What’s with the balks?

Why is every Red Sox pitcher balking like it’s going out of style? I can’t remember the last time I saw two balks called in a month. The Sox have already had two balks in a game…twice. What exactly is going on?

I’d be tempted to blame the pitching coach. But, really that’s a pretty basic thing for the pitchers to know. It would be like blaming the hitting coach if a player thinks he gets four strikes. So, what is it? Is it just a weird thing? Is it jitters? Is it confusion? Is it alien intervention?

Last night, of course, one of those balks sent a run home. In a 2-1 game, that run made a difference. I have no idea what would have happened without the balk. Maybe he would have scored anyway. But, it’s a pretty depressing way for an important run to score. Again, it’s not like it’s the first time it’s happened this year.

So the Sox drop to 3-2 against everyone’s darling. It’s certainly a game they could have won. Buchholz pitched fairly well. Again, the bullpen let in some inherited runners that make it look worse than it was. I know that he’s the guy who put the runners on. But, he’s still not the guy who let them score. It’s still a very strong run through the rotation for the Sox.

Hopefully they just start a new winning streak tonight!