Red Sox Resurrected

In what was the most improbable finish to a baseball game in my 40+ years of experience, the Red Sox somehow willed themselves past the Rays last night. Just unbelieveable !!! This game mimicked the pattern of the stock market earlier in the day, as the Dow was down over 300 points and somehow recovered to post a 400 point gain. But it was even more hopeless than that.

For 6 full innings, Scott Kazmir made Joe Madden look like a genius, allowing only two meager singles and nothing close to a run. While he was doing his thing, the relentless Rays were piling on once more and breezing along, making the RS look very old. Homers and speed had paralyzed the RS once more, and all looked lost for sure.

Finally, the mitey mite Pedroia dumped a hit to right to score a run, and then the Big Bear awoke as Big Papi launched a 3 run dinger to at least make the score respectable at 7-4. This blast ignited the crowd and before you knew it, Drew had homered to make it a pulsating 7-6. Coco then had the at bat of his life, and outlasted Wheeler in a most memorable 10 pitch battle, before lining the tying single to right. Fenway was roaring.

Masterson wiggled out of a two on, one out jam in the ninth by inducing a doubleplay ball from Pena. In the bottom of the inning with two out, Drew struck again, slamming a high Howell changeup over the head of Gross in RF to win it, as pandemonium broke loose in the old Fens. The Sox had come all the way back from being embarrassed again through six to score eight runs and stun the young Rays. Just an incredible finish !! It happened all right, but I don't know if I or anyone else can adequately describe the magnitude of this improbable eruption. In fact, I think it's the greatest win in the golden Sox era, greater than any single Yankee game and better than any game against Cleveland last year.

Unlike all the previous games, I thought Francona did a very good job here. Like Maddon earlier in the series, Tito broke his bullpen pattern and pitched them upside down this time, with Papelbon in earlier than ever. Nice job !! He still now has Beckett and Lester lined up for Tampa, if they have anything left in their tanks. Also, as we have been imploring him to do here, they FINALLY started to move Upton off the plate with hard stuff in, almost hitting him a couple of times. Even then, it looked like the horse was already out of the barn, as he really hurt them several times again. I'm sure there will be more of the same Saturday night from Beckett. They could not react at the time, but Beckett will make someone remember the ball thrown right at Youk's head.

Joe Maddon had a tough night with his decisions. The worst, walking Bay to get to Drew, who burned them.

The pressure now is sqarely back on the Rays, and I think they will play like it. The RS have inserted doubt now when there was absolutely none before. Tampa better bring Darrin McGavin and his Night Stalker kit to kill these RS. The stake was out last night and ready to be driven home, but the monster escaped again.

I'm not sure how the RS can win in Tampa, with the Rays CLEARLY the superior team if you have been paying attention. Never say never though !!

Rays Embarrass Red Sox Lead 3-1

The supremely confident Rays paralyzed Tim Wakefield and the Red Sox tonight pounding their way to an incredibly easy 13-4 drubbing. The Wake start was just as abysmal as expected given his age and inactivity. The Rays took him deep often then ran the bases at will leaving a dazed and subdued Wake, as he got the necessary early hook from Tito. To add to his misery, Wake wrenched his neck on the botched slow roller by Crawford. Never did he look older than when he remained sprawled on the grass after that play. It looked like the old saw, "I have fallen and can't get up".

Following the barrage of home run blasts, the wheels totally fell off for Boston in the agonizing sixth, where they simply could not get an out for the longest time. The array of dribblers, chinkers, bloopers, and well placed grounders assured even the most ardent RS fan that this was a complete mismatch and there was no hope for this game. The main culprit this time was Manny Delcarmen, and he deserved a far better fate.

The inept RS offense was silenced on only 1 hit through the first seven innings by the immortal Andy Sonnanstine and his assortment of breaking pitches. A miracle HR by Kevin Cash was the only blemish. These hurlers are not the Orioles fearsome staff of McNally, Palmer, Flanagan, Cuellar, Dobson, etc. of yore, but heretofore obscure #2 type starters silencing the RS once-vaunted OBP offense.

