The Mediocrity Continues

I missed last night's game, as I was at my niece's party on Long Island. The iPhone got another serious workout.

Clay Buchholz pitched well for six innings, allowing just 2 runs on 3 hits in his first start off the DL. But he left with two runners on with a 3-2 lead in the 7th. Matt Albers allowed both runners to score, and Tampa Bay went on to win, 5-3.

Will Middlebrooks banged a two-run homer, Jacoby Ellsbury had two hits.

And now it looks like the Sox will lose a valuable member of the pen, as Scott Atchison will be placed on the DL today. No reason has yet been given as to why. Junichi Tazawa will be brought up in his place.

The Red Sox are now 10 1/2 games back in the East. They needed to break from the gate strong in the second half, go on a 15 of 20 or 20 of 25 run, something like that. (Remember August 2004? That's what the Sox did after a couple of so-so months, and it lifted them into the postseason.) I'm not confident something of that nature will happen.

1-1 since the All-Star Break. 44-44 on the season. The mediocrity continues.