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Red Sox’ frustration mounts as they’re swept away by Nationals 06.10.12 at 8:10 pm ET
By Stephen Hewitt

Bobby Valentine argues with umpire Al Porter after being ejected in the ninth inning of Sunday's game. (AP)

Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine was ejected for the second time this season Sunday, as frustration levels continued to rise for Boston as the Nationals finished off a three-game sweep with a 4-3 decision. The Red Sox now have lost six out of their last seven games and are two games under .500 (29-31). They’re in the basement of the AL East, six games behind division-leading Tampa Bay.

With the Sox trailing by a run and two outs in the ninth, Dustin Pedroia watched a 1-1 offering from Tyler Clippard sail by for a questionable called strike, which angered  Valentine. After an explosion from Valentine, home plate umpire Al Porter tossed the skipper. That led to an argument between Valentine and Porter, one that ended with Valentine leaving with an ovation from the Fenway crowd before Pedroia struck out to end the game.

After the game, Valentine had some more words for Porter and the umpiring crew, and said his frustration was a result of an accumulation of questionable calls throughout the game (including a pitch called a ball in the top of the ninth from Alfredo Aceves that Valentine thought was a strike). That call was followed by the game-winning RBI the Red Sox couldn’t recover from.

“We’ve got guys trying to bust their butt, battling their butt off. It’s just not right,” said Valentine, who was ejected for the 39th time as a big league manager. “Good umpires had a real bad series this series — real bad series. And it went one way. There should be a review.”

Asked if the questionable calls affected his players’ willingness to swing at pitches they normally wouldn’t bite on, Valentine offered a fundamental answer.

“The game is simple. Throw over the plate, call it a strike. Don’t throw it over the plate, call it a ball. It’s simple,” Valentine said. “That’s all anybody asks. And I know it’s been going on for 100 years, I’m not the first one to say it, but this was a pretty lousy series.”

Jon Lester delivered a strong performance, throwing seven innings and striking out a season-high nine hitters, but did not factor in the decision after Danny Espinosa’s fly ball to left bounced off the wall, just past the outstretched glove of Darnell McDonald. It scored two runs and gave the Nationals a 3-2 advantage in the seventh. It was Lester’s third consecutive no-decision — the Red Sox have lost three out of the last four games that the southpaw has started.

Lester wasn’t upset with missed calls like Valentine, but when asked about the mood in the clubhouse, the lefty vented about the overall struggles of the team.

“Everyone cares. Nobody’s been in this situation here, nobody’s lost before like this,” Lester said. “It’s all new. I’m sure I can speak for myself — it aggravates the piss out of me. I hate going out there and losing, regardless if I’m pitching or not. I know guys down there are frustrated and rightly so. It sounds cliché and I keep saying it, but we keep grinding out at-bats, we keep grinding out starts and something’s got to give.

“Our effort’s there, the will is there, the execution is there. Today, a 300-foot fly ball was the difference in the game. It’s bad luck in some games, it’s playing bad in other games, it’s pitching bad, it’s not playing good defense. Whatever it is, it just seems to come back and bite us in the butt. … The biggest thing is nobody in that clubhouse is giving up. Everybody shows up and prepares the same way [whether] we’re in first place by 10 games. We just have to keep sticking to that approach and it has to change.”

Read More: Bobby Valentine, Jon Lester, nationals, Red Sox Print  |  Email  |  Bark It Up!  |  Digg It
  • Duane Anderson

    Good summation Stephen! 

    Duane

  • Anonymous

    So those empty seats today were mirages? a new sell -out record?

    Management has sold out the fans. How many runners  did the Sox leave on base? How many did Gonzo leave on? Where has the guy gone who hits balls high off the left field wall?

    Get rid of Youkl for whoever is available. And how about Salty’;s 4 strike outs? Dead Sox need a dollar day where we pay only what the team is worth.

  • Whalebelly

    Was the Home Plate Ump one of the judges scoring the Pac-Man fight last night?

  • http://www.facebook.com/colleen.stearns.3 Colleen Stearns

    Bring up kalish and larvanway get rid of mcdonald and the second string catcher he was not any good when we had him before.

  • mg

    Red Sox will be up for sale soon.

  • JimDaytona

    Cherington been using thread to hold the team together rather do something. He is a do nothing GM. When you have 2 so called star brittle players on the DL for mosy of the season you got to make a move. The Nava’s, Mcdonald, Sweeney, Posednik, these light hitting OF just don’t cut it. Shameful.

  • Geetsolboy

    So they should trade some of their promising young players for some has beens to fill into the OF while Crawford and Ellsbury continue their R and R? This season is lost, no need to give away talent to finish out of the cellar. I most concerned about Gonzo. What has happened to this guy? It’s like he caught the same virus Crawford had last year.

  • Atgnat80

    After this year the front office will try some other line of garbage about we will be in the postseason this year. 

  • I’m Back

    I’d leave Salty off the list ….he’s actually won some games this year and won some recently…everyone has a bad day once in a while in baseball.  Youk has a pretty high salary so not sure their will be many takers based on his numbers and recent injury history.  But, this is a last place team…an under .500 team it is what it is…….

  • Bill

    I know. I almost fell out of my seat when they announced the sell out streak.