Give Francona some credit here for FINALLY making some adjustments to the batting order, but Wake's ineptitude rendered them useless. Except for some much better swings late when the verdict was long since decided, what a feeble attack. Believe it or not, Big Papi finally hit a ball hard. Where has that been ?? Tito made a very nice move by inserting Timlin again after his debacle in Game #2, but he is just not capable any more and got cuffed around again. There was also a Sean Casey AB. The question begs, what are Wake, Timlin, and Casey doing on the roster when the manager clearly has no faith at all in them ?? The answer, as always with Tito, loyalty. Granted this threesome is not the main problem, but they just are not capable major league players any more.

On the brink now, maybe just maybe, the RS hurlers will pitch INSIDE to the carefree Rays and re-take this critical part of the plate back. If some pitches wander a little and some get hit, at least they will know the RS pitchers are out there. Given the last three games where they have given up 9 runs or better, it is time to be counted. Don Drysdale would cringe if he were alive watching these batters lean over the plate with no fear of retribution. After thinking about it though, he would be a lot more concerned with his Dodgers also down 3-1 to the Phillies in the Jayvee series.

I have had about enough of B.J. Upton in CF too. He is as gifted, graceful, and talented as anyone, but quit the "Stylin" and play baseball. Straighten out your hat or your head, whichever is cocked to the side. No wonder why Joe Maddon has sat him numerous times this year for behavioral problems.

We have seen this dire situation before and somehow recovered, but I do not expect a complete turnaround this time with the potential last 2 games in Tampa and Beckett obviously hurting. I would not count on getting back to Lester for redemption, but crazier things have happened around here the last few years. There are just so MANY things wrong now and the RS have shown zero resistance. Miracles don't usually happen so often or they would not be called miracles. Red Sox nation is in mortal danger and the Fat Lady is warming up in the bullpen.

Rays Shock Sox - Lead Series 2-1

Tampa scored early and often versus the heralded Jon Lester and outclassed the RS in a critical Game 3 at Fenway earlier today. The man with the fast-growing big reputation was outpiched by Matt Garza, whose stuff is every bit as good as Lester's. The RS played as if there were no doubt they would win by the sheer fact that Lester was on the mound. Au contraire, my dear readers, the game is played on the field, as the Beantowners painfully learned today. They and the fans were clearly far too confident.

Right from the outset, the Rays dictated the pace/style of the game, no doubt emboldened by two moonshot homeruns from B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria. They then put pressure and forced the issue on the RS once they got ahead in every way possible, from bunts to stolen bases to hit and runs, etc. This was precisely the formula the Angels would have liked to use, but they could not get ahead and could not hit the ball out of the park.

Garza was immense. He featured an upper 90's fastball and a big breaking pitch which overmatched most of the RS hitters. His innings were kept short because he got the first batter out in the first six innings. Lester, on the other hand, put the lead runner on in three consecutive innings, hastening his downfall. On the two killer homeruns, Lester let both Upton & Longoria extend their arms on waist high pitches, which they both drilled over the Monster.

Boston had minimal opportunities to score. In the important second, in which Garza escaped from a second and third with one out problem, the Boston bottom of the order was limp. In fact, the 7-9 guys continue to have no chance in this series. they are virtually helpless to do even the slightest damage. Add to that Ellsbury (who should not be in there and replaced by Coco) at the one spot, and there are 4 consecutive sure outs each time through the order. How much longer will the stubborn Francona live with Ellsbury ?? He is now 0 for 20, and still he was allowed to bat in the seventh against the lefty Howell when it was still a relatively close game. There is loyalty, and then there is stupidity !! Anyway, Howell did a nice job containing the damage.

Never have I seen the RS hitters so confused. In contrast to the Rays hitters, they are not aggressive enough. The number of checked swings bears this out. Both Ortiz and Youkilis checked their swings 3-4 times per plate appearance it seemed !! The Rays continue to throw soft stuff away and pound Ortiz in tight with fastballs. He continues to miss even the mistakes they have left over the plate, fouling them off each time. He looks totally flustered. Kotsay, in contrast, took several nice swings today, even though some were atom balls. He and Petey were in the great minority though.

