I love how the optimists are as reactionary as anybody. This loss isn't on Atchison, Bobby V, Salty or WMB. Atchison has been great all year. You don't need someone who misses bats if you hand them the ball to start an inning. If he came in with men on base, it would be a different story. Atch has been money all season long. He's been every bit as reliable as Padilla-- maybe more so. People who wanted Melancon, because it was a pressure situation are you kidding me? He hasn't done very well in pressure spots this year.
We lost because we faced one of the top pitchers in baseball in his prime and we faced him with half of our regular lineup and one of our biggest guns has been in a season long slump. We hit one ball hard all night long- Ortiz's single in the 9th. You don't deserve to win when you don't score. To those who said the Mariners didn't deserve to win, are you kidding me? If Morales wasn't continuing to be the surprise of the Red Sox season, this game would have probably been lost in the first inning, because our other pitchers can't seem to help but give up runs in the first inning.
Morales looks like an overpowering starter and he pitched magnificently. He could only go 7 innings. Felix pitched even better and went the distance. Seattle deserved the win and the Red Sox had no goats.