Due in part to the arrival of my beautiful daughter, I have not yet witnessed a Red Sox game live this year. I miss the atmosphere, the noise, the fans. However, there seems to be less distractions watching a game at my home. Sometimes the events off the field in the stands can overshadow the game.
Perhaps the manager and coaches were watching something else during Wednesday night's game.

I watched the game as I often do and make comments as I often do about the performances to my wife and child. With my wife busy, my daughter and I watched the game together. Although she is all but 10 weeks old, she enjoys watching the movements on the screen. And she's beginning to understand Daddy's frustration.

So as I watched Bronson Arroyo in the sixth inning, I mentioned to my daughter that he looked tired when facing the last batter in the sixth (Rocco Baldelli). He was off the plate by a mile and on a couple of occassions, (Baldelli) helped him out chasing the bad pitch. Arroyo got lucky when Baldelli popped up. I told my daughter how I expected any moment for action to begin in the bullpen. "It's likely we won't see him in the seventh," I told her. Until that point Arroyo had pitched masterfully. He was simply brilliant. One earned run, one walk and four hits allowed. Beautiful. One of his better games.

But to my amazement Arroyo was again on the mound in the seventh.

He had thrown only 97 pitches and I guess the coaches thought he could go a bit longer. Then he allowed a double. Still no action in the bullpen. Hmm. This is curious. The Red Sox have a legitimate shot at sweeping if they go to the well-rested bullpen, having had at least one night off due to Schilling's complete game Tuesday. They would surely be ready to contribute.

Then Arroyo walked a second batter. Now with two on the Red Sox coaches saw a need to get some relief pitchers warmed up. In my experience watching games, it takes at least one at-bat to get a pitcher warmed up. So Arroyo needs to get at least this one batter out before we see a change.

Ground ball to third. Bad hop deflects off Kevin Youkilis' hand and goes right to Orlando Cabrera. The throw is made...tie goes to the runner. Bases loaded. Now to the bullpen, right? Wrong. Apparently the coaching staff stilll thinks Arroyo has enough in the tank. Go figure. Aubrey Huff comes to the plate. Hanging pitch a little over the plate..Ding, dong. Grand slam. Devil Rays 5, Red Sox 4. Ouch.

Now they call on the relievers. Good timing.

Why couldn't the manager and coaching staff with their superior vantage point see this coming? Why couldn't they be more proactive instead of reactionary? Were they not present for the ending of the sixth inning? Did they not see the struggle? Why wait so long to warm up the relief corps? I'm baffled.

But we still have a couple of innings to score two runs. This team has character. It can come back from adversity. It can overcome.
Top of the ninth man on first (Dave Roberts pinch running for Kevin Millar) Boston has some life. Pass ball, the speedy Roberts takes second. Bill Mueller up. Single to right, Baldelli gets to the ball quickly. He's throwing the ball into the infield before Roberts has reached third. The third base coach apparently waves the runner on anyway. Out by a country mile.

The heart stops beating..I leave the room deflated. Time to change my daughter's diaper.

This indeed has been a crappy ending to a good game.

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