Red Sox 2, Royals 13: Out of Gas

If Wednesday’s game against Houston wasn’t the symbolic end of the season, tonight was. With a win tonight, even the biggest optimists (read: I) could have found a way to convince themselves to continue believing. With a humiliating loss tonight, it’s nearly impossible. Simply put, the team is out of gas.

36 pitches. That’s what you got out of James Paxton tonight. In hindsight, what did anybody really expect? Paxton was great to start the season but hasn’t pitched in a few years. In a full pitching staff where he could have been given extra rest, he may have been a great asset. With the skeleton crew of a pitching staff that leaned so much on the available arms, he just didn’t have the gas to get across the finish line. Next year, Paxton will likely get another chance in a rotation, in Boston or elsewhere. Maybe he’ll have more in the tank after a healthy off-season. If not, he could still be a very good reliever somewhere with his fastball. Regardless of what happens next year, he hasn’t been reliable down the stretch and definitely didn’t have it tonight.

Three Studs

Anyone Who Didn’t Watch This

I sincerely hope you spent your Friday night doing something else. Anything else.

Nick Loftin (2-3, R, RBI, BB)

Have a debut, Nick Loftin. Drew a walk, narrowly missed a home run, and picked up another hit, all in front of his friends and family.

Jordan Lyles (8 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 7 K)

This tweet Lyles’ outing was even over.

Three Duds

Everyone That Isn’t Listed in Studs

We lost by double digits to the Royals. Duds for everyone.

This Dummy

Me (1 Blog Published, 1 Email Sent, 2 Coors Lights Consumed)

What a waste of a night. I spent the first half hour of the game finishing a rewatch of The Social Network and saying to myself “Hey” when a Cambridge location that I recognized popped up. Shoutout Thirsty Scholar Pub. By the time the game had my full attention, it was all but over, along with any shred of hope I had for pseudo-meaningful September baseball. The two Coors were a bright spot in an otherwise uneventful evening.

Play of the Game

How about this play by Andrew Garfield? Great acting, topped off by a perfect pump-faked punch. Give the movie a watch if you haven’t seen it.