. So the question begs whether the players now have pause to question the advice being provided by the club’s medical staff.

Remember, this isn’t the first time that the advice of the medical staff has been called into question by a player or an agent.

Are the diagnoses and treatment plans being provided by the medical staff predicated on what the front office is looking for?

Does the front office want Ellsbury back in the lineup? He’s good to go!

Does the front office want a graceful exit from re-signing Jason Bay? There are problems with his knee.

Does the front office want Curt Schilling in the rotation? Forget surgery, give him a cortisone shot!

With the club’s track record over the last two years (a period that precisely coincides with the team replacing former team physician Dr. Bill Morgan with current team physician Dr. Thomas Gill) I wonder:

IF YOU WERE ONE OF THE PLAYERS ON THE RED SOX’S 25-MAN ROSTER AND YOU SUFFERED AN INJURY, WOULD YOU ACCEPT THE DIAGNOSIS OF DR. GILL AT FACE VALUE, OR WOULD YOU WANT A SECOND OPINION?

Remember, the club was cryptic as to the reason(s) they replaced Morgan after the 2004 season, only weeks after he ingeniously sutured the sheath Curt Schilling’s ankle tendon: A procedure that allowed the big right-hander to pitch effectively during the team’s championship run.

What were the reasons?

Did Morgan refuse to go along with certain requests from the front office pertaining to his diagnosis of player injuries?

Just askin’…

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Caption: 3B Adrian Beltre hit a solo home run to get things started in the Red Sox 11-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays tonight at Tropicana Field.

Maybe I should head back out of town.

During my recent sojourn to southern-most Canada (Ontario) and Chicago, the Red Sox have shaken off the doldrums that afflicted them over the first six weeks of the season. As a superstitious fan, I am nervous my return to New England will disturb whatever karma has suddenly ignited their play.

Since I departed for Windsor and Chicago, the Sox won the final game of their brief two-game series against the Yankees, swept a two-game series against the Twins, won two of three games against the Phillies in Philadelphia and—with tonight’s win in Tampa—swept a three-game series against the first-place Rays. The Olde Towne Team has won eight of their last nine games.

The sweep in Tampa answered the Rays four-game sweep against the Red Sox in Boston last month…the Sox are now a season-best six games over .500 (27-21).

This evening at “The Trop,” 3B Adrian Beltre had four hits, including two home runs, and drove in six runs as the Red Sox prevailed, 11-3, over Tampa. Beltre is batting .516 over his last eight games.

DH David Ortiz, who batted third for the first time in a year, added two hits, including his 10th home run, and raised his batting average to .266 in the process. It was his sixth homer in his last 11 games and ninth of the month.

Beltre hit a solo homer off Rays starter Matt Garza in the second inning and added a three-run shot off him in the third inning to give the Sox a 4-1 lead. Ortiz’s two-run homer in the fifth staked the club to a 6-2 advantage.

Meanwhile, RHP John Lackey allowed twelve baserunners in 6.1 IP, but he held the Rays to just two runs with clutch pitching with runners in scoring position… Tampa was just 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position against him.

The bullpen closed out the ballgame, allowing one run over 2.2 inninghs. LHP Hideki Okajima got the final two outs in the seventh. RHP Ramon Ramirez pitched a perfect eighth inning and newly-recalled righty Joe Nelson gave up a solo homer to Ben Zobrist in the ninth.

CF Jacoby Ellsbury was out of the lineup for the second straight night because of soreness in his left side.

Tampa Bay LF Carl Crawford stole second base in the fourth inning, giving him 32 straight successful steals against the Red Sox, who have not thrown him out since on Sept. 21, 2005.

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Caption: Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon doesn’t look on as NYY 3B Alex Rodriguez rounds the bases after touching him for a game-tying two-run home run in the ninth inning. Things only got worse, as RF Marcus Thames would hit a game-winning two-run home run off Pappy moments later.

Tonight’s game in New York is a perfect example of why a closer needs to have a second pitch—and possess the intestinal fortitude to use it frequently enough to interrupt the timing of opposing hitters.

Against New York, Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon threw fastball after fastball, and the Yankees are a good fastball-hitting team. Because he failed to throw his off-speed pitches they were able to sit on his fastball.

