Stymied in Seattle

I think we all saw this one coming. With the Sox struggling on the road and facing a tough lefty in Erik Bedard, not a lot was expected.

But two hits and another shutout - the fourth this season and second in five days - is pathetic. The Sox are now 1-5 on this trip and 1-9 in their last 10 road games.

The anemic offense overshadowed an outstanding start by Mr. Inconsistent Tim Wakefield. He was in command all night, going the distance and making just one mistake. Unfortunately, that mistake was hit out of the park by the Mariners' No. 9 hitter Yuniesky Betancourt for the only run of the game.

BOX SCORE: Mariners 1, Red Sox 0

The Sox had a few chances, as they worked 6 walks, but they never came close to scoring. Coco Crisp grounded out to second for the final out of the game with runners on first and second.

For some reason, Francona pinch hit J.D. Drew for Kevin Cash to lead off the 8th and then had to insert Varitek to catch, leaving neither Tek nor Drew available to pinch hit for Coco in the 9th.

The Red Sox now find themselves 1 1/2 games behind the Rays who keep winning. They'll get a much needed day off Thursday before ending the trip with four games in Baltimore. I know there's no such thing as a must-win game in baseball in May, but with Beckett pitching Friday night they could really use a win.