LASER SHOW

The bullpen tried to lose this game for the Sox. They really tried. Daisuke had a nice little return start, settling down for a 5 inning, 2 run night. Although he did allow 5 hits and yield 4 walks. That drove his pitch-count to 105. Then Delcarmen tried to blow it, then Okajima, then Atchison, and finally Papelbon.

Should the Red Sox be worried about the bullpen? YES! It's an inconsistent bunch out there. Papelbon and Bard are the only two trustworthy arms out there, and even they're not perfect. So unless the starter can go 7 (a good way to do that is to keep the pitch-count down, and a good way to keep it down is to not walk 4 guys in 5 innings), these games can get a bit hazy in the middle innings.

Thankfully, Pedroia went 5 for 5 with 3 homers, a double, and 5 RBI. Beltre also hit a homer, and knocked in 3. Daisuke hit an RBI single.

Had the Sox lost this game, it would have really hurt. Instead, they salvaged a win despite their atrocious bullpen. And you've got to do that from time to time.

Sox at Giants late night tonight. Wakefield vs. Jonathan Sanchez, who is 5-5 with a 2.90 ERA. But that sounds like a deflated National League ERA there.