5.16.03: Let's talk about extra outs.

Extra outs are the single most difficult thing for me to stomach as a baseball fan. Which is why it has been so hard for me to get on board with this edition of the Boston Red Sox.

Let's look at the extra outs we gave the World Champion Angels in tonight's 6-5 come-from-way-ahead loss.

First inning: With two outs and a runner on first, Garrett Anderson hit a hard ground ball right at Nomar Garciaparra. Nomar - as is so often the case - failed to field the ball cleanly, boxing it into his breadbasket before corralling it on the ground in plenty of time to get the force at second on the slow-moving Tim Salmon. The only problem was second baseman Todd Walker didn't cover the bag. By the time Nomar recognized this, he didn't have time to recover and throw to first for the out. Generously - and erroneously, I believe - the official scorer called this a fielder's choice, figuring you could not charge Nomar with an error for Walker's mental lapse. But had Nomar fielded the ball cleanly he would have had plenty of time to either run to second or throw to first for the out and should therefore have drawn the error, though Walker's gaffe is still inexcusable.

Top 3rd: Nomar ranged to his left on a ball bounced up the middle by Adam Kennedy. If he fields it cleanly, it's an out. But the ball took a tough hop - not the kind that would bother Vizquel or Ordonez or another soft-handed shortstop - and Nomar bobbled it and couldn't recover in time to make a throw. Base hit, no error. But the extra out leads to two earned runs that halve the Red Sox four-run lead.

Top 5th: With a runner on second and no one out, Garrett Anderson hit a routine ground ball to Todd Walker's left. As graceful as a drunk uncle dancing to What I Like About You at your sister's wedding, Walker - who seems incapable of making a routine play look routine - whiffed on the grounder for his fifth error and approximately 25th misplay of the young season. This extra out led to two more runs and a tie game. Does anyone care that Todd Walker doesn't know how to field a ground ball? He bends at the waist and jabs at the ball, often with his feet still sliding around. His backside is way too high and his hands way too hard. He's got to sit down on these balls and provide a nice, soft, loving environment for that ball. He also struggles around the bag on the back end with a slow transfer and an average arm. If you don't believe me, ask Tom Kelly. He may make only 15-20 errors - and lead the league at his position - but he will give the opposition over 100 extra outs.

Top 8th: Alan Embree gets the lead man Eric Owens to hit a soft chopper to the right side, a ball that even the worst right side in Major League Baseball should be able to get an out on. Kevin Millar, taking his turn in the butcher rotation with David Ortiz at first base, backed up and ranged to his right, securing the ball in plenty of time to record an out. But, like Walker in the first, Embree fell asleep and was late covering the bag. Embree made a gesture that suggested he thought Millar should have stayed home and let Walker handle the high chopper. As inexperienced and unsure a first baseman as Millar is, this one is all Embree's fault. You bust your butt off that mound on anything to the right side until you're sure that the first baseman has stayed at the bag. Owens was credited with a base hit and came around to score the winning run. But not before...

Top 8th (cont'd): Runners on first and third, nobody out. Adam Kennedy hits a soft liner toward Nomar. If he can snare it on the fly, he'll hold the go-ahead run at third. If he plays it on a hop, he'll have an easy 6-4-3 double play. Or... he can stone-hand his third ball of the night, kick it around and be left with only a force at second on the runner who had to freeze on the play. Again, no error, but definitely an extra out. In the ninth, Nomar would finally make a misplay so egregious - uncorking one of his trademark throws into the stands - that the official scorer actually charged him with an error, his ninth.

All told, Red Sox pitchers had to get about five more outs tonight than they would have had to with a sound defensive team behind them. Add in the fact that we ran into three outs on the bases and Angel pitchers only had to "earn" 24 outs. (Trot with yet another blunder on the bases, bailing Ramon Ortiz out in the first. Oh, by the way, Jeremy Giambi led off the second with a home run.)

This game was played in cold weather against a quality opponent. This was a glimpse into October. You cannot expect to beat good teams when their pitchers don't have to get as many outs as your fragile staff does.

This is not necessarily about errors. It's about David Ortiz throwing high on a high-probability 3-6-3 DP ball and forcing Nomar to make a balletic pirouette to record even one out. It's about Kevin Millar not being able to find the bag with his back foot after completing the hard part of the 3-6-3 DP. It's about forgetting to cover a base (why is this not an error). It's about having to dive for a ball that another second baseman fields on his feet. It's all the little things that lead to extra outs.

And, make no mistake, extra outs kill your pitchers and kill your team.