ALCS Game Result: Beckett leads Sox back to Boston

Sox 7, Cleveland 1
Indians lead series, 3-2
WP: Beckett (3-0)
LP: Sabathia (1-2)
HRs: BOS-Youk (2)

SUMMARY
Another chapter was added to the brilliant season of Josh Beckett as the Cy Young front runner pitched his third consecutive gem in this postseason, handcuffing the hot Tribe batters on five hits and one run with 11 strikeouts in eight innings of work.

Boston clung to a 2-1 lead through six innings as numerous scoring chances fell by the wayside, but after plating five runs over the seventh and eighth innings to break the game open, the Sox ensured there will be at least one more game played in Fenway Park this season.

#1 STUNNER Beckett 8IP, 5H, 1ER, 0BB, 11K
What more can said about this stud that hasn't been said during the course of this season? The man has absolutely carried this team on his back for an entire year, and his performance tonight in an elimination game is just the kind of effort that can spark a team to a come-from-behind series win.

Guess that ex-girlfriend-singing-the-anthem ploy didn't quite work out, eh Cleveland?

GAGME Travis Hafner 0-4, 2K
The man they call "Pronk" has been a major wonk for the Tribe this series. The chrome-domed slugger struck out two more times tonight, bringing his series total to a whopping 8 Ks in five games, and if he's not producing, chances of the Tribe winning are greatly reduced.

RECAP
When the stakes are high, the chips are down and the season is on the line, there may be no better pitcher in the game right now than Josh Beckett.

Strike that, there IS no better big game pitcher in the league right now than the Mr. October of the new millennium.

Beckett ran his postseason record to 5-2 with his fourth straight playoff victory, and it seems like every win is better than the last. Tonight he put his struggling team on his back and basically said if you can get me enough runs I'm gonna get this series back to Beantown.

Turns out a pair was good enough for this ace.

Unfortunately the game ended after midnight, and after a long week at work and a couple of late nights watching the games, I don't have the strength to do a complete post on this one.

I'll have to try and finish it at work tomorrow, where I will be revelling in the fact that the Indians fan in the office is going to be as nervous as Chipper Jones on Father's Day and the Stankee lover is going to have to hold off on the insults and taunts until at least Monday morning.

Hopefully I'll be back to taunting her by then.

Thanks, Josh

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ALCS Notes: Manny Being Manny infuriates Nation--again

"Why should we panic? We've got a great team. It doesn't happen, so who cares? There's always next year. It's not like it's the end of the world."--Manny Ramirez on the possibility of the Sox losing the ALCS

By now everyone has heard the latest shot heard 'round the world from the immortal ManRam, his open interpretation of what would happen should Josh Beckett and the anemic offense prove to be unable to carry the slumping Sox to the World Series, and the response in the Nation has been fast & furious

My reaction to Manny's candor: he's right.

Maybe it has to do with the fact that they've already "reversed the curse" by winning it all in '04, rendering any future postseason failures less earth-shattering, at least for the foreseeable future, or maybe it has to do with the fact that anyone who's religiously followed the club all year could easily have foreseen this collapse coming.

But whatever the underlying reason I find that his comment was nothing more than a candid observation as to what would happen should the Sox get ousted from the playoffs this evening.

Will we like it?

Obviously not.

Will be pissed off for a few days, go around snapping at our spouses and coworkers while wearing an "I hate the world" expression on our faces?

Most definitely.

But after the initial shock and aw! wears off, life will go on, and soon enough there will be that all-too familiar cry of "wait till next year" ringing throughout the Nation. And with the nucleus of the team coming back and plenty of money to spend on new additions, Manny is right in believing that if they don't get the job done this season, they will have a decent shot at try, trying again next year.

So for all those who have vilified Manny for speaking his mind, I say be careful what you wish for.

Because for a man who doesn't speak too the public very much and is often accused of having an empty head, his thoughts on this subject were right on the money.

For the record, though, let's hope "it" doesn't happen tonight.

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ALCS GM4: Sox are one step closer to elimination

Cleveland 7, Sox 3
WP: Byrd (2-0)
LP: Wakefield (0-1)
HRs: BOS-Youk (1), Papi (3), Manny (3)

RECAP
It's too late in the season and too late in the evening for my usual post, so I am going to forsake my formula for a sour recap of how the magical season of the 2007 Sox is about to abruptly end with another bitter postseason failure.

