Back from the brink: Sox knock off Rays with 2-run 9th

Sox 2, Tampa Bay 1
WP: Gagne (3-0)
LP: Reyes (1-2)
HR: BOS-Lowell (16)

SUMMARY
The Sox took what looked like an embarrassing loss and turned it into a feel-good win when they scored two runs in the 9th off Rays closer Al Reyes to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat.

#1 STUNNER Mike Lowell 1-4, R, BI, HR
Boston's most dependable hitter/RBI man unloaded on a Reyes 2-0 offering with one out in the 9th and launched it onto Lansdowne St., tying the game and giving the Sox the chance to pull out the win.

PAN's FAUN Reyes 2/3IP, 3H, 2ER, 1B, 2B, HR
I realize the guy hasn't had a save opportunity since the end of June, but not only did he allow the game-tying homer to Lowell, he then gave up a double to Tek and the game-winning single to Coco.

RECAP
So this what the season has come to, celebrating one-run walk off wins against the lowly Devil Rays?

Evidently, as the Faithful and millions of Sox fans Nationwide, myself and my 10-year-old son included, treated Coco's game-winning hit like they had just won Game 7 of the World Series.

But this is what we're reduced to when the once-hefty division lead has dissipated quicker than Star Jones' waistline.

For 8+ innings this game had the look of one of Boston's most bitter defeats of the season, and coming off that horrid road trip in which it lost two of the last three contests in Baltimore's final at bat, that's really saying something.

That's because young lefties Jon Lester and Scott Kazmir engaged in a classic pitchers duel, with both men pitching around their few mistakes, save for one Lester made in the fourth inning.

Lester (7IP, 2H, 1R, 1BB, 4K), who was making his first start at Fenway since returning from cancer last month, received the heartfelt ovation a man who has fought his way back to the big leagues back after being diagnosed with the Big C deserves, then went out and dominated the first three frames.

After allowing a leadoff walk to start the game, the 23-year-old set down the next nine men in a row, including four by strikeout, and seemed well on his way to recording his second victory in four starts since his return, IF his offense could give him any support.

Unfortunately the way Kaz was pitching, that task would prove near impossible.

Every Sox fan knows Kazmir loves to pitch against Boston, enjoying more success against them in his career than any other team, notching a 5-3 record with a 2.55 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 77.2 innings of work, including two 10K games last season.

Tonight he added to his mastery of the Bososx.

Kazmir (6IP, 4H, 3BB, 8K) pitched his way out of a first inning jam, striking out Lowell after allowing a one out double to Dustin Pedroia and walking Manny Ramirez with two down, and though he got a lot stingier from there, Boston, as usual, let a number of scoring opportunities get away.

In the second Youk worked a one out walk, but Kazmir struck out the side. In the third he issued a free pass to David Ortiz with two outs, and when Manny followed that gift with a single to center, it looked like Boston would have a nice scoring bid.

Which it would had, if not for another unwanted episode of Manny Being Manny.

The throw from the outfield came in to home plate to keep Papi at third, but inexplicably Ramirez tried to take an extra base and broke for second; he was out by as wide a margin as on his attempted steal of third base last night.

Riding the high of that mental miscue, Kazmir retired 9 of the next 11 batters, four by strikeout, and thanks to one mistake by Lester he enjoyed a slim 1-0 lead when he departed after six.

That one mistake was a pitch Lester hung to Carl Crawford to start the fourth, which C.C. ripped off the Wall for an easy double. After B.J. Upton singled him over to third, ex-Sox Carlos Pena belted a sac fly to deep center and the Rays had what turned out to be the only run of the game for a while.

Thankfully Rays manager clueless Joe Maddon, who babies his pitchers like he's running a Devil Rays day care, pulled Kazmir after the sixth and left the one run lead in the hands of his incompetent bullpen.

Who knows, maybe Maddon's angling to get canned?

Gary Glover, who was ineffective last night, came in and immediately walked Cap'n Tek to lead off the 8th, but he was bailed out when Coco Crisp 's sac bunt attempt got Tek nailed at second and then pinch hitter J.D. Drew grounded into a double play to squash the mini-threat.

