Could the Sox just play the Orioles this season? Right now the Sox are 1 game below .500 against everybody except the O’s.

So…who wants to start preparing the eulogy for Timlin’s career? The guy is finished. 5 ER in 0.2 IP. All in the bottom of the 9th. I know they won, but when you start the inning with a five run lead, and need to bring Javier Lopez in to face a batter with the tying run at 3rd and two outs…unacceptable.

The good news is that Craig Hansen is looking much more like the “closer of the future” than “Mike Timlin at the end of his career.” Since his return from AAA he’s gone 3.2 IP, 1 R, unearned. What’s really interesting is that his stats line up very closely to Tek’s DL-stint. Check this out:

• Hansen’s ERA with Tek: 5.31
• Hansen’s ERA without Tek: 10.61

Yeah, yeah, I know, sample size. But I still think it’s worth noting.