El Guapo's Ghost Rambles on about the Red Sox

In hindsight, Little may have decided differently, but he noted that he was acting without that luxury. ''There are a whole lot of people who know what to do after the pitch is thrown,'' he said, ''but not very many before.''(Hohler, Boston Globe)

As I was watching Saturday’s game, my initial thought was Timlin are you trying to blow the freaking game, Chicken Little. The only hitter to be concerned with in the eighth was Thome. Where the hell is Embree? While Timlin got Polanco and Rollins, I checked out the stats and they supported the lefty vs. lefty matchup. But I told myself that the Chicken Man had these numbers and other information that I did not like Embree was sore, got in a disagreement with his wife before the game, caught Johnny Damon’s “flu-like symptoms” from a night out in Philly, etc. All of which might make Embree unavailable. I gave the Chicken Man the benefit of the doubt. As we know, Thome hit a homer off of Timlin. I was upset, but even more so when Embree came in for Timlin in the ninth.

I really do not like to discuss “manager’s decisions” for various reasons but this game could turn out to be critical. Tough losses are difficult to overcome and I think it showed yesterday. The Sox were out of character at the plate against Myers. If the Old Town Team doesn’t win at least six out of the next ten, it could be the start of a long summer.