Somebody in the organization needs to speak with Ellsbury. Last year when he was the darling of the post season, he was slapping the ball the other way and up the middle, bunting, and generally being a pest. Since he has hit a few homers, he now pulls off the balls and pops up or whiffs. He needs to hit the ball on the ground and utilize his speed, because without it, he would not hit .220.

The result of the bad pitching and worse hitting is that we now have a series, after each team has won in the other's park. Boston is at a distinct disadvantage because the Rays have wrested back the home field advantage while wading through the two pitchers thought to be Boston's strength. On top of that, Wakefield is the next RS starter. He may do well, but I defy anyone in Boston to state that they are confident in him except the ever-loyal Tito. Besides, he has not pitched in a LONG time. Ask Timlin what that experience was like.

If nothing else, I hope the Sox learned from this drubbing, or it was a complete waste. In addition to Upton and Longoria mentioned above, both Pena and especially Iwamura must be pitched to the inside. They are all most succeessful when allowed to extend their arms over the plate. Not so Baldelli, as he proved with that missile of the Sports Authority sign. Somehow, the RS must get ahead, or else there will be no slowing down the running game against Wakefield. If the speedy Rays get on via base hit or walk, they might save everybody time and walk right over the mound and past Wake to second base. He needs to minimize baserunners, and that is not his strength.

Beating Lester the way they did really hurt the psyche of the Boston nine. The Rays were playing to their style very well in a loose and carefree manner. As we have seen countless times though, momentum can shift very quickly. When presented an opportunity to apply pressure by scoring early, the RS must seize it, unlike today in the second inning. Just the opposite of today, the expectations are that the Rays will render Wake useless. Hopefully, the RS somehow can get back to even at 2-2, or they may rue not fatally hurting the chances of the Rays by winning that 11 inning marathon in Tampa.

Let's see what Francona comes up with. Does he stand pat or make some necessary changes ?? At the moment, he is beings clearly out-managed by a WIDE margin. Otherwise, he will have to rely upon a complete reversal by his very good (slumping) players to make him look like a great manager again. Stay tuned !!!

Rays Get Even

What began as a WILD, exciting, almost carefree game of home run derby, morphed into the super contentious one run, extra inning game that these two teams are fast becoming famous for playing. Extremely tight, pressure packed, edge-of-the-seat baseball for six full innings deep into extra frames requires six hours of your leisure time and a full refrigerator. It was really two games, one free-wheeling one through the fifth and another extremely tightly played one until the finish. Finally, when both clubs were well past using pitchers they were comfortable with, the Rays eeked out the win on a very shallow pop and tag from third by the speedy Fernando Perez.

At the beginning, runs were scoring at a furious pace by both sides with balls flying out of the park at a record-tying rate. Each time one side would forge ahead, they would be outdone in the other half of the inning. This was best illustrated by the interminable fifth, that lasted almost one full hour to complete, or just longer than a Tim McCarver story. From the RS perspective, the balls that didn't carry out were perhaps more important than the ones that did. Ortiz took a giant cut and just missed one in that fifth, and Mark Kotsay nearly hit a 3-run homer to right that would have changed the final outcome. Close, but no cigar. Meanwhile, the Rays were teeing off on Josh Beckett as if he were a Texas Ranger pitcher.

Why on earth Francona elected to send Beckett out for the fifth is beyond me, and after Pena tied it again at 6-6, the ever loyal Tito STILL stayed with last year's ace, until the Rays eventually moved the tally to an ungodly eight runs and almost salted the game away. The crap explanation of trying to get through the fifth to set up his bullpen doesn't wash. By contrast, Joe Maddon, faced with the very same situation created by his ace, immediately brought in his best reliever (Balfour) in the fourth to try to stem the furious tide. When this blew up in his face with the RS whacking moonshots off him, Maddon brought in his second best reliever (Howell) and finally calmed things down. He did what he had to do as the situation DICTATED, not relying on some canned formula decided before the game. This was Francona at his very worst, a kind of Grady Little stubbornness leaving the former Big Guy in way too long.

