Oddly, this time, Lackey's pedestrian pitching was not the reason the Red Sox lost to the Blue Jays today, 5-4. Lackey was marginally better than his horrific last few starts, and it was enough to get the Red Sox to the 8th inning ahead 4-2.But Daniel Bard proceeded to blow his third straight game, loading the bases with none out and allowing three runs to give Toronto the 5-4 lead. Something is obviously wrong with Bard, be it mechanics, health or lack of confidence. Despite this, Tito continues to run him out in key situations—while Papelbon hasn't pitched since the Nixon Administration!
As bad as all this is, Adrian Gonzalez, after clouting his 26th homer, left the game with calf tightness. Great. Bring on the Rays!