Red Sox 6, Twins 5: Quick Reaction

The Red Sox...win?

It's been far too long since we've been able to say that, but now thanks to Cody Ross and, yes, reliever Daniel Bard, the Red Sox can finally say they've won another game.

For a long while it looked like a repeat of our recent performances. An early lead, a strong first couple innings for the pitching, and then disaster. From 3-0 up, to 3-4 down in the space of the bottom of the fourth, and then 3-5 in the fifth, it was hard not to just assume that it was more of the same from the Sox.

But then...Cody Ross! Who else can look so completely lost in one at bat and then lose one in the next? That's what he did to Jason Marquis in the seventh to tie the game, and then--miracle of miracles--against Matt Capps in the ninth, he went to the opposite field. There is, as they say, a first time for everything.

The other big news is Daniel Bard, who came into the eighth with a man on third and one out, and escaped with the man still on third. A clutch performance that could well push Bard away from the rotation in the near future, especially with Alfredo Aceves' ninth being quite so heart-stopping (Trevor Plouffe hit a ball so hard that it must have been stopped from leaving the park by some divine wind).

5-10 isn't good, but it's something, and it's still better than where they were last year. If only the pen still didn't seem such a mess, even if we were to throw Bard back in the mix.