Tim Wakefield returned to action after sitting out 16 days due to a nagging shoulder/back injury, and the 40-something knuckleballer pitched his ass off for four plus innings, shutting the Indians out while making stud sluggers like Travis Hafner look like Preston Wilson.

Unfortunately fellow fastball-challenged geezer Paul Byrd was dealing just as well, baffling the Boston hitters with an assortment of actual strikes and balls perceived to be strikes by the home plate umpire, picking up where fellow afterthought starter Jake Westbrook left off last night.

And then came the fifth.

The inning was one of the sort that makes a fandom and yes even a team sit back and think "hmmm, maybe this isn't our year after all."

The Indians were at bat for 35 minutes in the fifth, and most of that time was devoted to actual hitting. When the Indians weren't slugging and blooping the ball all over the Jake, weird, freaky shit was happening to the Sox in the field.

Here's a brief summary of the bad karma carnage that took place in the fateful fifth:

-Youk bobbled and dropped a foul pop up that would have been the critical 2nd out of the inning.

-Wake deflected a potential double-play ground ball into a run-scoring, head-scratching hit.

-Former Red Sox prospect catcher Kelly Shoppach was hit by a pitch that wasn't strong enough to break a pane of glass.

-Casey Blake led off the frame with a monster homer, then aadded a bloop RBI single thant plated the final run of the inning

-Chubby Jhonny Peralta slammed his second 3-run homer in three games off beleagured reliever Manny Delcarmen, who gagged again in crunch time when the team needed him most.

By the time the dust settled the Tribe had sent 11 men to the plate, compiled seven runs on seven hits, a walk, a hit by pitch, and effectively put this series on life support for the staggered Sox.

Just as millions of disgusted Nation members were about to turn the gaame off and nearly as quickly as we reminded ourselves of Game 4, 2004, Boston's bats came alive in the top of the sixth with an unprecedented barrage of longballs that brought back pleasant memories of pounding the Stanks back in April.

Youk, Papi and Manny hit back-to-back-back home runs to become the first set of teammates to ever accomplish the feat in League Championship series play, and the sudden surge of runs gave hope that the slumbering Sox attack had received a much-needed jump start.

But it was merely a case of too little, too late.

After surrendering the historic homers Cleveland bounced back and set the Boston batters down meekly over the last four frames, and as the ninth inning approached I was overcome with the feeling that for this the first time all year we have have to face the fact that this talented, erratic, and gutsy group of guys just might not make it back to the game's biggest stage.

Not to go all Suzyn Waldman on you.

So its up to Josh Beckett (who else?) to salvage the season (of course) on Thursday night and in the meantime I think all of us will be pulling out the DVD of the 2004 ALCS and hoping for a reapeat performance.

Any chance of acquiring Dave Roberts for that game?

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ALCS Gm 3: Quiet bats and a mediocre Matsuzaka put Sox in 2-1 hole

Cleveland 4, Sox 2
WP: Westbrook (1-1)
LP: Matsuzaka (0-1)
SV: Borowski (2)
HRs: BOS-Tek (1); CLE-Lofton (1)

SUMMARY
The Sox slipped and fell squarely behind the eight ball tonight as Daisuke Matsuzaka failed to escape the fifth inning again in his second straight postseason start, and if not for a late homer by Jason Varitek, Boston would have had the dubious distinction of being shutout by Jake Westbrook in a crucial playoff game.

Jake Freakin Westbrook.

#1 STUNNER Jake Freakin' Westbrook 6.2IP, 7H, 2ER, 3BB, 2K, HR
Don't let the linescore fool ya, this guy was more money than Cleveland's top two Cy Young contending starters, Sabathia and Carmona, put together tonight. Although he doesn't weigh nearly as much.

Honorable mention to the amazing Kenny Lofton, who continues to defy the laws of physicality, and to the terrific Tribe bully, which notched 2 1/3 innings of no-hit, scoreless relief.

GAGME Boston offense 7H, 2ER, 3BB, 3GIDP
After scoring 16 runs on 21 hits in the first 14 innings of this series, the Sox sizzling bats have suddenly gone stone cold; Boston has scored just 2 runs on 10 hits while hitting into four double plays in its last 15 innings, dating back to the 5th inning of Game 2 Saturday night.

