Red Sox Collapse In Sixth For Second Straight Game (57-61)

Cook took a no-hitter into the sixth

It's always such a shame when your starting pitcher takes a no-hitter into the sixth inning and still loses and it's also disappointing when every run the team allows is in one inning. In this game, both of those disappointments took place against the Orioles. In fact, both starting pitchers were quite good throughout the first innings and neither team scored in the first four. However, a pair of one out singles in the fifth got a rally started for the Red Sox. That rally continued as Jacoby Ellsbury doubled to the warning track in right center to score one and make it 1-0. The next and final run of the inning scored when Carl Crawford hit a sacrifice fly. The next inning was scoreless but the Orioles got a rally going in the sixth. A one out walk and a single (breaking up Aaron Cook's no hit bit) put two runners on base for the middle of the lineup. 

They scored their first run when Nate McClouth singled to right-center, also moving runners up to the corners with one out. The next play should've been a double play ball as Aaron Cook cleanly fielded a groundball back to him. However, he threw it away to allow a run to score and make it 2-2. That was when Matt Wieters hit a ground-rule double to the warning track in left to give the O's a lead. Two more would score on a Mark Reynolds single to make it 5-2 and end Cook's night. The Red Sox got a run back on an RBI groundout in the seventh but it wasn't enough and they fell 5-3. 

Bright Spots:

Craig Breslow- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K

Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Carl Crawford- 0-2, 2 RBI

Scott Podsednik- 1-2, 1 R

Nick Punto- 1-4, 2 R

Dull Spots:

Cody Ross- 0-4, 3 K, 3 LOB

Mike Aviles- 0-4, 1 LOB

Player of the Game:

Jacoby Ellsbury- Ellsbury's RBI double in the fifth was one of few offensive bright spots for the Red Sox as he almost knocked his second home run-- he is now .270/1/11.