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10/11: It’s Beckett Time

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Boston Red Sox (3-1) @ Tampa Bay Rays (2-2) Josh Beckett (0-0, 7.20) @ James Shields (1-0, 3.38) 8:07 PM EDT | Tropicana Field (St. Petersburg, FL) TV: TBS RADIO: WRKO 680, ESPN

GAME NOTES: Is it going to be the October Josh Beckett or will he still struggle with his oblique? Kazmir, a Sox-killer, hasn’t had much success against them this year. Will he turn it around? Game Two.

Photo by JustABigGeek/flickr

Dice-K, luck lead Sox to 2-0 win; Boston leads the series 1-0

Welcome to October, Tampa Bay. The Rays and their fans, who created an atmosphere like that of a cicada-infestation with their cowbells echoing throughout Tropicana Field, learned an important lesson in their first ALCS game. Sometimes, it is better to be lucky than good. There was no superior team on the field last night in Florida; one team got a few breaks and lucky bounces, and the Red Sox won 2-0.

James Shields was the hard-luck loser in this one, recovering from a first inning in which he threw 26 pitches to go 7 1/3 innings, giving up only two runs. In the top of the first, Shields was locating his fastball but struggled with his off-speed pitches, many bouncing in the dirt. After walking Dustin Pedroia, the Rays got their first (only?) break of the night. Kevin Youkilis ripped a ball down the right-field line, but as Pedroia rounded third, the ball hit the artificial warning track material and skyrocketed up and into the crowd for a ground-rule double. With runners on 2nd and 3rd with two out, Shields regained his control; he threw two straight breaking balls for strikes and ended with a K of JD Drew to end the inning.

Daisuke Matsuzaka started the game by sandwhiching the first two out of the innings with walks, leaving the bases loaded for Cliff Floyd. Floyd routinely grounded out, ending the threat, and Dice-K (Dice-BB?) escaped the threat he created. Matsuzaka settled in from there, at one point he retired 8 of 9 Rays, with only Carlos Pena reaching base by, of course, a walk. By the time the Red Sox came up to bat in the top of the fifth, TBS was already talking no-hitter.

Mark Kotsay has yet to have his Bobby Kielty moment, and maybe last night was the best we’ll get from the midseason pickup. Kotsay had a ball ricochet off his bat while checking his swing and land in fair ground up the left-field line for a double that followed a Jason Bay walk. With runners at 2nd and 3rd with no outs, Jed Lowrie poetically started the ALCS scoring the way he ended the ALDS, knocking in Jason Bay for a run. Lowrie took three hard cuts, finally connecting on a mistake pitch from Shields and hit it far enough for a sacrifice fly.

When Dice-K hit cruise control in the early innings of this game, I wrote in the game thread that getting seven shutout innings would exceed my wildest expectations for the game. When the bottom of the seventh started with two singles, leaving runners at the corners with no outs, a funny thing happened. All of a sudden it felt like 2003 again, not that year specifically, but that feeling all Sox fans had of impending doom. When you couldn’t enjoy a lead or a win because you were too terrified of what was going to go wrong.

Knowing that Matsuzaka only allowed a .164 batting average against with runners in scoring position, I felt good after he retired the first two batters. However, as the #9 hitter Jason Barlett came up to bat, memories from seasons past, like a bad nightmare, raced through my head. Bucky Dent, Aaron Boone, and now Jason Bartlett? Would he be the unlikely hero to swing the momentum for the Rays? Fortunately for the blood pressure of the Red Sox nation, not this time. A grounder to Lowrie and the inning was over, seven shutout innings for the Red Sox.

In the top of the eighth, the Sox added another run after Kevin Youkilis fought off an 0-2 count to rip a liner to left off JP Howell. The ball hit off the glove of Carl Crawford and rolled past him, allowing Dustin Pedroia to score and give the Sox a 2-0 lead. At this time, I was wondering who would pitch the 8th for the local nine; Masterson, Delcarmen, or Okie. When I saw the emotionless Dice-K trotting out to the mound, the nightmares came back: 2003, Grady Little, Who’s your daddy.

Sure enough, two batters later the Rays have two men on with no outs. Naturally, Francona brings in the bullpen’s worst pitcher with runners on base, Hideki Okajima. He goes 3-0 on Carlos Pena, the Rays most feared hitter, before getting him to fly out to JD Drew. Justin Monsterson relieved Okie at that point, and seduced Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria into a double play. Only in 2008.

Just like that it was Papelbon and a 1-0 series lead, with Josh Beckett on the hill today and Jon Lester waiting to open it up at Fenway Park. Dustin Pedroia’s single in the eighth made him 2-20 in the post-season and he looks better than David Ortiz. I personally feel the 2007 Sox would murder this year’s team. However, they keep finding ways to win, some luck they are manufacturing themselves, some luck is the surplus that was building for 86 years.

It was a thrilling October baseball game for even the common fan to watch, and we have at least three more to go. It is hard to ask for much more in game two, but I have two requests. The first is to keep the status quo, in hoping that the catwalks do not become a factor. The second, is please do not ever let Craig Sager dress himself ever again, or at least don’t put him on television while wearing a light purple suit - I don’t ask for much.

