Penny Pressure: Red Sox Pitcher Needs Deep Outing Against Tampa Bay Tonight

After last night's extra inning disaster, the Boston Red Sox have to brush aside the loss and look towards the future—that being Brad Penny, who takes the mound tonight against the Tampa Bay Rays, who now have a 7-4 record against Boston in 2009. Penny has been having trouble all season getting past seven innings, and lately he hasn't been making it past five. In his last start against Oakland on July 29, the right-handed pitcher lasted for five innings and gave up seven runs off seven hits and four walks. Besides facing the Rays who are already a Red Sox fan's worst nightmare right now, Penny's stats don't help the cause one bit. It's crucial that Penny's goes at least six innings, if not more thanks to a dead bullpen, because of last night's 13-inning loss where six relief pitchers were used. It's also crucial that Boston's bats wake up and produce. Scoring two runs generally doesn't secure a win, and with the addition...