RECAP
Their backs are against the wall, their season is on the brink, and a half a year's worth of blood, sweat and tears could go up in a puff of smoke before anyone even realizes what the hell happened.

And it will all be traced back to Eric Gagne entering the game in the 11th inning on Saturday night, an omen that could turn out to have been more ominous than a black cat crossing your path while walking under a ladder holding a broken mirror.

On Friday the 13th.

For the second straight start high-priced disappointment Daisuke Matsuzaka lasted only 4 2/3 innings before being forcibly removed by Terry Francona; much like his performance in Game 2 of the ALDS, his outing wasn't horrible enough to classify it as a disaster, but was lousy enough to make people wonder what all the fuss was ever about regarding the promising Japanese prospect.

Unlike the last outing the Sox batters were not able to bail him out of a loss with some late game dramatics.

But the brunt of the blame for this collapse has to go to the Sox offense, which has been stymied by a slew of unknown relievers for the last two games and tonight by a perennially-injured starter with a career record of 62-62 and a lifetime ERA of 4.35.

In other words Boston got jaked by Jake at the Jake.

Sorry, but poor humor is seeping out of me like Bombay sapphire after the office Christmas party in the wake of these last two losses, as the Sox now face the semi-daunting task of taking 2 of 3 games here in C-Town just to get the series back to Boston.

Weren't we just dancing naked on Comm Ave and preparing for another trip to the World Series, revelling in the fact that the hated Stanks were falling apart at the seams while our team was playing its best baseball since early June?

Where have all the good times gone?

Like many of Matsuzaka's starts this season, his hot & cold performance ran the gamut from impressive to downright depressing.

The expressionless rookie tossed 1-2-3 frames in the first and fourth innings, striking out three batters including Travis Hafner looking to end the first; allowed two baserunners in each of the second and third innings, including Lofton's pop-fly home run that gave the Tribe a 2-0 lead; and got run from the game when he surrendered two runs on three hits, a walk, a wild pitch and a fielder's choice in the bottom of the fifth.

To his credit had he received any kind of run support he may have hung in there and willed his way to a win despite the fact that had thrown 101 pitches up to that point, but the Boston bats sang that all-too-familiar song of missed opportunities that has shadowed this team all season just waiting to strike when the team can least afford it.

In the first two innings alone the Sox squandered a pair of potential run-scoring chances that would later come back to haunt them: Big Papi (1-3, BB) grounded into a double play on a nice effort by Asdrubal Cabrera and Ryan Garko following a one-out single by Youk in the first, and then they came up empty in a bases loaded, no out situation in the second.

Manny (1-3, BB) led off the inning by drawing a walk off Westbrook, then a single to center by Mike Lowell was followed by an error on first baseman Ryan Garko that let J.D. Drew reach base, and suddenly the Sox had Cleveland on the ropes and looked to be on the verge of busting the game wide open.

Ah, not quite.

Varitek hit a meek pop up to shallow left for out number one, and four pitches later Coco Crisp tapped a weak grounder to short that went for a routine 6-4-3 double play, and in the blink of an eye a possible multiple-run inning turned into another groan-inducing disaster by the erratic Sox offense.

Lofton, the 40-year-old wunderkind who may be the biggest in-season acquisition in baseball this year, made the missed opp sting even more when he lofted (sorry again) a fly ball over Drew's head in right and off the top of the outfield wall with one on and one out in the bottom of the second, and another blunder by Boston would ensure that this was not the night for the townies.

Ortiz led off the fourth with a ringing double high off the left field wall that would have been out of most parks, except the Jake and Fenway, and with Manny and Lowell coming to bat it looked as if Boston would at least slice the Tribe lead in half.

Wrong again.

As Manny laced a shot into the hole at short, Papi inexplicably broke for third base and was pegged on the inner thigh by the batted ball, resulting in a soul-crushing out and ending any hopes of mounting a big inning with the heart of the lineup ready to hit.

To make a long and shitty story short Cleveland wound up scoring two more runs in the fifth to make the score 4-0 (although it felt like 12-0), and even Tek's two-run bomb in the 7th that finally got the Sox on the board seemed more like a token breaking of the seal rather than a full-fledged rally platform.

