It had to happen sometime. The Red Sox have lost a second straight game for the first time since the White Sox sweep, falling to the Padres 5-1.
The problems today were much the same as they were yesterday. The Red Sox stranded a number of runners, scoring only one run despite picking up ten hits and two walks. What makes it even more incredible is that they did this despite Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez, and Kevin Youkilis picking up eight of those hits, with Gonzalez perfect at the plate.
One major factor seems to be the struggles of David Ortiz, who has gone 0-for-8 in the last two games, personally stranding 12 runners in the process.
Another is the fact that Darnell McDonald and Mike Cameron are somehow finding their way into the lineup on a regular basis. The pair was 1-for-4 thanks to Cameron's hit, but even then Cameron managed to get picked off of first immediately in what could have been a big inning. At some point between the baserunning gaffes and dropped fly balls you have to wonder if they're trying to get released. Is this a George Costanza Yankees - Mets thing?
And then there was Lackey, who gave away all the good will he may have garnered by at least having decent peripherals over his last three games. There's something to be said for the fact that he had to come out after two different rain delays, but it's hard to ever forgive walking in two runs--one with a base on balls, the other a hit-by-pitch. That's two straight days for the Sox, who have only given up four of their last ten runs on hits, according to Joe Castiglione. For those wondering, one of the other ones came on a wild pitch from Lackey that sailed over Varitek's head.
All-in-all, it was a terrible day, and we should maybe be thankful that the game was called in the bottom of the eighth.