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Bobby Valentine has tried to put a positive spin on losses this season, praising those players who performed well and defending those who didn't.
Not tonight. Not after a 3-2 loss against Oakland.
Valentine was drumming his fingers on the desk in his small office as the postgame interview started. By the end, he was pounding a blue marker pen into the desk with enough force that it nearly shattered.
“I don’t like to lose. That’s what bothers me the most,” Valentine said as he stared at a wall.
[...]
Valentine was angry about the lack of execution.
“We had first and second, no outs in the top of the ninth. That’s where the game was lost,” he said. “You can’t bunt into a double play there. That’s simple. We’ve got our best bunter on the team up. He’s got to be able to bunt the ball and get the guys over.”
Kalish was then thrown out trying to steal third. He had the throw beat but third baseman Brandon Inge had the bag blocked with his leg and Kalish was called out to end the inning.
“I wasn’t expecting a steal. If I don’t want him to go, I better hold him,” Valentine said. “They blocked the base on him. He had it stolen easy. Good play on their part, bad play on ours.
Globe: For Valentine, it's a reason to be angry
I'm with you, Bobby. This team should not be held to 2 runs per night by teams like Seattle and Oakland. Missed opportunities are killing this team, for example, the 0-for-8 with RISP last night.
Even with the injuries, the Red Sox have so much potential in their offense and they can't string anything together right now. It is frustrating to watch Adrian Gonzalez come to the plate with runners on first and the best he can do it a sac-fly.
They have been climbing in the standings and could taste second place, instead, the Sox have re-gained 4th place in the east.
On Page 2, Justin Germano joins the bullpen.
The Red Sox will purchase the contract of Justin Germano today. The 29-year-old righthander was 9-4 with a 2.40 earned run average in 17 games (16 starts) for Triple A Pawtucket.
In 105 innings, Germano allowed only 82 hits and 13 walks while striking out 72.
Germano is 8-20, 5.02 in 79 career major league appearances with the Padres, Reds and Indians over parts of six seasons starting in 2004. His last major league appearance was May 16, 2011.
Globe: Germano joins Red Sox bullpen
Mortenson was sent back to Pawtucket in exchange for Justin Germano.
I've seen Justin pitch in Pawtucket and he looks ready for the majors. I assumed he would be called up as a starter, but a good arm in the pen is always a good thing.
If the Sox do need a spot starter, he could be a good candidate. Germano pitched a perfect game for the Columbus Clippers (AAA) last season, a nice little addition to a resumé.
Germano will be joined by infielder, Mauro Gomez, who will be filling Dice-K's roster spot. Gomez has been a beast with Pawtucket, batting .311, with 19 homers and 55 RBI in 72 games.
Germano and Gomez have the ability to make an immediate impact for the Red Sox and the Sox need something very quickly.
We hope you all have a happy 4th!
The rest of the links:
Globe: Rehabbing Crawford down, but not out | Matsuzaka back on DL | Herald: Book on Bobby Jenks closes | Ryan Kalish's energy doesn't pay off in loss | CSNNE: Too many mistakes catch up to Red Sox in loss to A's | ESPN Boston: Olney Video: Help coming for Red Sox