Both bullpens really strutted their amazing talent and depth. For the Rays, Wheeler was immense in that 3 plus inning stint, with the only blemish that crazy wild pitch to tie things up. He literally saved the Rays season. For the RS, Delcarmen, Okajima, Masterson and Papelbon were their best playoff selves. After Wheeler and Pap, things got really dicey for both managers, as the game had gone on too long and they were out of pitchers that they had full confidence in. Maddon opted for the super rookie Price, and Tito for the age-withered Timlin. Price was clearly nervous and still has not thrown his breaking pitch for a strike. Despite this, Boston could not touch his heater. Timlin commenced by immediately walking his first two hitters, the kiss of death in this situation. To be fair, he then made some really tough pitches, including inducing the little pop to Upton which ended the game. Timlin obviously was rusty, not pitching in a month. What must Paul Byrd be thinking, as he should have been out there.

I thought the home plate umpire calling the balls and strikes was excellent almost all night. Like the players though, I think he tired near the end and clearly made a bad mistake on the Kotsay very wide strike three call and the Timlin missed strike which got pitching coach John Farrell tossed. Overall, he was very good.

Without Terry's Grady-like gaffe leaving Beckett in far too long, the RS would likely be heading home with Jon Lester pitching ahead 2 nothing. Maddon's quick response now has his team still in it. Lester will have to be dazzling again, especially with Wakefield lined up in back of him. For the RS, this is a MUST win.

Going forward, loyal Terry must replace Ellsbury who is simply awful at bat now. He had enough gumption to do it last year in reverse, so Coco should play and Ellsbury should sit. Still absolutely nothing from Big Papi, but he is being pitched very carefully, as evidenced by his three walks. The Balfour blow up was a huge surprise, and he too must turn things around quickly for his team to continue.

After two games, the series is 1-1 as expected, although not quite in the manner this writer expected. Boston still has the home edge now, but must perform there. I don't know how these next games can be any more competitive than the first two were. There is not much to choose either way so far.

Sox Draw First Blood - Rays Shut Out

Another night, another sparkling baseball game, another win for the Red Sox against an opponent who thinks they are better. Ho hum !!! This teeth-gnashing thriller was the very best yet. A pulsating affair to the end. These games are not for the faint of heart.

After shaky first innings, Dice-K and "Big Game" James Shields (more on that later) really engaged in a mano-a-mano pitching duel. They both threw every pitch in their bountiful arsenals and made some really good hitters look very bad. Dice-K was splendid in that seventh inning mess with first and third with nobody out. Wiggling out of it was pure artistry. As good as these two were under pressure, I thought both managers buckled at key times.

First, let's examine Joe Maddon and the Rays. On two different occasions he gave the green light on 3 and 0, and both times the batters failed miserably. Longoria earlier was one thing, but that swing by Pena, likely ball 4, really let Oki and the Red Sox off the hook in a huge spot. If he took as he should have, the Rays would have had the bases loaded and nobody out down only 2-0 in the eighth. This is a PRIME example of what I had forecasted in the Series Preview where the Youth and Enthusiasm hurt the Rays dearly. Under pressure, one must force the other team to make the mistake, by taking only what they give you. Another example, later in the same inning, Longoria swung at a really low 2-0 offering to get to 2 and 1, giving Masterson the chance to throw that sweeping slider that Longoria rolled over into that killer double play. Inexperience with poor managing decisions !!!!

The biggest mistake by Maddon was inexplicably leaving the lefty J.P. Howell in to face Youk, the RS best hitter all year with runners in scoring position. This with the fire-balling righty Grant Balfour ready in the pen. Youk naturally responded by smashing the ball to the feet and past Crawford in left allowing the second run to score. Balfour then arrived on the scene after the horse was out of the barn, and blew everyone away after nearly taking Drew's head off on the first pitch. Very poor decision again, worse than the one above.

Tito, not to be outdone, had his own decision-making brain cramps. In a game tighterthanthis, he chose not to bunt the runners on first and second over in the seventh in a 1-0 game. Come on Terry, this had to be done. I don't care if the batters after Kotsay are shaky. You gave away a chance to score a run on an out or a misplay in a taut battle. AWFUL.

