Mookie Betts, this is not how you're supposed to throw a baseball

Things are not going well for the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS against the Houston Astros.

First they watched Chris Sale get shelled in Game 1. Now they are just causing damage to themselves. Well, at least Mookie Betts is.

In the bottom of the sixth inning of Houston’s 8-2 Game 2 victory, Betts caught a routine fly ball off the bat of Alex Bregman, but with runners on the corners, Betts needed to get the ball into the infield as fast as he could. He did the opposite.

You could spend hours wondering how this happens in any game, let alone a playoff game. It’s probably best not to do that. The ball slipped, Betts made a bad play and the Astros capitalized on it. Marwin Gonzalez scored from third before Betts could even determine where the ball was.

The play was symbolic of the whole series so far, if we’re being honest. Despite all the talent Boston has on the field, the Astros forced them to make flawless plays, trusting each other to take advantage when the Red Sox couldn’t. Betts was just the latest and most vivid example.

Mookie Wilson was responsible for hitting the ball that rolled between Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner’s legs in the 1986 World Series. So it begs to ask: Is there a new curse on the Red Sox? The Mookie Curse?

Boston ended up allowing four runs in the sixth inning starting with Betts’ error. The game certainly didn’t end on that play, but for all intents and purposes, it was over after that frame.

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

– – – – – –

Blake Schuster is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at blakeschuster@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Schustee