Sox Cannot Sweep Tigers in 8-3 Loss (Game 114, '08)

There are so many things that could have gone differently in this ballgame.  Thome could have held up at third instead of being out by 25 feet at the plate on a Konerko double down the line.  Alexei Ramirez' shot with runners on could have gotten the Sox even were it not caught.  Vazquez could have suddenly pitched for once instead of giving up the big hit, the big inning, the big mistake he seems to always make game after game after game.  Still, none of these things happened and as a result, the Sox lost the game, but at least not the series. 

I'm getting tired of watching the ever-mediocre Javier Vazquez with this great 'stuff' never have the mental capacity to concentrate long enough to bear down and make pitches as Zach Miner did against the Sox tonight.  Javier is simply not that good.  He's a mediocre .500 pitcher.  That is who he was when the Sox signed him, who he is now, and who he always will be.  He's going to eat innings, but he's going to also get hit hard, and the offense better be hitting well or they will lose.  Simple as that.  Javy simply failed to execute once again.  I'm sick of hearing how great of 'stuff' he has.  It doesn't matter.  Maddux has lesser 'stuff' but a better head for it - and that's where Javier flat out sucks.  He simply is not mentally strong enough to pitch his way out of trouble consistently enough to give his team a chance to win - at least not enough times for the money he's paid to do so.  His mediocre efforts will not be enough to get the job done down the stretch against any opponent.  Danks, a mere pup in the Majors is far better than the veteran Vazquez.  There is no excuse for it.  Sure, the Sox blew other opportunities, but it starts with the pitching.  And they have much less of it than they had at the beginning of the season.  That's what worries me...