The Yankees have apparently figured him out, and it is time for Pappy to make some adjustments. For the second time this season, New York handed Pappy a loss (his only other loss came against Baltimore), but this one seems much worse.

They scored four runs off him in the ninth inning to beat the Red Sox 11-9 in the Bronx. Alex Rodriguez hit a game-tying two-run home run off Papelbon, and three batters later, RF Marcus Thames hit a walk-off, two-run home run.

Pappy has now allowed three home runs this season—all three to the Yankees. It was the first time in his career he allowed four earned runs in one game, and it was the first time in his 282 relief appearances that he allowed two home runs (the only other time he allowed two home runs in the same outing was in his major league debut, a start, in 2005).

It is time for Pappy to make some adjustments when facing the Yankees.

It was a particularly disheartening loss. The Sox fell behind 5-0 and 6-1 as starter Daisuke Matsuzaka was hammered early and often by the Yankees, but by the time he was (mercifully) pulled from the game, his teammates had battled back. Dice-K allowed all seven runs the Yankees scored prior to the ninth inning, surrendering nine hits and issuing three walks in 4.2 IP.

But Tim Wakefield (2.1 IP) and Daniel Bard (1 IP) held the home team in check while Red Sox batters battered Yankees starter Phil Hughes and relievers Boone Logan and Chan Ho Park for nine runs on 12 hits, including five home runs.

Victor Martinez had a pair of solo homers. David Ortiz continued his recent surge, going 2-for-4, with his seventh home run of the year. J.D. Drew had a three run homer, and Kevin Youkilis hit the two-run shot that capped the Red Sox comeback and gave them their first lead of the evening (8-7).

But Papelbon couldn’t hold serve. He gave up a leadoff double to CF Brett Gardner in the ninth inning.

With one out and a Gardner on third, Rodriguez hit the first pitch—a belt-high fastball over the middle of the plate—into the Red Sox bullpen to tie the game at nine apiece. After Robinson Cano flew out, Pappy hit Francisco Cervelli with a pitch. Thames then drove his next delivery—a belt-high fastball over the middle of the plate—into the bleachers in left.

After the game, Rodriguez said: “I think that’s the feeling we had all last year. We are at home, and until the last out is collected we think we’re going to win.”

It helps when the opposing closer throws nothing but fastballs and he grooves two of them over the heart of the plate.

Papelbon made no excuses in the visitor’s clubhouse: “Flat fastballs, poorly executed pitches on my behalf. Usually in those situations bad things happen.”

With the loss, the Red Sox lost their eighth consecutive game at Yankee Stadium, their longest road skid against New York since dropping eight straight from 1960-61.

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Martinez became just the sixth Boston player to homer from each side of the plate in the same game. It was the third time he accomplished the feat.

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I don’t wanna say I told you so, but I told you so!!

While much of Red Sox Nation and the Boston media was trying to push David Ortiz out of the city, I said Tito should sit him against lefties and put him in situations where he had the maximum opportunity to be successful. Tito did that. Ortiz has responded—just as he did last year. Oh, ye of little faith!

Papi hit his sixth home run of the month—and we are barely past the mid-point.

GO PAPI!

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Mike Cameron (abdomen) isn’t quite ready to return to the team. He could play another rehab game Wednesday at Double-A Portland.

Jacoby Ellsbury (bruised chest) went 1-for-3 and scored twice while serving as the DH in a rehab game with Pawtucket. He is scheduled to continue his rehab assignment with Portland tonight.

It is possible both outfielders could be playing in Portland tomorrow.

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When you have a team with this much talent, you have to wonder why they are struggling to stay above the .500 mark (the Red Sox currently have a record of 18-17) and, frankly, the only thing I have been able to come up with is that there is a pervasive sense of entitlement and unhappiness within the Red Sox clubhouse.

We all know that veterans David Ortiz and Tim Wakefield are unhappy with their roles on the club…and it seems to me that their attitude may be rubbing off on some of their teammates. Maybe their complaining and the underlying sense of entitlement they have exhibited have rubbed off on Adrian Beltre.

