Sox take series 2-1

To be honest, I didn't feel too comfortable with Willie Harris in the 9th inning with one out, hitting against the almighty Mo Rivera. Harris, a pinch runner (and a speedy runner to say the least), is currently batting .136. Whaddaya know, Willie gets a great hit into right field.

However, the hero of the game was of course Mark Loretta. He's been in what RSN would call a slump recently, and he went 4 for 6 with three RBIs. Two things made me feel pretty good about this game: 1)Our guys played well despite Manny and Ortiz both getting no hits. 2)Papelbon is so darn good.

Sox pitching was great tonight. It was fun watching old reliable Wake K nine guys. It's pretty funky watching good players get screwed by the knuckleball. It just drops in, flies around a bit, and the batter swings. That's right, if you want your kid to have a nice comfortable career in the bigs, teach him to be a knuckleballer.

Even more fun was watching Papelbon close. This guy is fearless. I remember him looking like a pudgy big kid last season, but now he's got this meanacing stare. He's a flamethrower with a sweet splitter. He has now added a mohawk and five o'clock shadow to the overall package. Just awesome. I think I'd be pretty scard to bat against a huge dude with a mohawk. In the ninth, Pap battled Jeter to a full count. I think the eventual walk was acceptible with Jeter having 3 hits on the night. The rest of his performance was quick and dominating.