The "our starting pitcher sucks just a little less than your starting pitcher" Strategy Pays Off Again

Think for just a minute about this weekend's sweep of the Orioles. John Smoltz starts Friday's game with a 7.04 ERA. He ends up raising his ERA to 7.12 in just six innings and has the audacity to hit the showers with a win.Yesterday, Clay Buchholz, the great white hope of the Red Sox farm system and untouchable in trade deadline talks, can't scratch out a "W" even when handed a 14-run explosion by the offense. Nope, can't find his way out of the fifth inning to qualify. And oh-by-the-way his ERA ballooned to 6.05 after his putrid four innings.Manny Delcarmen pitched an inning and two-thirds for the win, but it was all about the bats on Sunday. Victor Martinez had five hits, Pedroia, Youk and Lowell had three each, and every starter except Papi had at least one hit. Baldelli and Reddick went yard (and Reddick can within a coulpa feet of a second bomb) and the Sox added three doubles.The Sox get to cool their heels (but hopefully not their bats) with an off-d...