Even more shaky, after a 20 minute bottom of the seventh, he allowed Dice-K to go back out for the 8th, a decision he almost lived to regret. Dice-K was already at 108 pitches, and worse, he worked like hell in the bottom of the 7th to escape thay grave-looking mess. All year long, Tito made the right decision, but he froze here. PRESSURE !!!! And don't give me that crap about fearing B. J. Upton taking Oki yard, that's hogwash !! As it was, Oki barely got Pena WITH his help. JUST TERRIBLE TERRY !!!

How do the yahoos get off calling Shields Big Game James ? What big game did he win before? Seems to me the Rays have made the playoffs for the first time. Where did he get that moniker, in Little League or High School ? PLEEEAASSSSEE. Besides, he lost !!!!!!!! Mr. October won the World Series for his efforts, hence the deserving nickname. Shields has won nothing of note yet.

As chronicled in the Preview, the Rays are getting in deep now after losing to Dice-K. They are lurching right into the very strength of the RS, Beckett and Lester. One more loss at home tonight to Beckett and they will be cooked.

Hoping for the old Beckett performance tonight, but it will be hard to out-do Dice-K. Can't wait.

Red Sox/Rays Preview

Right from the proverbial frying pan and into the fire. The RS were very LUCKY to win that clinching game, and the prospects of Dice-K pitching a deciding Game #5 at Anaheim were extremely worrisome. Not to worry, better lucky than good, and both is a tough combination to beat. Let's try to examine the strengths/weaknesses of both the RS and the Rays and try to determine who will win this series.

One must begin with Pitching and then Defense since they are as much as 80-90% of these games sometimes.

The RS triumvirate of Dice-K, Beckett, and Lester is probably baselball's best when they all pitch to their abilities. That effort turned in by Dice-K in Anaheim should give you shivers though. It is far easier to live on the edge in the regular season where every pitch is not so important. The decision to have him begin the series is a good one though. If he loses, it is easier to recover than later in the series. If he wins in Tampa, you have hit the jackpot. The last Beckett start should probably be dismissed as little more than ring rust. His experience and guile should see him through in good stead. You should see much better control of his fastball, even though the velocity is down 4-5 mph, which makes me think he's hurting. Jon (Steve Carlton) Lester is just untouchable right now, and should remain dazzling. Wakefield is a crapshoot. The middle/late relief acts of Oki, Masterson, Lopez, and Delcarmen are all top notch. This writer thinks Delcarmen is better than Masterson and should assume the eighth inning role. The reason, he is a strikeout pitcher. Masterson, especially in Tampa on the turf, will give up some spinning, crazy-looking hits. I vote to keep the ball out of play. Finally, Papelbon was very shaky in the season's last week, but was better than ever when the big lights came on. If he keeps throwing occasional splitters/sliders and his current run should continue, because his heater is ALIVE.

Tampa's starters are all very capable with live arms. Like the Angels, however, they do not really have that number one anchor, and are all really 2's. Kazmir has had that deer-in-the-headlights look lately though. Shields is solid with that changeup but not spectacular. Add in Edwin Jackson for this series, and they are formidable, but not lights out. The RS should get to them a little. They had better, because the middle relief of Howell and Balfour are really tough and will be hard to do much against. Wheeler on the back end (with Percival out) is good, but not super. There will be opportunities to win games late against him. Overall, the Red Sox should have a solid edge on the mound.

The defense of the Angels was very poor at best, and it really hurt them not just on the scoreboard, but also by keeping their pitchers under constant pressure. Unless there is a single major gaffe, that is unlikely to happen here because these two teams can really pick it. Boston's outfield defense is superb, along with the right side of their infield. Varitek is great catching, especially considering all the intangibles he brings to the table. The infield defense of the Rays is superior to that of the RS. Longoria, Iwamura, and Pena are stalwarts. Bartlett at short is a major upgrade of either of the RS choices, especially when his superior range is factored in. Their outfield defense in CF with Upton is exquisite, although on either side the RS are superior. Both outfields are very speedy. Navarro at catcher is good. Overall, I'd have to give a slight edge to the Rays, and that is saying something !!

Power is the next most critical commodity. The RS devasted the Angels with their longballs, but there are really only three guys to be concerned with. Ortiz, Youkilis, and Bay are solid. Ortiz must step up here, with an occasional big fly from some of the others most welcome. Pena of the Rays has really hurt the RS, and a healthier Longoria is a major threat. This category rates a tie on paper, but they play the games on the field. We'll see.

