SOX WIN! SOX WIN! SOX WIN!

Wells heads to San Diego but Sox score 6-4 victory over Jays, Halladay

I should've known that all I had to do was predict a Sox loss and they would stop their slide; we all know my track record with predictions. But this win could not have been predicted by Nostradamus himself.

News came down about an hour before game time that Boomer was traded to his hometown Padres (at least someone can thank Theo); Julian Tavarez got the call to start his first game in 3+ years.
Funny thing is, the Gas Can held his own, allowing 3 runs in 3 innings on 5 hits- about his normal effort out of the pen. Boston's rag-tag line-up (corner infielders playing the corner outfield?!) managed to get to Cy Halladay for 4 runs in 4 innings, 3 of them coming on Lowell's 1st inning 3-run bomb; that blast alone accounted for more runs than they had averaged per game in the last 2 weeks.
They added another in the 4th on 2 singles, a walk and a DP grounder by Javy I'm Done Lopez.
But the improbable was about to happen with the game tied at 4 in the 7th.

Bottom of the 7th and Alex Cora steps up to the plate with Dustin Pedroia on first when one of the oddest plays in Fenway's storied history occurred: Cora lofted a pretty decent fly ball towards the bleacher section in right field; Jays RF Alex Rios drifted back and appeared to have a bead on the ball. But a funny thing happened on his way to making the catch- it popped out of his mitt, and as he tried to snag it with his barehand, it slipped out like a wet bar of soap and into the bleachers for a 2-run, game-deciding HR. Cora's first homerun in 245 ABs. Off Halladay. Game over.
Paplebon (remember him?) came in to shut the door on the Sox' first win in like, a month and a half, and there was finally reason to sing "...well I love that Dirty Water...."

The way Boston stopped ended their 6 game losing streak can be attributed to many things: a gritty effort from a desperate, proud team; a stroke of good luck the squad had been needing for many weeks; great managing by Tito the Bloody Lip for putting together a lineup of has-beens, retreads and kids who managed to get 7 hits and a victory against one of the best pitchers in the game.

But my explanation: divine intervention. All the prayers off all the members of the Nation, combined with the departure of Wells (and the Sox' playoff aspirations) and possibly the dying wish of Charlie Wagner, a member of Boston's 1946 team and longtime Boston fixture who died of a heart attack at 93, to produce a play so fluky and fortunate that there had to be a higher power at work. Right?

But whatever the reason, all members of RSN will take it.

As Earl would say:

" now that's what I call karma."