BALTIMOREThings looked so good for the Red Sox.
But just like this entire season, the rug was ripped out from under them. They had a two-run lead and Aaron Cook tossing a no-hitter going into the sixth inning, and then things fell apart for a baseball team tearing apart at the seams as they dropped a 5-3 decision to the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.
It got even worse in the top of the eighth when Adrian Gonzalez was thrown out of the game by home plate umpire Mike Everitt after complaining about being quick-pitched. In the height of irony Bobby Valentine was similarly tossed for defending the first baseman that was reportedly conspiring to get him fired last month.
The loss dropped the Sox to four games under .500 for the first time since May as things continue to worsen rather than improve.
The Sox busted open a scoreless tie between Cook and Miguel Gonzalez in the top of the fifth when Jacoby Ellsbury smoked an RBI ground-rule double to left field and Carl Crawford followed with a sacrifice fly to centerfield.The sac fly scored Nick Punto, gave the Sox a 2-0 lead and all looked good at that point.
Then it all came crashing down in the sixth. Os shortstop J.J. Hardy laced a single to left field after Nick Markakis had drawn a one-out walk, and ended Cooks no-hitter hopes. Nate McLouth rapped a hard single to center field that scored Markakis, and the wheels really came off the Cook wagon after an Adam Jones comebacker to the mound.
Cook had a double play ball and instead the Sox veteran fired wide left of the second base bag in a play that Scott Norwood would have nodded approvingly about. Hardy scored to tie up the game, and a Matt Wieters ground-rule double handed the Orioles a lead they wouldnt relinquish through the rest of the game.
Junichi Tazawa entered the game and it looked like the Sox might escape further damage when Jarrod Saltalamacchia held onto the ball during a hellacious collision with Adam Jones for the second out. Instead Mark Reynolds smoked a liner to left that Crawford appeared to have a play on, but the left fielder never picked up his glove hand to snare the ball.
Instead it went over his head to the base of the wall, two runs scored and Crawford had another shaky game patrolling the outfield at Camden Yards.The Sox scratched for one more in the top of the seventh on a run-scoring grounder from Crawford, but that was a wrap for Bobby Valentine and the Sox.