For speed, the RS are very slow, but the guys who can run are very good. Keeping Ellsbury and Coco in check is a must for the DevilDogs. Upton and a healthier Crawford propel the Rays. Slight edge - Boston.

Both managers are generally excellent. That missed opportunity to have Varitek bunt in the 7th the other night was UNACCEPTABLE. This category is dead even though.

There are several intangibles to mention. First, Boston is not made for the Tampa turf, only going 7-17 this year on fake grass. However, the Twins and Rays, the teams that have turf, were hard to beat on any surface this year. Still, a big disadvantage for Boston. The Youth and Enthusiasm of the Rays cannot be overlooked. They feel they are on a mission and have refused to give in, evidenced by winning many games in the very late innings. Boston, on the other hand, has old and grizzled leaders who have been through the baseball wars many times now. They are incorporating the new blood in seemlessly.

Time to stand and be counted. My pick, Boston by a whisker. However, if Dice-K and Beckett revert to form, I think it will be easier. The first two games are key. If the Boston pitchers continue to knock the bats out of the hands of very good hitters like they did in the Angels series, they will prevail. For that club to have no homers from the 2-5 hitters was remarkable. Of course, two of those games were pitched by Lester.

In the JV tilt, I think Philly wins pretty easily. No matter what happens, the AL winner will be the champion.

Red Sox Squeeze by Angels

Just when it was all about to blow up in their faces, the RS got a huge break on a missed suicide squeeze bunt by Eric Aybar (the best bunter on the Angels) and prevailed in the bottom of the ninth on a 52 hop single to right by Jed Lowrie scoring Jason Bay. For the third consecutive post season series the RS have played them, the Angels once again were vanquished by Boston. Unlike their first two tries though, this time was not at all easy.

As chronicled in yesterday's blog, Jon Lester proved to be the genuine article. He was DOMINANT here, even better than his first start where he handcuffed the Halos and got the win. He featured that overpowering heater at 96 for most of the night to go along with his nasty cutter and probably the best curveball he's had all year. What a performance !! The Angels had no chance of beating him tonight.

For the Angels, Lackey again was very good, but ran into trouble in the fifth when the RS inched across two runs. Still he persevered and kept his club right in it. Steve Shields was very effective striking out 3 batters in a row until things unravelled in the ninth. The Angels defense was shoddy most of the night, with Figgins making a bad throw to second, Kendrick bobbling a double play ball to let the first Boston run score, and Aybar letting a grounder by Bay get by him. Curiously, manager Scoscia inserted Reggie Willits into right for the pivotal ninth instead of Gary Matthews (a much better outfielder), who might have caught Bay's dying fly ball.

I thought Francona made some glaring mistakes. In the 7th, with a skinny 2-0 lead, there is NO WAY Varitek should be allowed to swing away. The sacrifice bunt there may have squeaked across another run. If nothing else, the pressure surely would have been greater on the pitcher. Just a terrible decision in a really close game. Once again, I was convinced Tito stayed too long with Masterson while Delcarmen was more than ready in the pen for the ninth. Unfortunately, I was proven right as Delcarmen was summoned only AFTER the Kendry Morales double and sacrifice, with Willetts on third with only one out. What a spot to bring someone in, but by then the RS had to try for the K. When Manny went to 2-0 on Aybar, you had to KNOW that Aybar would try to squeeze, since Delcarmen HAD to throw a strike. Somehow, Aybar jabbed at it and MISSED, then was run down by Varitek. What luck !! Past editions of the RS surely would have watched a successful squeeze and have gone home a loser. Not anymore, as Boston now has Leprachauns helping them out when they need it most !! It is very hard to beat a very good team that has luck on it's side.

Overrall, Boston's pitching was slightly better in the series. They hit well with runners in scoring position and the DEFENSE was superior to the Halos. Still, the series was hanging in the balance until the failed squeeze. LA lived by the sword and eventually died by it.

Now, Boston travels to Tampa for the right to go to the World Series again. The Hub baseball junkies just keep getting their fix !!

Jack