Then when Tito went to his suddenly sputtering pen to begin the 8th, things nearly got out of hand in hurry.

Manny Delcarmen, who seems to have lost his mojo since his 3-run, 2HR meltdown at the Trop two weeks ago, came in and promptly allowed a leadoff single to Jonny Gomes, then walked Josh Wilson unintentionally, and following a sacrifice and a pop out, issued an intentional pass to Crawford to load the bases.

Out went Manny D. and in came Mike Timlin, and four pitches later the rubber-armed veteran got Upton to strike out to preserve the slim lead with two more chances left for Boston to overcome it.

Dan Wheeler's 1-2-3 bottom of the 8th would cut that number to one, but not before some (more) fireworks from Boston's newest bullpen addition, Eric Gagne, or as Dan from Bugs & Cranks dubbed him, Goatgne.

The much-maligned setup man was determined to put the memories of his first four appearances in a Boston uniform behind him, and I think every member of RSN would agree that the chubby Canadian did just that.

Gagne fanned Pena looking at a nasty curve, got Delmon Young swinging at a filthy fastball, then after allowing a double to Brendan Harris that nearly left the yard, struck out Gomes looking at a perfect slider at the knees for a heart-stopping, fist-pumping "welcome to the Red Sox" moment.

All that was left was a miraculous comeback to top the exciting night off, and for the first time since the Mother's Day Miracle, we were treated to just that.

Reyes, who hadn't had a save opportunity since June 24th, began the final frame by freezing Manny (1-3) on a gorgeous fastball at the knees, and at that point things were looking pretty grim.

But as I said to my son, Boston had two of its most clutch hitters coming up, and making me look like the baseball genius that I am, both the money men delivered.

Lowell watched as Reyes' first two pitches missed the mark, then crushed his next offering high into the Boston night and over the Green Monster for a stadium-shaking, game-tying, season-saving(?) home run, and before the din had even died down, Captain Tek laced a ground rule double into the right field corner and Coco stood at the dish with the game in his hands.

Battling through six pitches, Coco finally got the one he wanted and ripped a single to left, and despite the bad combination of a slow-footed catcher and the rocket arm of young Delmon Young, DeMarlo Hale sent Tek and thankfully Young's throw was off the mark, and the Sox swamped the field like it was 2004 all over again.

Who knows, if they can keep pulling off wins like this, maybe it will be.

NOTES:

-Comeback Kids they ain't: Boston is now just 2-41 this season when trailing after 8 innings

-Trade bait: Whiffy Mo Painful got a courtesy start in right tonight following word in the Globe that his trade to a National League team may be imminent

-Hit show: The Sox had seven hits, 2 by Pedroia, but were held to four hits through the fist 8 innings; the four Boston hurlers held the Rays batters to just 4 hits

-Heating up: Pedroia had his 8th multi-hit game in his last 12 contests, raising his average from .318 to .328

-Youkidding me?: Youkilis struck out three times for the first time this season

-Lineup shuffle: with Drew sitting out Youk took the 6th slot with Lowell moving up to the 5-hole

-Power outage: Lowell's dinger was the first homer by Boston in five games, dating back to Pedroia's 7th inning blast last Wednesday in Anaheim; it was also just the third baseman's 2nd homer of the second half, the other coming July 22nd vs. the White Sox

-Love fest: Lester received loud & lengthy ovations when he walked from the bullpen before the game, when he took the mound in the first, and when he exited the game after the seventh

-Fenway mausoleum: funny how Tropicana Field was filled with louder Sox fans than Fenway has been for most of this series; I guess that's what happens when you only score 5 runs against a piss-poor club

QUOTES:

"Walking in from the bullpen was pretty exciting. It will be nice just to not have to answer the 'first' questions anymore and just be treated like every other starter."--Lester on his return to Fenway

"He's going to help us. We need him to help us, and if we run away from him, that would be a big mistake."--Tito on Gagne. (Hey, Father Francona has been right about this before-remember the clamoring for Cora over Pedroia?)