White on Red

If I had written a post yesterday, I would have talked about how the Red Sox don't have to worry too much. At the end of the game, they were down 1 game. It really doesn't matter how much you lose by, it only matters that you lost.

Today is a little different. Today they are two games behind. A haunting error at second followed up by a meatball and bam, they fall behind. Iguchi is now indelibly linked with Matsui, the Sox killer, in my mind. But that wasn't the whole story of how they lost yesterday. It was followed up by a frenzied effort to drive in runs, just to fall short. The Red Sox looked tense from that point on. Unlike last year, when the tougher it got, the more the Red Sox relaxed, they seemed to tense up and began to swing at anything near the plate.

Despite the two losses, however, this series should go to a fifth game. This team does know how to relax. They certainly have a history of coming back from behind. And with a record of 54-27 at home, they have a huge advantage in the next two games (just as being at home has been a huge advantage for the White Sox).

And so today I'm wondering who is going to pitch in Game 5. (I'm not on the team, so I can look ahead). Will Arroyo come out of the bullpen and make something happen? Will Saturday's game be rained out, allowing Wells a chance at pitching on a full rest (backed up by Arroyo). Or will Tito stick with his guy, show some loyalty to one player at the expense of the team, and pitch Clement again?

Red Sox