Scott Boras, Beltre’s agent, did him no favors this winter by telling the world his client was entitled to a big-money, multi-year deal in free agency. The third baseman eventually accepted an offer from the Red Sox that, essentially, is a one-year deal. It is not unimaginable Beltre was less-than-thrilled with the contract he (begrudgingly?) signed.

And then he arrived in Boston, only to hear a cacophony of grousing and belly-aching from the likes of Ortiz and Wakefield. And so it seems plausible he may have started to feeling a sense of entitlement of his own…and that he has become distracted.

How else do you explain the fact he has played third base (defensively) like a little leaguer —for the first time in his life?

I am tired of hearing about Tim Wakefield’s unhappiness with his role in the bullpen—something that greeted me AGAIN this morning in the wake of his solid outing yesterday. Hey, Tim, get over it!

The knuckleballer feels entitled to a spot in the rotation because he has been around for sixteen years and he was an All-Star last year. But he seems to forget the reasons the ballclub put him in the ‘pen in the first place…and consequently discounts the possibility (probability) the success he had yesterday may be directly related to the fact he doesn’t have to toe the rubber every five days. He forgets that after being an All-Star last July, he made only four starts in the second half and was 0-2, with a 6.00 ERA, in the second half…or the fact that he was 0-1, 5.40 after his first four outings this season.

And so he has ONE solid outing and starts whining again.

Much like Ortiz feels entitled to being the everyday DH despite last year’s .238 batting average and this year’s .200 average.

And so yesterday, a team with a $170+ million payroll took another step back toward’s the .500 mark with an underwhelming performance in a 3-2 loss to Toronto…and in the wake of yet another loss to yet another bad team, I am left to ask: why?

There is no arguing the fact that Wakefield pitched well yesterday. I just don’t wanna hear that one outing is proof he belongs in the rotation. He pitched seven innings, allowing three runs on five hits while issuing one walk. He struck out five batters. Manny Delcarmen and Scott Schoeneweis followed with two near-perfect innings of relief.

Wakefield pitched well enough to win, but Toronto starter Shaun Marcum was just a little bit better—with the help of home plate umpire Dale Scott, whose horrendous performance yesterday makes you wonder if he doesn’t socialize with an assortment of NBA referees.

Marcum pitched two-hit ball for seven shutout innings. He got all of the offensive support he would need from one guy—RF Travis Snider—who homered, doubled and drove in all three Blue Jays runs in the Toronto victory.

Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox 3-2 to salvage the finale of a three-game series.

Toronto manager Cito Gaston said: “Marcum’s pitched great. His record really doesn’t show the way he’s pitched. He’s pitched outstanding. We just haven’t been able to give him any runs a lot of the time. Even today, three runs, but he managed to hang on.”

He allowed just two singles—both to David Ortiz—struck out six and walked one. It’s the seventh time in eighth starts this year he’s given up three runs or fewer. He entered with a .232 opponents’ batting average, the second-lowest against an AL starter. With the win, he improved to 5-2 in his career against the Red Sox, 3-0 at Fenway Park.

Southpaw Scott Downs pitched a scoreless eighth and Kevin Gregg got three outs in the ninth for his 10th save, despite allowing J.D. Drew’s RBI double and Adrian Beltre’s run-scoring single.

Ahhhh, the ninth inning—that’s when home plate umpire Dale Scott seemed intent on ensuring the Blue Jays would prevail. With a runner on second base and one out, he called Ortiz out on strikes on a pitch that the Red Sox slugger appeared to think was outside. Three pitches later he made another questionable call on a pitch to Beltre, and declined to ask for help from the first base umpire in spite of a request from Beltre. When manager Terry Francona came out to argue he was tossed from the game.

Beltre got his revenge with an RBI single, but Scott had already punched out Ortiz…and who knows what might have happened if Papi had another swing or if the Red Sox had another out.

And so the Red Sox were addled with another loss, and Wakefield wondered aloud in the clubhouse whether he would get another start or return to the bullpen when Josh Beckett has recovered from a sore back.

