PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA—It isn't often that the Nation takes to the road and gets embarrassed by their Carmine Hose. Friday was one of those times. Terry Francona sent out a line-up that—from the four spot on—was little better than the Greenville Drive might feature. When you're batting Darnell McDonald in the five-hole, you've got some problems, my friends. Cameron, Varitek (who did get two hits and execute a perfect sacrifice bunt and also ran into an out on the bases), Scutaro and Lester are not exactly murderer's row. And while the top of the order got hits, there were no timely hits. The evening was capped by Papi's frustrating pinch-hit deluge in the eighth. Jon Lester was forgettable again, rapidly becoming the most inexplicable nine-game winner in baseball.
All in all, a humiliating 3-1 loss for the thousands of Sox fans at PNC.