You won't find too many games this season that will leave the majority of the Red Sox as frustrated as they found themselves while leaving the Fenway Park premises in the waning minutes of Thursday.
Sure, Florida starter Ricky Nolasco was good, allowing just one hit over five innings.
And finishing off their night with just the one hit -- a first-inning, solo home run by Kevin Youkilis -- wasn't easily digested.
But when the Sox' series finale with the Marlins came to an end when crew chief Jerry Crawford informed both teams that the game would be ending after five innings -- and a 2-hour, 26-minute rain delay -- giving the Marlins a 2-1 victory, that's when the uneasiness set in.
"We were told it was going to rain all day. There was nothing we were told or saw on the radar that suggested we were going to be playing in any type of good conditions," said Sox' third baseman Mike Lowell. "I don't know. I don't know if the gates worked that one. I don't."
The go-ahead to start the game was in the hands of the Red Sox' organization, although once the lineup cards are handed over at home plate the umpires take over in the decision-making process.
In an email, MLB's Vice President of Umpiring Mike Port clarified the situation: "If a game has not begun, the home club controls the decision whether to postpone the game because of unsiutable weather conditions or the conditions of the playing field. Once a game begins, weather and field condition decisions are in the hands of the umpires.
Starting with games after the All-Star break, during the final series of the season between two clubs in the home park of either club---even if a game has not yet started---the umpires are the sole authority to determine whether or not a game shall be started because of poor weather or the unfit conditions of the playing field."
Clearly, the anger from the Red Sox' side of things was a result of it getting to the point where those cards were exchanged.
"I think a lot of guys are (expletive) pissed right now. Absolutely. Without a doubt," Lowell said. "We were talking make-up dates. Monday, Thursday. We're going to play 21 (days) in a row. That's why I don't know if the gate's worth it. I don't know. There's a lot of guys, I'm one them."
When the game started just after 7 p.m., the weather was cooperating, with the rain having stopped for the time being. But the uncertainty of what was to transpire in the coming hours had left many of the Red Sox in a state of flux.
One of those who may have been thrown off by the green light to play was Sox' starter Jon Lester, whose warm-up routine appeared to be somewhat thrown off.
Two innings in and the Sox found themselves in a 2-1 hole after Lester surrendered solo homers to Dan Uggla and Ronny Paulino.
"I think it was a difficult night. Things were rushed," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona of his hurler. "(Lester) was even a few minutes late getting ready just because it was difficult for him getting ready. I didn't think he commanded very well. Saying that, he left two pitches, one he tried to go in, one he tried to go away, they hit them out of the ballpark and other than that he found a way to still give us a chance to win. I think that says a lot. I think it was a tough night. It was a difficult night. Their guy (Nolasco) was fantastic, he did the same thing. You could tell (Lester) wasn't commanding like he has been."
As for the procedure leading up to game-time, there seemed to be some confusion. Representing the Red Sox' players in the matter were the team's player representative, Lester, and assistant player rep, Dustin Pedroia.
"I heard a lot of different things," Lowell said. "I heard because its' the last day of series, the visiting team has a say on the day. Just from my experience, though, with the Marlins when we had that hurricane, there's open communication between both teams, the players' union and all of that. You can make exceptions for anything.
"What we saw on the radar was 100 percent chance of rain, basically from 7:30 on. I don't know. But to hurry a game to get it an hour, 20-minute window when the conditions weren't that great to start. That's tough. I don't know why it wouldn't be that bad to make it up at
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