Of course, we know the answer to that question; but, the fact that Wakefield feels sufficiently entitled to ask it aloud, in the clubhouse, in the aftermath of yet another loss may provide all of the explanation The Nation needs for why the team heads to Detroit as not-so-proud owners of an 18-17 record.

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Wakefield got his 2,000th strikeout when Vernon Wells fanned ending the fourth. He was saluted with a standing ovation as he walked off the field. He came back out from the dugout and tipped his cap to the Fenway Park crowd.

“I’m very proud of that,” he said. “It’s a tribute to longevity, and I feel very blessed to be able to wear this uniform for so long.”

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The Red Sox finished the homestand at 7-3…not bad considering the debacle in Baltimore the weekend before they arrived home.

That said, there were lots of empty seats at the ballpark. There is unrest in The Nation.

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Has Daisuke Matsuzaka finally turned the page?

Let’s be honest, when the Red Sox posted a $50+ million ransom in order to secure the rights just to negotiate with this guy, and then signed him to a six-year, $52 million contract, this was the type of outing we thought would be the rule, not the exception. We were told he had six or seven pitches he would throw for strikes, and that his control was impeccable. Yet, we have seldom seen that pitcher in a Red Sox uniform.

In three years, he has had eight outings in which he did not issue a walk… and three of those outings were in May, 2007. Between then and this evening there have been a grand total of four such outings.

Tonight he beat the Toronto Blue Jays, allowing just one run on three hits over seven innings. He did not walk a single batter, and he struck out nine in the game. During his three year tenure with the Sox, this is only the second outing of this quality that he has provided the team. On April 1, 2008, Dice-K beat the Oakland A’s (in Oakland), 2-1, allowing a run on two hits over 6.2 IP, walking no one, while striking out nine.

That is really the only outing that matches up by the numbers in terms of the number of base runners allowed… but tonight he lasted one out longer.

There have been other outings that were close, but only once previously in his Red Sox career had he allowed as few as three base runners in a game without walking a batter. In 2007, he had nine outings in which he allowed one run or less, but in only two of those outings did he allow as few as three base hits — he issued walks in both of those contests (3 BB on 6/16 vs SF; 1 BB on 6/27 vs SEA). In 2008, he pitched three games in which he allowed no runs while limiting the opposition to two hits, but on all three occasions he walked a pair of hitters (four baserunners in total). Last year he had one outing in which he allowed three hits… but he issued three walks in that contest.

There have been several more outings in which he allowed only two or three hits, but he issued as few as three and as many as eight walks in those outings. He has rarely had his “stuff” and “control” in the same game.

Has he finally turned a page? I wouldn’t bet on it; but, when he pitches like he did tonight he is about as good as any pitcher in the big leagues. Tonight was undeniably one of the best games of his career in the United States. His performance this evening may end up being something we look back on later this year and point to as being a turning point for this season.

The Red Sox took a 2-0 lead in the first when Marco Scutaro led off with a walk, took third on Dustin Pedroia’s ground-rule double, and scored on J.D. Drew’s groundout. Pedroia came in on Kevin Youkilis’ sacrifice fly. Jason Varitek’s sixth home run of the year made it 3-0 in the second inning.

They scored another run in the fourth inning, thanks to some shoddy defense by the Blue Jays and an RBI double by Darnell McDonald.

In the fifth inning, Drew reached on a bunt single and Youkilis walked. Shawn Camp replaced Eveland and walked Mike Lowell, loading the bases. Drew came in to score on a wild pitch. Varitek was then walked intentionally, reloading the bases. Youkilis scored on a Billy Hall forceout.

Toronto broke through in the sixth inning on doubles by John Buck and Fred Lewis.

After the game, Matsuzaka said: “After that tough beginning to the game last time, I tried to keep things simple and I thought that things improved. I just wanted to keep that going, so from my first pitch tonight I treated it as a continuation of the last game.”

Dana Eveland (3-2) gave up all of Boston’s runs in four-plus innings. He allowed five hits, issued four walks, and hit a batter.

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Matsuzaka walked no batters for only the second time in his last 33 starts.

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Josh Beckett is expected to miss Friday’s start because of back spasms.

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The Red Sox won their third straight game and went two games over .500 for the first time this year.

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