Red Sox Woes Continue in the Bronx, Crushed by Yankees

The game started out the right way, Dustin Pedroia belting a solo shot in the top half of the first to put the Red Sox on the board first.  Had it not been for Jarrod Saltalamacchia‘s strikeout with two men on the Sox could have widened their lead, only to see it evaporate in the bottom half of the inning when Aaron Cook struggled right out of the gate.  Or maybe that’s the difference between a first place club and one that’s still trying to figure out their identity.  When the Yankees have an opportunity to score they take full advantage of it and nothing more evident than the Raul Ibanez two run shot to give the Yanks the lead, one they would not relinquish.

Cook’s night was not great, going 4.0 innings giving up 6 runs on 7 hits, walking one and fanning one.  The bullpen kept the game close until the eighth when Mark Melancon surrendered a grand slam to Curtis Granderson, putting the game out of reach in what became a 10-3 final.

Some positives out of the game that were good to see was Carl Crawford ripping a solo shot to right, one that found the second deck at Yankee Stadium. And Salty’s 20th homer of the season that leads all catchers in the majors.  But we won’t talk about his lowly .233 average that accompanies him.

The loss gives the Sox a record of 49-51, two games below .500 at the century mark.  With 62 games remaining the club will have to go 42-20 to have a realistic shot at making the postseason and with two more games in New York this weekend, the mountain could get a lot bigger before long.

With the trade deadline rapidly approaching it’s hard to believe the Red Sox will make any drastic changes, but rather some small ones like an Erik Bedard type deal that was made last year.  Will it be enough to propel this club forward?  Time will tell, but given the amount of talent on this club already, it’s a damn shame to see a sub .500 club through the first 100 games.