Of Pitching and Losing and a Pennant Race, but Mostly Pitching

I would like to talk about my weekend in Baltimore, where last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the Red Sox swept a series and put themselves on a trajectory toward retaking first place in the division. I would like to talk about that, but I won't. It seems like so long ago, and they haven't won a game since. It should be self-evident from the losing scores this week (4-2, 6-4, 13-6) and even Sunday's winning score (18-10) that the pitching has been inconsistent at best, rotten at worst. At the top of the excrement list is one John Smoltz, past Cy Young winner and All-Star, future Hall-of-Famer, a member of the exclusive 3,000-strikeout club, and the only player in major league history to have reached 200 career wins and 150 career saves. This afternoon, the Red Sox announced they have designated Smoltz for assignment. I had high hopes for Smoltz. I always liked him when he was part of the Braves' starting trifecta of Maddux-Glavin-Smoltz, and despite his shoulder sur...