That's because the Cleveland bullpen has been about as untouchable as a pair of Hayden Panettiere's panties, and while the Sox pen men (Timlin, Okajima and Delcarmen) did do their job tonight, the lack of offensive support conspired to doom the struggling Sox.

And so the Nation's eyes will turn to Tim Wakefield to bail the team out of this mess in Game 4 tomorrow night, and if the offense continues to sputter again, the wise old veteran might have to throw a complete game shutout in order to ensure there will be a Game 6 in Boston on Saturday.

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ALCS GM2: Nixon burns Boston as bully implodes in 11th

Cleveland 13, Sox 6
WP: Mastny (1-0)
LP: Gagne (0-1)
HRs: BOS-Manny (3), Lowell (1)

RECAP
A see-saw affair that ended at 1:30 in the morning resulted in one of the most painful postseason losses in Red Sox history.

Original Dirt Dog Trot Nixon slapped a run-scoring single off alleged lefty specialist Javier Lopez with one out in the 11th inning, and Cleveland went on to score six more times to cap a long, cold, bizarre night at Fenway and tied the ALCS at two games apiece.

#1 STUNNER Jhonny Peralta 3-5, 3R, 4RBI, 2B, HR
The stubby shortstop was a thorn in Boston's side all night; he clubbed a three-run homer to erase a Sox lead in the fourth, scored the tying run after a leadoff walk in the sixth, and got the Tribe into double-digits when he greeted Jon Lester with an RBI double in the 11th.

Too bad he can't friggin spell.

Honorable mention for Trotter for coming through in the clutch against his former mates after sitting out most of the first two games, and to the Indians offense, which rapped 17 hits off the previously stellar Sox staff.

GAGME Eric Gagne 1/3IP, 1H, 2ER, 1BB, 1K
The man who will be forever saddled with the distinction of representing one of the worst mid-season acquisitions in Red Sox history lived up to his new reputation as a weak-armed, washed-up douchebag when he allowed a pair of baserunners and a pair of runs to start the 11th inning, cementing his status as a colossal has-been who can't get anyone out at any time ever.

Dishonorable mention to Javier Lopez for allowing Gagne's inherited problems to score, and also to Francona for having the utter stupidity to bring this piece of garbage into a tie, extra inning postseason ballgame.

RECAP
Wow.

Or maybe I should say "ow".

Because that would be the appropriate reaction to a loss that hurt pretty damn badly in an "it's only a game, not life or death" sorta way.

The Red Sox rollicking postseason party came to a screeching halt last night at Fenway as they fell to the Tribe in the frigid early morning hours after a game in which Curt Schilling couldn't make it through the fifth inning and the vaunted Boston bullpen could not get the big out when it needed to.

There will be plenty of blame to go around today, and I'm sure Francona is getting lambasted just as much as Gagne, Lopez and Delcarmen, but the truth is this loss was a team effort--nobody really played well enough to make sure the team left town with a 2-0 lead under its belt.

As I sit here after attending the Bucs game with my son today, I find that I can't even summon the strength nor the desire to post about this game. There were some fantastic highlights for the home team, like Manny and Lowell going back-to-back to give Boston a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the fifth, and, well, Manny walking with the bases loaded for the third time in the series and Lowell following that with a 2-RBI single that gave Boston an early 3-1 lead...

...but for each of those pleasant memories there are at least a half a dozen horrible ones, like a shaky Schilling (4.2IP, 9H, 5ER, 0BB, 3K, 2HR) surrendering a 3-run bomb to deep left center to Jhonny Peralta to cough up that 3-1 lead in the fourth, or Manny Delcarmen allowing an RBI groundout to tie the game at six in the sixth, a blunder that set the stage for this long game's journey into late night.

Not to mention Gagne's arrival into the picture, a move that elicited stunned silence from the Faithful and after his sudden-but expected departure, caused Stephen King to begin furiously penning a new tome entitled The Day a Has-Been Closer Might Have Blown the Pennant."

As you can see there is just too much to cover and so little time, and since I'm not making a dime for any of this, I'm just gonna let you guys read what everyone else is saying about this one and take a breather for a while.

Hopefully Francona will do the same for Gagne.

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