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From Bad To Worse by Jared Carrabis
Sox go 0-6 in their most crucial 6-game stretch

When the Red Sox were faced with their most crucial six-game stretch of the season, it seemed as if though everything that could have went wrong, went wrong for Boston.

I had the unfortunate experience of being at Yankee Stadium for the first game of this four-game embarrassment, and believe me, it was no prize. Things started off well when Dustin Pedroia hit a home run to the opposite field for the first time in his life, but the excitement was short-lived. Even when Casey Kotchman chipped in with his first home run in a Red Sox uniform, the Yankees stormed back to add on more runs and then some. The Sox would ultimately end up losing that game by a one-sided score of 13-6.

When I was walking out of Yankee Stadium that night, I was taunted by the classy fans of New York. One fan actually asked me if I wanted to "take it outside", but I kept my mouth shut. I didn't want to be arrogant, because I could have easily have said, "Congrats on beating the Red Sox for the first time on your ninth try." Instead of saying something that could come back to bite me in the behind (which it would have), I chose to look forward, instead of living in the past, by saying, "Good luck with Beckett tomorrow!"

As I had hoped, Josh Beckett was masterful. Only one problem; the offense was the exact opposite. The mighty right-hander dominated the men in pinstripes for seven frames, giving up just four hits, no runs and struck out seven. The only problem was that his former Marlin teammate, AJ Burnett, stole the show, going 7.2 innings of shutout ball, holding the Sox to just one hit, while striking out six.

That pitcher's duel took both teams into a scoreless tie that took the fans of Boston past the midnight hour. Finally, in the fifteenth inning, it was the ultimate villain here in Boston that ended the scoreless marathon by hitting a two-run walk-off home run into the New York night to sink the Sox.

Also, when I walked out of Yankee Stadium on Thursday night, there were several taunts of Ortiz's link to performance enhancing drugs. The taunts made me laugh in the face of their hypocrisy. Here we have a bunch of Yankee fans taunting me for Ortiz being named on a list of PEDs users, while each and every person who had something to say has cheered the likes of Roger Clemens, Denny Neagle, Jason Grimsley, Sunday night's starter, Andy Pettitte, Chuck Knoblauch, Mike Stanton, David Justice and Friday night's hero*, Alex Rodriguez himself, all of whom have either been linked to, or have admitted to using performance enhancing drugs and have donned pinstripes. In other words, shut your mouth.

So, on Saturday night, the Sox did their best, not just to win, but to just flat out score a single run. It was a task that was proven to be too daunting for our beloved team. After the Sox fell victim to New York's $82.5 million right-handed free agent-prize on Friday, it was time for Boston to take their hacks against George's left-handed $161 million prize in CC Sabathia.

Again, the Sox' bats couldn't buy a hit, so naturally, scoring runs seemed out of the realm of possibility. For the second straight game, a Yankee starter had pitched his way into the eighth inning (seven and two thirds) without allowing a single run, and Sabathia himself had kept Boston to just two lonely hits. New York tagged onto their 1-0 lead by scoring in each of the final three innings to put the Bombers a game away from a four-game sweep in the Bronx.

Which brings us to Sunday night. The Nation turned their hopeful eyes to Jon Lester, but by the time this series had gotten to Sunday, the past three games had almost seemed surreal. How could the Red Sox who were once unbeaten at 8-0 against the Yankees be fighting to not only just win a game against them, but just to score a run would have been something we'd like to see? Sox fans were dying for something to cheer for, anything at all.

Lester had done all that he could and more to end the Sox' streak at five, as he pitched into the seventh inning without allowing a run. It was then that A-Rod brought the Stadium to their feet by launching a solo shot to left-center to break another scoreless tie between these two rivals. Lester left the game after going seven strong innings, allowing just the one earned run, while striking out seven Yankee batters.

Finally, and I'm not even saying that sarcastically, the Red Sox broke their scoreless innings streak when Victor Martinez blasted a two-run bomb off of Phil Coke deep into the left field corner to give Boston the lead. I honestly thought that that home run was the one thing that could turn this teams' fortunes around, but sadly, I was mistaken.

In the very next inning, as if it wasn't going to be painful enough to lose our lead, it had to be Johnny Damon that roped a line shot over the wall in right-center to tie the game right back up at two. As if that blast off of Daniel Bard wasn't enough for us Sox fans to endure at the time, Mark Teixeira made things worse when two pitches later, he cranked a $180 million solo shot into the right field corner to give the lead right back to the Yankees. It truly was a devastating and back-breaking moment for the team and its fans.

The Yankees would later add to their lead, as Boston would bring the tying run to the plate in the ninth against Mariano Rivera, but to no avail. With a broken bat soft ground to Teixeira off the bat of Jacoby Ellsbury, the Yankees had completed their four-game sweep of the Red Sox.

In conclusion, in a blog that I was dreading to write and one that most will probably not even read, I leave you with these words from your All Star, MVP second baseman, Dustin Pedroia, "There’s a lot of heart on this team. Nobody's going to quit. We’re going to play as hard as we can. I promise you guys that."

Things you'll need to know that you probably don't care about:

When Victor Martinez hit his two-run shot in the eighth inning on Sunday night, it snapped the longest consecutive scoreless innings streak (31 innings) since the 1974 Red Sox went a whole 34 innings without a single run.

The last time the Red Sox have been swept in a four-game series by the Yankees in Yankee Stadium was way back in 1985.

With the loss, Boston is now tied with the Texas Rangers in the Wild Card standings and are now 6.5 games back in the AL East and just a game-and-a-half up on the Tampa Bay Rays.

Bard's eighth inning home run that he allowed to Johnny Damon was the second game-tying home run that he has allowed over this crucial six-game road trip/losing streak. (Evan Longoria)

The last time Jon Lester allowed a home run was back on June 18, a whole 63.2 innings prior.

Monday's pitching match-up:

The Sox now return home (finally) for a brief four-game set against the Detroit Tigers. Brad Penny will get the ball against a starting pitcher who certainly won't be curing any offensive struggles, Edwin Jackson. His 8-5 record may not open any eyes, but his 2.62 ERA might do the trick. However, his 2-4 record with a 5.44 ERA against the Red Sox gives fans a glimmer of hope. If that doesn't boost your optimism, then his 0-4 record with a 7.14 ERA at Fenway Park better raise some points on the Red Sox Nation optimism meter. In the home dugout, Penny will be looking to add on to his 5-2 record at Fenway Park.

Keep your heads up RSN; this is a 162-game season,
-Jared Carrabis