Ghosts

The Sad Sox are 0-100 this season when trailing after eight innings. That includes last night 3-2 loss in ten to the Padres. But hats off to Sox second baseman Lenyn Sosa, who tied the game with a two-run homerun with two out in the top of the ninth. Sosa hit a 100.4 mph fastball from closer Robert Suarez into the leftfield stands. Sosa is batting .370 over his last seven games, .368 over his last fifteen. It looks like someone is making the most of the chance handed him. Too bad baseball games don’t (usually) end in a tie; that way, loss #118 could’ve been avoided, or at least delayed. Instead, Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a walk-off single. Somewhere, Rick Hahn should be holding his head in his hands, regretting yet again the trade that sent Tatis to the Padres for James Shields, who was well past his expiration date. Everyone in the world knew that, except Hahn and the man who employed him. The TV cameras caught ex-Sox starter Dylan Cease laughing it up in the Padres’ dugout, and who could blame him? His team has an outside chance of catching the Dodgers in the NL West and should make the playoffs even if they don’t. Somewhere, Sad Sox GM Chris Getz is crossing his fingers in the hope that Drew Thorpe recovers from elbow surgery and those two other prospects he got from San Diego for Cease (pitcher Jairo Iriarte and outfielder Samuel Zavala) pan out. But don’t hold your breath. Did I mention Cease has a no-hitter among his fourteen wins for the Padres? Or that a record the Mets have held since 1962 is about to fall?