Well...that sucked.

Trying to stop a modest 1-game losing streak, Josh Beckett was turned into hamburger by the suddenly red-hot Blue Jay bats. The Jays shelled Josh for eight runs in less than three innings, and Beckett got the loss in a 15-4, 22-Toronto-hit massacre. "They were just really, really bad pitches. Well, good pitches to hit," said Beckett, and it's hard to argue.

The Sox did scratch out a little offense - an RBI Lowrie triple (he was 3-for-3) and solo homers by Youkilis and Pedroia, but they never scratched any closer than 12-3, and that's no way to run a railroad. Compounding the fun, J.D. Drew left the game in the third with a stiff back, possibly from running all over watching Blue Jay doubles bounce around the outfield. And Jonathan Papelbon is having migraine issues, which is no fun.

The Rays won, so the Sox slip to four and a half back (as sportswriters, we're obligated to note they're five back in the all-important loss column). The Rays are headed home to play Anaheim, but there's a hurricane headed for Florida, which might be the best thing to happen to the Red Sox, not that we'd wish Tropicana Field and the two AL leaders to be blown to sea. The Sox, for their part, send Jon Lester to the mound at Camden Yards to start a three-game series in Baltimore. Is it time to panic?

Meanwhile, Bostonist got a worried phone call from a reader asking if it's time to panic about Tom Brady. Remember, he was seen in a "walking cast" on his foot before the Superbowl, which they (sigh) lost, and he hasn't played yet in the preseason. And the Patriots looked feeble in a 27-10 loss to the Buccaneers. We're sure, though, that Coach Belichick will soon fill us in on all the details and make our hearts soar with some good news. James Orthwein, who owned the Patriots for a couple of crummy years before the Krafts, and tried to move them to St. Louis, died yesterday at 84.

Interesting note in Peter King's column (scroll down to #7): Coach Bill said he'd "cancel night meetings and waive curfew if nose tackle Vince Wilfork caught a punt while holding a football in either arm", which he did. Maybe we'll see the big guy in a special teams package this year. Against the Jets.

Photo by Winslow Townson/Associated Press.