The Red Sox' four-game winning streak is at an end after a 9-6 loss to the Cardinals, but it's Daniel Bard's terrible performance rather than the final score that will truly worry Sox fans.
With Alfredo Aceves taking the mound to start he game, the Sox found themselves behind 1-0 in the early going thanks to an RBI double from Cardinals right fielder Erik Komatsu in the second inning. Aside from that one blemish, however, Aceves had a strong outing, striking out four of his last eight batters as he went four strong innings.
The Red Sox would erase that deficit shortly after Aceves threw his last pitch. Doubles from David Ortiz and Ryan Lavarnway would match the run from Komatsu, and Darnell McDonald's homer over the faux Monster made it 3-1 in Boston's favor. Dustin Pedroia would tack on a fourth run in the fifth inning on a home run of his own.
But then came Daniel Bard. While the sixth started innocently enough with a ground out from Carlos Beltran, it would quickly get out of hand. Bard gave up a solo shot to the second batter, Matt Adams, and then allowed five of the next six batters he faced to reach base, giving up two more runs in the process.
While it seemed as though Bard may have reeled things in after a 1-2-3 seventh, that proved not to be the case. Bard started the inning with a walk, recorded two outs, and then could not for the life of him find a third. A single and another walk (Bard's fourth) would load the bases, and just as quickly Shane Robinson unloaded them, tripling and sending Bard to the showers with six runs to his name. Corye Spoone would allow Robinson to score to make it seven runs for Bard, before giving up one last tally on three straight hits to bring the game to its final score of 9-6.
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