And Again

For the second day in a row, the Sox score six at Wrigley, and lose. However, unlike yesterday, today wasn't a shutout. Instead, it was a case of Terry Francona managing the team out of a chance to win late.

Down a run going into the bottom of the 8th, Tito brought on Mike Myers to face a lefty, who reached on a base hit. That's Myer's fault; not Francona's. But then, with righties coming up, he went to Matt Mantei, who has been shelled of late, instead of the more consistent Mike Timlin. Both pitchers worked in yesterday's game, but if the reason Tito didn't bring Mike in today was overwork, then it's his own fault, as I pointed out in yesterday's post. Timlin had no business pitching in a blowout. Mantei, as you now, coughed up an inherited runner plus one more of his own, and the Sox came up one run short in their trademark 9th-inning rally. Boo.

Tomorrow, they look to avoid a sweep with the scary battery of Wakefield-Varitek, which didn't look so hot in St. Louis earlier this week.