Does Every Game Need Be a Gut Wrencher?

It was another of those "I really want to put my fist through the wall" games after watching the Red Sox hand one over to the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night in 10 innings.

More wasted opportunities last night. Bases loaded after J.D. Drew's home run in the eighth with two outs, bases left loaded. Can't add to a one-run lead and it comes back to bite them.

David Ortiz up in the ninth with two on and two out and a tie game. I turned to my friends and said, "This is his most important at-bat of 2010. He has to shut up the doubters and detractors." And sure enough, he strikes out.

Adrian Beltre continues to be less than advertised. Another costly error leads to a run.

John Lackey had a rough first inning, was very hittable, but settled down after the two runs, and really deserved a win. Daniel Bard's meatball to Miguel Tejada ended that for the night.

Another night where the Red Sox made their fans sweat it out, and the ultimate result was again unsatisfactory. This team will have a walk-in-the-park game in 2010, right?

Back to Ortiz. It really pains me to write this, but he is just dead weight right now. Swings at ball four in that at-bat in the ninth and whiffs, against some guy named Alfredo Simon. Mike Lowell must get more at-bats, and now. I know what Papi has meant to this organization the last seven years, but he is just a rally-killer right now. My buddy Chris put it best tonight when he said he'd rather see someone in front of Ortiz swing the bat rather than walk, because you know what's coming next.

When he came to bat in the ninth, I was pulling for him, but my mind knew another strikeout was coming. I think we are seeing the final year of David Ortiz in Boston, no matter how you slice it.

And by the way, when was the last time Victor Martinez got a meaningful hit?

Right after the game, the Sox designated Alan Embree for assignment, as Daisuke Matsuzaka will be activated for his start on Saturday night. Embree leaves the Sox for the second time, this time without seeing any game action.