For the first time since the 2003 season, last night I knew the Boston Red Sox were going to lose. It had been a particularly sloppy game, between Manny's horrific baserunning and Wade Miller's ill-advised throw to second with no one covering the bag. Thanks to a wild pitch and a ManRam two-run shot, the Sox took the lead late in the game. Ordinarily, this would be the sort of game in which the Sox come back and hold on to win, much to the frustration of the opposition and the jubilation of their fans. We've all gotten used to these types of games, and we love the confidence the comes with them.

But that was before Keith Foulke fell apart.

Sitting in the sweltering Texas heat at the field formerly known as The Ballpark in Arlington, my legs sticking to the seat and beads of sweat collecting on the back of my neck, I turned to my boyfriend as Keith Foulke stood on the mound in the middle of a four minute pre-ninth meeting with Jason Varitek and said, "This is it. He's toast."

Spare me your comments on "keeping the faith" and "jumping off the bandwagon." I've watched this guy give away enough close games this season to understand that he is not the same guy, in mind or body, who stood on the mound in October. It was evident again last night, especially in the 0-2 pitch to Soriano, which immediately sucked all of the air from the chests of the Red Sox fans in the ballpark. He has zero confidence, his mechanics are fucked, his pitches are too predictable to opposing players, and his velocity has gone down.

What will it take for this to be the last straw? Are Theo and Francona waiting for Schilling's return before they do anything drastic? Are they hoping that sending Arroyo to the pen will somehow solve all of their problems? Are they hoping that Foulke can get one or two solid performances under his belt, boost his confidence, and by August, perfect his mechanics? Or are they hoping the All Star break will heal whatever is ailing Foulke?

Some want to point out that Foulke was not the only thing wrong with that dreadful ninth inning. Yes, maybe Jay Payton should have been in as a defensive replacement for Trot Nixon, who made a mess of the one-out Michael Young triple. Yes, it was a bad decision to pitch to Mark Teixeira, the team's best hitter, with a guy on third and no one on first. Yes, it was odd that Francona had Mike Myers warming in the pen with no apparent intention of putting him in the game. And yes, their aforementioned fielding and baserunning blunders earlier in the game didn't exactly contribute positively to the final score, but there's no question that Keith Foulke is the biggest problem on the Boston Red Sox.

All season long, I've told myself that I would be patient with this team. Remember what you learned from last year, I kept telling myself. As Billy Beane has taught us, April, May, June, July are the months for figuring out what you need and going after it.

But after last night, I have officially had it. It's a terrible feeling to know that your team, who has fought back so hard, has no chance going into the bottom of the ninth. If I know it, and you know it, don't the players know it, too? Will there eventually come a time when they don't have enough fight left in them as a result of all of the wasted comebacks they've endured as of late?

Tonight I return to the scene of the crime to watch Tim Wakefield take on Chris Young. In a perfect scenario, the knuckleball will dance in the hot, humid Texas heat and Wake will go 9 innings for the win. Most likely, though, the Sox will call upon their bullpen once again in the late innings, and Sox fans will hold their collective breath as the bullpen door opens. Who are we hoping to see? From Jeremi Gonzalez to Alan Embree, the bullpen doesn't currently instill a ton of confidence. But as for who I'm hoping to see, it's quite simple: anyone but Foulke.

(4:30pm update - according to WEEI in Boston, Foulke has been sent back to the city to have his knee "checked out." Hallelujah. Next up: a trip to the DL.)