From no-hitter to no win for Sox in 5-3 loss
It seems as if from bad to worse is the only way things are going for the Red Sox right now. Clubhouse drama is a hotter topic than the team’s play, David Ortiz has stopped running and hitting in his attempt to return from an Achilles strain, and another loss Wednesday night leaves the Sox playing .483 baseball. The 5-3 loss in Baltimore makes two losses in a row for the Sox, but for a team under pressure both in the clubhouse and on the field, time is running out to step it up.
Boston’s second game of three in Baltimore began with hope on the mound. Aaron Cook went through 5 full innings no-hitting the Orioles. But Cook’s chances of a no-no were dashed in the sixth when J.J. Hardy hit a single, and with it went the Sox’s chances for a win.
The no-hitter turned into a three-run deficit, and later a 5-3 loss, with a wild throw from Cook to center field that should have set off a double play to end the inning. Following Hardy’s single was an RBI single from Nate McLouth, scoring Nick Markakis on base from a walk. Cook had the opportunity to end the inning when Adam Jones hit a grounder, but couldn’t come through when his throw to second ended up in center field.
“It’s a play I’ve made over 100 times,” Cook told media after the loss. “I just didn’t get my feet set, tried to make a quick throw. I had plenty of time and just yanked it. It’s just a bad throw, and it ended up costing us the game. Stuff like that, I can’t let happen. I’ve got to be able to set my feet, take my time, make a good throw and we’re out of that inning with one run and we’re in here high-fiving right now.
A fly ball out to left field from Mark Reynolds added onto the damage, and the ball sailed over Carl Crawford’s head and resulted in a two-run double.
“I don’t know. I didn’t catch it. I know that,” Crawford told media when asked about potentially misjudging the ball. “It was a tough catch in my mind. It just sailed over my head, man. I don’t think I could have made that catch to be honest with you.”
The Sox are now 4-10 in the month of August, and four games under .500 for the first time since May 13.
Downers:
- The Sox have gone 11-17 since David Ortiz was sidelined with an Achilles tear, and now his rehab has come to a halt. Ortiz was told to stop running in addition to already being unable to hit, pushing his return date farther out.
- “You just pointed out the record. When he was here, when he was playing, he was our MVP,” Gonzalez said to the media of the team’s No. 1 slugger. “When you take him out, it affects the whole team. He’s a great player. We’re just wishing he gets well just as much as everyone else is.”
Bright spots:
- With so much focus on the turmoil within the Red Sox clubhouse resulting from player disapproval with Bobby Valentine, if arguing with an umpire is the only time the manager and his players can be seen fighting on the same side, most fans will take it. Adrian Gonzalez was tossed in the eighth inning when he argued that he had been quick-pitched by Orioles reliever Pedro Strop. Valentine came out of the dugout to argue in Gonzalez’s defense and was promptly sent right after the slugger to the clubhouse.
Looking ahead:
Boston will play their final game of the series Thursday night in Baltimore. Clay Buchholz, who has been dependable on the mound in recent outings, will face off against Chris Tillman at 7:05 p.m.
