Tonight’s Free Giveaway: The Game!

The Red Sox are well known for come from behind wins, but I’ve never seen an opposing team lose a game to them as pathetically as they did against Baltimore last night.  One headline likened it to uncontrolled bed wetting, but it came across to me as an horrible case of the runs…  Smoltz was looking to end his 438 day drought in the game-winning department, but the weather gods rained all over those chances.  Smotlz looked good until the bottom of the fifth inning and the Sox had a 9-1 run lead, but he was replaced by Masterson after the more than one hour rain delay.  Masterson struck out five of the first six batters he faced, but I suppose I should have seen it coming in the sixth inning after the Sox (including Masterson!) started trotting back into the dugout with just two outs that these guys looked more like Little Leaguers picking grassblades.  After Masterson allowed five straight hits to start off the seventh inning, in came a shift of waiters (Delcarmen, Okajima, and Saito) serving up heaping meatballs to the hungry Orioles.  The Orioles batted through the order in both the seventh and eighth innings, scoring 5 runs in each.  With a ghost town for a bullpen, Francona brought in his star closer with one out in the eighth.  Yep, the eighth,  about one inning too soon for most closers, but Francona figured Papelbon could muster enough control to dominate with just five outs remaining in the game.  With men on first and second, Papelbon ate up Felix Pie, serving him a 95mph fastball.  He then faced Nick Markakis who had been 0 for 7 with four strikeouts against Papelbon.  Markakis doubled, scoring both runners and putting Baltimore ahead 11-10, where the game ended.