Hey! At least the bats are back!

Seriously... when the Red Sox take an early 5-0 lead and put 13 runs on the board like they did tonight with Josh Beckett on the hill... then I should NOT be thinking about "Dodged Bullets" or "Teeth Grinding."

I should be thinking about "Man, some players get the day off.

When Varitek gets 4 RBI and 5 different Red Sox players get 3 hits apiece... you should be thinking "Man, what a whuppin'!"

Instead it was a nail biter to the end.

But hey! It's better to win ugly than lose with dignity.

(I wouldn't mind ONE stress free game every once in a while!)

Let's update the tally

DODGED A BULLET GAMES - 8

April 4 - 9-7 win against Yankees (On Opening Night, the Red Sox overcome a 5-1 Yankee lead with a game tying HR by Pedroia and a go ahead passed ball.)
April 10 - 8-3 win against Kansas City (Beckett out pitches Zack Greinke and nearly gets decapitated by a line drive.)
April 14 - 6-3 win in Minnesota. (Okajima gets Morneau to pop up with the bases loaded in the 7th and Papelbon wiggled out of a 9th inning jam.)
April 20 - 7-6 win against Texas. (Darnell McDonald introduces himself to Boston with an 8th inning game tying homer and a walk off hit in the 9th.)
April 21 - 8-7 win against Texas. (The Red Sox were down 4-0 early only to win it on Youk's 2 out 11th inning double.)
April 23 - 4-3 win against Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 3-0 lead but win it on Adrian Beltre's bases loaded walk.)

April 24 - 7-6 win against Baltimore. (The Red Sox score 6 in the 7th and hold off a late Baltimore comeback attempt.)
April 26 - 13-12 win at Toronto. (The Sox blow an early 5-0 lead but hang on for dear life in a slugfest.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 6

April 6 - 6-4 loss against the Yankees. (Scutaro's error leads to the winning run.)
April 7 - 3-1 loss against the Yankees. (Sox leave the winning run on in the 9th only to lose on Granderson's 10th inning homer)
April 9 - 4-3 loss in Kansas City. (Bard coughs up the lead, denying Wakefield a win.)
April 17 - 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay. (The Sox can't score with the bases loaded and nobody out in the 11th... lost it in the 12th.)
April 17 - 6-5 loss to Tampa Bay. (The Red Sox comeback falls a run short, leaving two on in the 8th)
April 25 - 7-6 loss to Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 4-1 lead, leave the winning run on second in the 9th, let up 3 in the 10th and could only score 2 in the bottom of the 10th)

2 games up in the Dodged Bullet/Teeth Grinder tally... yet 2 UNDER in the standings.

In other words, this team could be a LOT worse.

Let's just try to win the series, which the Sox can do with a win tomorrow.