But it was a sarcastic gesture. When Aaron Cook and Mortensen combined to surrender seven runs in the third inning, it signaled the prolongation of the Red Sox’ four-game losing streak.
To a larger degree, it continued the team’s struggles at home. With Saturday’s 8-2 loss against the Orioles, the Red Sox have now dropped nine of the last 10 games played at Fenway Park.
Facing a second straight lackluster homestand, Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is preaching patience.
“These kinds of things can’t happen in one day or in one road trip,” Gonzalez said. “They happen over the course of lots of games. We’ll go on another one of those streaks, then we’ll be at .500, then over .500 and go on from there. There’s still a lot of season to be played.”
No one can pinpoint the reason for the troubles at home. Despite the recent record at Fenway, Red Sox skipper Bobby Valentine said he’s been pleased with his team’s at-bats and claims they’ve encountered tough pitchers.
On Saturday, Jason Hammel was the latest addition to the list. In 6 2/3 innings, the Orioles’ pitcher yielded four hits and two runs — both in the seventh when he was gassed — and fanned eight batters.
As far as David Ortiz is concerned, it’s simply a byproduct of the competition in the American League East.
“This is a tough division right here,” Ortiz said. “This is a tough division. You have to play well, no matter who you play against. You have to play good. We just have to come back and play better, bro. It’s not magic.”
The Red Sox have one more game to atone at home before bolting to Kansas City.
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