If an 0-3 start wasn't reason to panic, how about 0-4? The Red Sox lost their fourth straight game to start the season, falling 3-1 against the Cleveland Indians.
The Sox got one of their better starts of the year so far from Josh Beckett, but unfortunately, that's not saying much. After starting out with three scoreless innings, as has been typical in recent years, Beckett found himself getting roughed up as his pitch count rose. After striking out Carlos Santana to open the inning, Beckett allowed a double to Travis Hafner, and then on the very next pitch had Orlando Cabrera drive him in ahead of the throw from Carl Crawford. A walk to Austin Kearns and a strikeout of Matt LaPorta set up Jack Hannahan, who had spent 2010 with the Pawtucket Red Sox, with an RBI opportunity. He cashed in, knocking a base hit off of Beckett's glove and up the middle. A leadoff double from Asdrubal Cabrera in the fifth would tag Beckett with his third and final earned run.
Meanwhile, fresh off making Matt Harrison look like a Cy Young candidate, the Red Sox provided the same service to Cleveland's Josh Tomlin. The lineup, complete with Kevin Youkilis, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Dustin Pedroia, and David Ortiz could only manage one run off the righty, and that came off a seeing eye single from Jarrod Saltalamacchia-his first of the season.
What good can the Red Sox find in this loss? Well, Matt Albers and Bobby Jenks struck out the side in their two innings. And that's about it.
I'll leave you with this sobering statistic-one I'm sure all Sox fans will be hearing a lot of over the next 24 hours: No team has ever won the World Series after an 0-4 start.