Ugly game, ugly loss, but still 16-5.

I only got to keep up with the game via MLB Gameday Audio. But what an ugly game.
The talking heads on ESPN expected it to be a pitching duel between Buehrle and Harden. Naturally, they combine for 11 1/3 IP, allow 20 hits and give up 13 runs (only one unearned).

There's really no good way to describe this game. The words "putrid" and "repugnant" come into mind, but those are probably over the top. Mental gaffes and bad plays put an end to the 8-game winning streak.

On the other hand, it's unreasonable to expect the Sox to win them all, obviously. They're going to have these kinds of games once in a while.

I really hate how they gave this game away in a hand basket with a ribbon on top, but in the end, it's one game. If they win tomorrow afternoon, that's still a 2-1 series in Oakland.

It's a long season. No reason to panic. This is just how it goes.

Noteworthy
A. Sox made 4 errors (3 official, but Willie Harris should have made that play in the bottom 8th), gave up 10 hits, didn't convert on a bases-loaded chance in Top of the 8th, and they only lost by 2.

This is not to say that they played well. But the fact that they had to play this badly to lose, as Ed Farmer said, is somewhat comforting.

B. Iguchi went 3-for-5 today, driving in 2 runs on the Top of the 6th with a single off of Rich Harden. Good to see him cashing in with runners on base. Rowand went 3-for-5, as well, and even Jermaine Dye went 2-for-5.

C. Defense turned 3 double plays earlier in the game. Only had they been able to keep it up for the entire game.

Concerns
A. The trainer's room is filling up. Juan Uribe hurt his leg (I'm not sure exactly how it happened yet), and Pablo Ozuna got hurt when he got hit by a pitch on the Top of the 7th. Pierzynski's got a bum toe, and Contreras has a hamstring problem. On top of this, Frank Thomas isn't progressing too well in his rehab. Guys in the big leagues need to stay healthy, because there really isn't a whole lot of depth in the minor leagues. I'd rather not see Greg Norton (who the Sox recently signed) and Jeremy Giambi playing for us anytime soon.

B. Defensive lapses and bogus plays really cost this game. Jermaine Dye dropped a ball he should have caught, and Willie Harris missed a ball the runners didn't even run on. And under no circumstances should a pitcher be allowing the tying run to score on a balk. This game was probably an aberration, but guys need to be focused on the field. Some of these plays were just mental mistakes, I think.

C. I hate to continue picking on Jermaine Dye, but he left 4 guys on base today despite the two hits. Again, it's early, and he's going to have time to work himself out of the funk. But RF is a power position, and the Sox simply need Dye to start producing.

From the Watchtower
A. Carlos Zambrano blew his gasket again in a 11-9 Cub loss to the Reds. Dusty Baker, as usual, defended his player, even going as far to say that Zambrano is a mature individual. Unfortunately, mature major league starters don't get themselves taken out of ballgames twice in the same month. Furthermore, he got kicked out of the game before he got through the 5th - forcing the Cubs to use 6 different relievers today.

Zambrano's got great stuff, and he can be dominant when he's got his head in the game. But I wouldn't want him on my pitching staff. He's irresponsible, he's unreliable and he's not a professional.

B. John Smoltz finally got his first win of the season, going 6 2/3 innings against the Mets while only giving up 1 run on 7 scattered hits. He only struck out 3 guys while walking two, but he pitched well enough to keep his team ahead. This game was supposed to be another pitching duel, and it sort of was. Save for Pedro Martinez's bad start against the Braves lineup on the top of the 1st, he pitched effectively - going 7 innings, giving up 7 hits while allowing only one more run to score. He also struck out 8 guys while walking 2.

Braves won, by the way, by 4 to 3.

C. The real pitching duel was in Kansas City, of all places. Twins win 2-1 behind Johan Santana, who went 8 innings and gave up 5 hits and 1 earned run while striking out 8 and walking one.

On the other end of the bill, though, was Jose Lima. He went 7 2/3 innings, giving up 5 hits on one run, striking out 4 while walking 3. People forget that this guy was a 21-game winner for the Houston Astros in 1999 - I think he even started for the National League in the All-Star game that year.