10/10: Tampa in October

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Boston Red Sox (2-1) @ Tampa Bay Rays (2-1) Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-0, 5.40) @ James Shields (1-0, 4.26) 8:37 PM EDT | Tropicana Field (St. Petersburg, FL) TV: TBS RADIO: WRKO 680, ESPN

GAME NOTES: Daniel Rathman: The bad news is that the Sox went 1-8 in their nine games at Tropicana Field during the regular season, and they came out on the losing end both times James Shields was on the hill for the Rays. The good news is that none of that matters a whit heading into tonight’s Game 1. Joe Maddon’s was the superior team of the two from April to September, but this is October, the Sox’s time to shine. Tonight’s Game 1 could set the tone for the entire series, just as it did against the Angels in the ALDS. Keep the clutch hits and Web Gems coming, and I’ll be confident enough to say: BRING ON THE RAYS.

It's on - Samara Pearlstein

Top five Rays/Red Sox moments of 2008

As Rays and Red Sox fans alike sit with bated breath awaiting tonight’s first pitch by James Shields at the Trop, I thought it apropos to look back at the 2008 season series between the two teams and pull together the five most important moments of 2008 (in chronological order).

1. April 25th, @Tropicana Field: Rays 5, Red Sox 4 (11 innings)

The first place Boston Red Sox came into Tampa Bay with a 15-10 record to face an upstart Rays team that found itself one game over .500 at 12-11 and only two back of the Red Sox. The first game of the season series sure set the tone for things to come as the two teams battled into the eleventh inning when Nathan Haynes singled off Mike Timlin to bring around Carl Crawford with the winning run. Something should have told us in that singular moment that this Rays team was different.

The Rays would sweep the Red Sox that series (5-4, 2-1, 3-0) to secure not only their first series sweep of the Red Sox, but first place in the American League East. The second game of the series may have signaled the beginning of the end for Clay Buchholz in 2008 as he pitched a gem through 7 2/3 innings before giving up the lead on a two out, two run home run to Akinora Iwamura. Game one Rays starter James Shields spun a beauty in the finale to cinch it for the Rays.

2. May 4th, @Fenway Park: Red Sox 7, Rays 3

The Red Sox quickly returned the favor a week later in Fenway Park with a sweep of their own capped off by a preview of Jon Lester to come. Lester shut the Rays down allowing one run over six innings while the Red Sox jumped all over Scott Kazmir in his first start coming off the disabled list to start the season.

Lester owned the left hand heavy Tampa Bay Rays lineup all season finishing 3-0 with a 0.90 ERA over 20 innings pitched against them in 2008.

3. June 4th, @Fenway Park: Red Sox 5, Rays 1

The Red Sox reclaimed first place in the AL East behind Josh Beckett being Josh Beckett. But the story of the night surrounded Coco Crisp. Angered when Jason Bartlett blocked second base with his knee on a steal attempt in the sixth that caused him to jam his finger, Crisp took some revenge with a hard slide into Akinori Iwamura in the eighth prompting some conversation from both dugouts.

Crisp on Bartlett’s blocking the bag: “I told him … I’d get back on base and then I’m going to show him how I felt about it”

Maddon on Crisp’s slide into Iwamura: “There’s no place for that when you intentionally try to hurt somebody”

While Iwamura called the matter closed, that wouldn’t be the end of that.

4. June 5th, @Fenway Park: Red Sox 7, Rays 1

Manny Ramirez (who?) hit a three run home run off of James Shields in the first giving Jon Lester all the runs he would need. But the story of this game was the culmination of the overflow of emotions from the night before. In Coco Crisp’s first at bat leading off the second inning, Shields sent a message that the Rays weren’t going to lie down and take it from anyone this season as he drilled Crisp who then charged the mound. Fireworks ensued as, the Enforcer, Johnny Gomes lead the charge on Crisp and both benches emptied.

For the Red Sox, the fight with the Rays wasn’t even the biggest fight of the evening. When Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis got into it in the Red Sox dugout, the signs that Manny may not be long for Boston started pointing towards the door.

5. September 9th, @Fenway Park: Rays 5, Red Sox 4

The Red Sox had turned a 5 1/2 game lead into 1/2 and were poised to dethrone the Rays at the top of the A.L. East heap with a 4-3 lead after an eighth inning Jason Bay two run shot looked to have sealed the deal with Jonathan Papelbon coming in to close the door in the ninth. But a one out pinch hit solo shot from Dan Johnson, called up from the minors that day, blew the save and Dioneer Navarro doubled home the go ahead run off the All-Star closer to keep the Rays in first place to stay.

The season series between these two teams has been filled with close, meaningful games. Both teams have proven that they can get overcome the others strengths and while home field definitely matters, close games in the playoffs can swing on the simplest of plays. There aren’t likely two more evenly matched teams to battle for the A.L. pennant this season. Should be a blast everyone. Enjoy!!!

MVN

Fireside Chats #25: Where we preview the ALCS with Tommy Rancel of OPS

Boston Red Sox podcast for MVN Radio Episode 25 where we preview the ALCS vs. the Tampa Bay Rays with Tommy Rancel of MVN’s Outs Per Swing.

Episode #25
Hosts: Paul Testa, Tim Daloisio
Guests: Tommy Rancel, MVN’s Rays coverage Outs Per Swing

The Soxtober Express rolls along the tracks and into Tampa Bay for the ALCS. The Fireside Chats crew picks up Tommy Rancel along the way to preview the upcoming series with a ticket to the World Series up for grabs.

All that and more on Episode #25 of Fireside Chats at MVN!

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