No one in the dugout cringed. No one suffered that spontaneous reaction when the air goes out in a rush. But that was the experience in the stands, the surprise audible among the 37,039 who packed Fenway Park last night.
Even as the ball ripped off J.D. Drew's bat into the glove of a leaping Miguel Tejada in the seventh inning, the "what if" moment in an evening full of them, Julio Lugo said no one wearing a Red Sox uniform felt such disappointment.
Whether he can speak for his teammates or not, the reality can't be challenged. It is a long season. Yet an unlucky 13 men left on base has got to frustrate the Red Sox just a little.
Having left the bases loaded in the first and second innings, the Sox got another chance to make good on a promising situation in the seventh. But neither Drew nor Alex Cora could make the right contact at the right moment, sending the Sox to a 6-3 loss in their return from a trip on which they tore through Minnesota and Toronto, going 5-1.
"Couldn't get one big hit to get us over the top," manager Terry Francona said. "They extend the lead. We finally get an opportunity. We got J.D. against [reliever Chad] Bradford and he took one of the prettiest swings you'll ever see. If that ball goes past Tejada, it probably goes all the way to the wall. On a night where we needed one hit, we couldn't get it."
The Red Sox didn't get a repeat of the starting pitching performances they have come to expect -- a 1.55 ERA the last six games -- as Julian Tavarez (1-4, 6.60 ERA) gave up five runs (four earned) in five innings. But it was a serviceable outing from the No. 5 starter. And it wasn't as if the Red Sox didn't have base runners. They walked eight times and had 10 hits. But the Sox were 3 for 12 with runners in scoring position.
"They did," Tavarez said of the Orioles getting two-out hits with men on base. "We don't. That's how it is."
Despite Tavarez's assertion that he'd like to pitch as soon as possible, hoping for a good outing that might make sleeping a little easier, he'll have to wait his turn in the rotation.
Not so for the offense, which gets a crack at Steve Trachsel (1-3, 3.70) at 1:05 p.m. today.
Against a trio of relievers in the seventh, the Red Sox had three chances with the bases loaded and one out. Although Jason Varitek walked to force in Manny Ramírez, neither of the two pinch hitters -- Drew for defensive goat Wily Mo Peña and Cora for Dustin Pedroia -- could get a run home, with Cora flying to center.
"We had chances early in the game," Cora said. "We didn't take advantage, and the kid did a good job of surviving. He made pitches when he had to. That's why he won the game."
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