  • Byrd was the word

    This has nothing to do with this particular game, but I still have no idea why McDonald is still on this team.  Nothing personal with him, he just isn’t a major league player.  

  • Anonymous

    Actually, this was helpful for me, as I had 3 players on this list that I was questionable about;  Scott Chandler, Shonn Greene, and Jay Cutler.  I don’t get what you’re so upset about…

  • Neely92

    Hey Glenn, some of us play in leagues with more than 8 teams.  

  • glenn88

     I don’t care if you play in a league with 14 teams.  If you are actually planning to start Matt Casel, Tate, Blackmon and Fleener, you are losing your league!   Matt Casel isn’t starting in a 24 team league!  

  • Pete Davidson

    Glenn, it’s unfortunate that you don’t like the players I chose.  The thing is, we base our rankings on 12-team performance leagues and the bye weeks are upon us.  If you had an injury and a player on the bye and you are looking at the waiver wire, then guys like Cassel are the kinds of options you get.  As I say at the top of the article, we have full exhaustive lineup rankings.  Just click the car, go to Rotobahn and check out the lineup rankings.  We rank every player and we certainly rank the ones you seem to care most about.  Thanks for reading.

  • glenn88

     Hey, very cool you even replied to the comments.  Will keep reading your stuff just for that… even though I disagree.  

  • Typical Boston Fan

    Bledsoe is not a backup so where whould he play? behind Rondo? that is a waste of a very good talent i say move Rondo too

  • Jasonc79

    This KG trade talk is all nonsense….hes repeaditly said he will NOT waive his no trade clause so the Celtics can NOT trade him without his permission and he keeps saying hes not going anywhere!

  • Cfn

    I agree.  And since when is Chris Paul an owner of the Clippers who calls the shots…ridiculous I must say…….

  • Tdtony

    if you trade for bledsoe he comes off the bench, he comes off the bench in LA and he’s very good.  If they can get this done I would do it unfortunately.  I love KG and for what he’s done for the franchise he deserves to have his number retired crazy as it sounds.  However, if you can make two deals to bring Eric Bledsoe D’Andre Jordan and Josh Smith and you don’t pull the trigger I don’t know how you don’t do it.  The only way I wouldn’t make the Smith deal is if you have to inclue Green as well.

  • Boston_Sports

    Time to pull the trigger for the future. There is no championship this year for the Celtics. Do it Danny.

  • mike

    So you guys are in love with Bledsoe for leading his team to a 6-6 record without Paul? Or you are in love with Josh Smith because he dunks nicely even though he has shown himself to be a weak competitor when it matters? I just know you love Jordan for his amazing 7 rebounds a game to go with a 40% ft pct. Gosh, how could we not win 5 titles with this bunch. Thankfully some of you are not gms and some of you should be embarrassed to pretend you are actually Celtic fans.

  • MikeD10299

    The thing I love most about the Celtics is the thing I hate most about the Celtics. They are so loyal to those who bleed green. Ainge is doing exactly what Red did because it’s what he learned playing here for so long. The longer they put off the inevitable the longer it will take to build another champion contender.

  • mike

     That is such a load. Bias and Lewis died, Red made all the right moves. This moronic revisionist idea that Bird or McHale should have been traded is a complete load of utter nonsense and Ainge knows it even if goodball fans don’t.

  • mike

     That is such a load. Bias and Lewis died, Red made all the right moves. This moronic revisionist idea that Bird or McHale should have been traded is a complete load of utter nonsense and Ainge knows it even if goodball fans don’t.

  • Frozenrope26

    Rondo, Jordan, Smith… and in one fell swoop become the worst free throw shooting team in history. Look, I understand Jeff Green and Bass for Smith. You do that deal all day long. Despite Green’s improved play, his contract severely limits the Celtics ability to make moves in the future. Bass is underperforming, and both he and Green are locked in for 3-4 years. If nothing else, Smith gives you a chance to win now, he may choose to stay to play with Rondo, if not enter the FA free for all including Paul, Howard, Love, Ellis, Bynum, Jefferson, Jennings, Iguodala, Mayo, Pekovic, J.R Smith, West, Millsap, among others.

  • cmo

    If the celtics make this trade, I will be estatic. Bledsoe is a stud in the making. Deandre Jordan is a young Tyson Chandler…and Josh Smith would flourish in Boston next to his high school teammate and good friend, Rajon Rondo. We would be talking about a team full of young athletes. And should, say next year…the time come if it isn’t working out…we have SERIOUS talent to trade for virtually any one who may become available.

  • Snidley

    Clips aren’t going to give up both DJordan and EBledsoe.  Too much for a KG that at best would give them whats left of this year and maybe next.  Where this could work is if Clips are running into Cap issues and need to move those contracts.  What would be more likely is  Celts wanting both and Clips taking KG and maybe Bass or Courtney Lee.  The problem is there are so many pieces here to move around and very little time.  Don’t envy Danny on this one.  Tough to execute with just 2 days left.

  • Stephen

    If Ainge were to make this move there will be an uproar among Celtics fans.I know I know build for the future but a Bledsoe orJordan   is not enough in return.This Bledsoe could be a bust down the line and then what do you say.To throw away a playoff run for a possible future with an unknown point guard.

  • Rick time

    Time to consult Rick Pitino and get his opinion.

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