Sanity Restored: Sox crush Rays

Sox 12, Tampa Bay 4
WP: Beckett (3-2)
LP: Shields (3-2)
SV: None
HRs: BOS-None: TB-Gross (1), Iwamura (2)

SUMMARY:
Josh Beckett didn't have a terrific outing, but he didn't need to, either. The Sox pounded Tampa Bay starter James Shields and the Rays, striking for 15 hits and a dozen runs in the highest scoring game for Boston since a 12-6 victory against Detroit on April 10th.

SUPERSTAR(s): Boston batters 12R, 15H, 7-2Bs, 7BB
The slumping sluggers finally came out of their weeks-long slumber to crush the ball the way we all know they're capable of doing. It helps that they had their preferred starting lineup intact for the first time since the Oakland series in early April.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Shields 3.2IP, 10H, 7ER, 3BB, 3K
Six days after delivering the masterpiece of his young career, a 2-hit complete game shutout of the Sox, Boston exacted revenge on the Tampa Bay starter like Uma Thurman in the Kill Bill saga - swiftly and with plenty of blood, but no remorse.

RECAP:
Tonight's game confirmed that yes, the planets are still properly aligned and the Earth is still rotating on its axis as things returned to normal in the baseball world - the Sox pummelled the Tampa Bay Rays.

No more of this "the Rays are in first place" or "Tampa Bay held Boston to five runs in three games" bullshit to deal with anymore. Boston has woken up and smelled the indignity of being called the Rays bitch last weekend, and it has responded in a major way.

And by major I mean 19 runs and 28 hits in two games major. Major as in they had more hits off Rays starter James Shields through the first three batters of the game tonight (3) then they had off him in 9 innings last Sunday (2).

Major as in the real Red Sox are back together and showing the rest of the league that last week's losing streak and scoring drought were just aberrations and not the norm for this team full of sluggers and OBP kings. And if the Rays think they are gonna put together a decent little club and knock the champs right off their throne, they got another thing coming.

Okay, I think I vented enough of the rage pent up from last weekend. Now I just hope they can beat Sox killer Scott Kazmir in his season debut tomorrow.

But there's plenty of time to worry about that tomorrow. Right now I want to bask in the glow of this major league ass-kicking.

As I mentioned Boston wasted no time making sure there would be no repeat performance by Shields, who was named the AL Player of the Week on the strength of his outing against the Sox.
The first four batters of the game rapped hits off the young righty, including an RBI double by David Ortiz and a 2-RBI single by Manny Ramirez, and before the crowd had even settled in to their frosty seats the score was 3-0 Boston.

Beckett (8IP, 7H, 4ER, 1BB, 4K, 2HR), who pitched brilliantly himself in that game Sunday but was done in by a couple of mistakes, didn't do himself any favors tonight when he allowed a 2-run homer by the light-hitting Gabe Gross in the 2nd to slice the Sox lead to 3-2, but luckily for him the Boston bats weren't nearly as cold as the frigid Boston 'spring' weather.

In fact the Sox scored in 6 of the 8 innings they batted in tonight, led by the AL's hits leader, Dustin Pedroia (3-5, 2R, BI) and the resurgent Ortiz (3-5, 2R, 2BI), who hit a pair of opposite field doubles and raised his average over .200 for the first time all season.

But the pesky Rays had cut the lead to 5-3 in the 4th when another base running blunder paved the way for the Sox to blow the game open.

Former Sox Eric Hinske (double) and Carlos Pena (single) began the inning with hits off their former teammate Beckett, and after rookie Evan Longoria singled to drive in Hinske, the Rays had cut the lead to two and looked like they could make a game of it after all.

But after Beckett walked Gross to load the bases, Nathan Haynes, playing in place of injured BJ Upton, lined a shot to left field that Manny caught, then fired to the plate to nail Pena trying to score from third.

It was the third Rays runner gunned down at home in two games, and it definitely deflated the team in its attempt to keep the game close.

