Red Sox 3, Blue Jays 4: Red Sox Swept, All Is Normal

Were you expecting anything different?

A 4-3 loss to the Blue Jays leaves the Sox at 1-11 in their last twelve. If that were a batting average, it would be so far below the Mendoza line that it wouldn't even be acceptable for a National League pitcher.

Somehow, the Sox actually made this a game for a long time. In fact, the really surprising thing is that they arguably outplayed the Blue Jays today. Clay Buchholz pitched better than Carlos Villanueva, and where the Jays squeaked hits through, the Sox grabbed three runs on homers from Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia.

That, by the way, is the best possible combination of players for the Sox to get their runs from. Cody Ross being on base for Jacoby's is the kicker.

The problem is that, as in his last start against Seattle, Clay just couldn't avoid ground ball damage in the fourth. It was no great display of hitting from the Jays, exactly, or a poor display of pitching from Buchholz, but every single ball on the ground found a hole, and just like that there were three runs on the board.

By the time we got to the ninth inning in a tie, however, with Buchholz on the mound and over 100 pitches on his arm, you had to feel that this one was going to the Jays. Not because Buchholz was wavering--he retired 13 straight between the fourth inning and the ninth inning single that got the rally started--but because it's the Red Sox, and they lose games.

Sure enough, Davis scored, and the Sox lost.

All-in-all, it's one of those losses which is arguably the best possible outcome. Pedroia and Ellsbury hit homers, Ryan Kalish continued to get on base (if he was a complete disaster on the basepaths), Clay Buchholz was good even with four runs on the board, and the Sox ended up improving their chances at a top pick...

But when it's 1-11 you're talking about, it takes a bit of work to really look at those aspects instead of all the awfulness that abounds in Boston.