Tarnished Penny: Brad Penny Hurts Red Sox and Must Go

At this point, it's reasonable to ask if Brad Penny will, or should, ever make another start for the Red Sox.Against the Yankees on Friday night, Penny lasted just four innings, allowing eight earned runs on 10 hits. In all, the burly righty allowed 11 base runners and recorded just 12 outs in his rather brief outing.With the loss, Penny's record now stands at 7-8, making him the only Sox pitcher with a minimum of 10 starts that has a losing record. As further evidence of his futility, Penny's ERA jumped to a bloated 5.61, which is 37th in the AL.At this point, Penny can only be described as an outright bust for the Red Sox. He has just one win in his past 11 starts, to go along with a 6.37 ERA during that span, dating back to June 23.Not once in his 24 starts this season has Penny made it through the seventh inning, the worst streak in the Majors. It is a level of ineptitude not experienced by a Red Sox pitcher since 1954.It is part of a disturbing and long term trend; ...