Right after Huff mashed that would-be-grand-slam a few feet outside the foul pole, I expected Francona to sprint out of the dugout and drag Dice-K’s sorry ass out of the game. Batshit was ready and Matsuzaka had nothing. In retrospect, they could have put Pedro Clemens – the genetically engineered robo-pitcher – on the hill and it wouldn’t have mattered. Yeah, they really have one. But some nights a team just hits, end of story. Christ, even “Little TikeRedman went deep, in some circles signalling the coming Apocalypse.

You gotta look at the bright spots in a game like that. Hansack and Timlin looked good out of the ‘pen, Ortiz is hitting like Ortiz, and Tavarez didn’t kill anyone. Tomorrow Beckett takes the hill going for number 18. Josh was last seen tying a burlap sack with a live rat in it over Daniel Cabrera’s head, who was hanging upside-down from a tree. Yup, Chuck Norris stole that one from Beckett.

In other news, check his freakin‘ bat and while you’re at it, a blood sample might not be a bad idea. We’ve seen this guy “compete” by knocking the ball out of Arroyo’s hand and the infamous “mine” incident – how does he stay above suspicion?

The Sox will shrug this one off and run away with the series finale tomorrow. Then it’s a get-well series against the Rays, an off-day, then Joba time.