Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 8: So about that bullpen

Photo by Kathryn Riley /Getty ImagesFor the first six innings of this game, the Red Sox were in complete control. The offense jumped out to a 6-0 lead after the third inning thanks mostly to a five-run second. Brian Johnson would eventually allow just a run over five strong innings of work, giving his team exactly what they were looking for from the lefty in this game. Then, the bullpen came in. It was a disaster for the relief corps in this game. Mike Shawaryn gave up a pair of homers for three runs in the seventh before Matt Barnes came on for a disastrous eighth. He’d eventually allow the tying run to score before leaving with the bases loaded, when Ryan Brasier promptly walked in two to give Toronto the lead. The bullpen has been solid for most of the year, to be fair, and the offense deserves a cut of the blame for not doing much of anything after that third inning. Still, this is mostly on the bullpen. You can’t blow these kinds of leads against this kind of Blue Jays team. You just can’t.

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