Waiting for Superman; Gods Send John Lackey

The Red Sox have officially discovered every conceivable way to lose a baseball game.

This afternoon's game featured an especially frustrating combination of miscues (Darnell McDonald's dropped fly ball) and incompetence (a horrendous foul-ball call, robbing Big Papi of an RBI double, the eventual difference in the game). But instead of dwelling on Darnell's presence on a Major League roster or the immediate need for replay expansion in the MLB, the Sox have to turn around and win a game tonight.

And who is our savior for the nightcap against Baltimore? John Lackey, of course. Honestly, I'd be more comfortable with JD Drew and his stupid broken finger on the mound. Or Henry Rowengartner "floating" it. Or Ed the chimpanzee. Or Matt LeBlanc.


Thankfully, the Orioles are still the Orioles, and they'll be trotting out Brian Matusz, one of the rare owners of a Lackey-esque season. The Boston offense should be able to put up at least six runs tonight, and judging by recent results, they'll need it.

The window for patience has closed, not just for Lackey, but the entire team. Dan Shaughnessy is salivating over his inevitable "Implosion for the Ages" article. Carl Crawford is sorry that his neck hurts. Nothing is going right. If there was ever a time for some return on investment ($82.5 million, to be precise), it's tonight.