Papelbon Blows the Save, Red Sox Streak Broken

The Red Sox were 8-0-2 in their last ten series. Going up against Ubaldo Jimenez already down 0-1, it seemed like that streak was doomed to end. But not like this.

Jonathan Papelbon, who has been far from his dominant self this year, gave up two homers in the ninth. The first, to Ian Stewart, tied the game. The second, to a pinch-hitting Jason Giambi, ended it.

The Red Sox did manage to get to Ubaldo Jimenez. Daniel Nava, Darnell McDonald, and remarkably John Lackey all had multiple hits off the NL Cy Young candidate, scoring six runs after going down 4-0 to regain the lead in a four-run sixth inning.

John Lackey, for his part, looked much more like a DH than he did a pitcher. When he kept the ball down in the zone, or spotted his curveball, he actually saw results to the tune of seven strikeouts. Too often, though, pitches up in the zone were crushed for extra bases. He pitched into the seventh inning, but gave up five runs on ten hits.

A heart breaking loss for the Sox, who give up the game to a team that hadn't come back from a seventh inning deficit in 22 opportunities this year. They'll have to hope that Daisuke can salvage a win from the series in his return from the DL tomorrow.