Smoltz Takes Another Beating. Boston Offense Still Sputtering...Orioles 6 Red Sox 2

John Smoltz tried and failed once again to hold an opposing team's hitters at bay and the Sox offense continued to be stymied by rookie pitchers. My goodness, it's happened SIX times in the past month. Boston has scored more than three runs in only two of the nine games since the All Star break...UNACCEPTABLE. First up is Smoltz. Hitters are waiting for him to throw a strike and they're not swinging at pitches out of the zone, especially his rising fastball that ends up high, just out of the zone. No chasing, no success. He said this after game's end...

“No matter what I say today, it’s not going to matter,’’ John Smoltz said, with a half sigh, half release of anger. “When you give up six runs, no matter what you say or feel like, it’s irrelevant when the results are the way they are. Me saying I had good stuff and I felt great is irrelevant. I’m a fighter, and I came over here because I know the expectation is high and right now my frustration is that it looks like I’m not delivering. That will change one way or the other, I can promise you that. I work at it pretty hard. I’m not a guy that has a ton of anger on the field or off the field, but I’m grinding.’’

Boston manager Terry Francona voiced his support of Smoltz...

“I’ve certainly been wrong before,’’ manager Terry Francona said. “I don’t think we’re wrong this time. It’s going to work. I really believe that. The results certainly haven’t been what we’ve wanted so far. I think he’s going to be just fine.’’

The Boston offense managed only two runs on six measley hits...to a rookie pitcher, who pitched into the eighth inning. I do not get it. This is what Jason Bay and Big Papi had to say after a frustrating Fenway afternoon of baseball..

“We have to give those pitchers credit because they’re doing their jobs,” left fielder Jason Bay said. “But at the same time, we’re a better hitting ballclub than this.”

“We’ve just got to keep playing,” designated hitter David Ortiz said. “There’s nothing you can do about it. We took a lot of good swings today and nothing happened.”

When a team, any team, averages 2.78 runs per game, good things will NOT follow in their footsteps. We all know that and I'm sure our Red Sox hitters are doing everything in their power to correct the problem(s). Until they do, it's tough for all of us. It really is.

Here are the pitching matchups for the four game Fenway Park series with the beatable Oakland A's...

7/27/2009 Oak 7:10 PM ET NESN Beckett (11-4) vs. Cahill (6-8)
7/28/2009 Oak 7:10 PM ET NESN Buchholz (1-1) vs. Mazzaro (2-7)
7/29/2009 Oak 7:10 PM ET NESN Penny (7-4) vs. Anderson (5-8)
7/30/2009 Oak 1:35 PM ET NESN Lester (9-7) vs. Gonzalez (2-2)

Have a great Monday as we plunge headlong into a new week, the last one of July. Summer is half over...already. You can click on this post's title for more Sox news and a full video of the Jim Ed Rice Hall of Fame induction speech. I know you'll enjoy it. Click on that title. I'll see ya...soon.