Especially when Boston scored in the bottom of the inning on Shields' first two pitches - back-to-back doubles by Pedroia and Papi - to push the score back to 6-3, and when the Sox tacked on another run off reliever JP Howell on a bases loaded HBP to Jason Varitek, the game was, for all intents and purposes, over right there.

Just for shits and giggles Boston decided to keep scoring, though (once you break the seal...), plating a pair in the 6th off Howell on a single by Youk and a groundout (what else) by JD Drew, and then they added another 3-spot in the 8th off Scott Dohman, who was supposed to be one of Tampa Bay's top relievers.

Beckett did allow another homer, to Aki Iwamura leading off the 8th, proving that after a stint on the DL and a scratched start caused by the flu and a stiff neck, he still is not in Cy Young form, but if his offense is clicking like this every time he pitches, he doesn't have to worry about surrendering 2 runs or less every time he goes out.

There was a time not too long ago that the Boston starters did feel they had to be perfect in order to give the team a chance to win.

But since then the baseball world has righted itself, and now the strong inhabit the top of the East, and before long the meek will go back to dwelling near the cellar, where they belong.

RECORD: 19-13
AL EAST: Up 2 gms
STREAK: W2
LAST 10: 4-6
UP NEXT: Sun vs TB 135 Kazmir vs. Lester

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Boston beats Tampa Bay despite missed extra point

Sox 16, Tampa Bay 10
WP: Corey (1-0)
LP: Switzer (0-1)
HRs: BOS-Ellsbury (3), Papi (29), Pedroia (7), Drew (8); TB-Pena (39), Harris (11)

"What kind of name is Dioner, anyway? Get the fuck out of my way!"

SUMMARY
Boston established another franchise first tonight when it became the first Sox team in history to win a game by six or more runs when it had trailed in the game by at least seven runs.

I know, it's a crazy fucking stat. Let's just call it a monster come-from-behind win and leave it at that.

#1 STUNNER Boston offense 16 runs, 20 hits, 4 walks
One night after getting stymied for no runs on five hits the Sox offense exploded on the hapless Rays pitching staff. Every member of the Boston lineup had at least one hit, and only Mike Lowell, who had four base knocks on the night, failed to record an RBI.

PAN's FAUN Tim Wakefield 3IP, 10H, 7ER, 0BB, 4K
For the second consecutive start Wakefield pitched like shit, and whether it's the back injury or another dead spell for his dancing knuckler, 19 hits and 13 earned runs in 6 2/3 innings ain't gonna cut it.

RECAP
And to think I nearly threw in the towel on this one.

Right after Carlos Pena hammered another "remember me" post-it note into the seats in center field for a three-run bomb that made the score 8-1 Devil Rays in the top of the fourth, I said "that's it" and turned the station to a car appraisal show on Discovery HD.

But then a funny thing happened. The show ended and I had already seen the episode of "Rides" that came on next, so I hit the last channel button just to see if the Sox had made a dent in the gigantic deficit.

I was somewhat shocked to see Julio Lugo barrelling over Rays catcher Dioner Navarro as the ball bounced away from home plate and the umpire signalling Lugo safe at home with Boston's fifth run, so much so that I ran to the back office where I had the game on the conventional TV and backed up the DVR to see what the hell I had missed.

Turns out Boston put together a nice rally after looking like leftover hamburger meat for most of the first few innings, but little did I or anyone else know that little four-run uprising would mark the beginning of an historic comeback.

A comeback seemed out of the question when Tampa Bay, winners of 13 of its last 17 contests, tuned up troubled Sox starter Tim Wakefield like Kid Rock on Tommy Lee, scoring four runs in the second inning on five hits including a Monster home run by Brendan Harris and RBI hits from Navarro (4-4, 3R, 2BI) and Aki Iwamura.

Birthday boy Jacoby Ellsbury got the Sox off the schneid of not scoring on the Rays in 17 innings when he launched a rocket into the Sox pen with one out in the third off Rays starter Andy Sonnanstine (3.1IP, 8H, 5ER, 1BB, 3K) to cut the deficit to 4-1, but that glimmer of hope seemed all for naught when Tampa Bay scored four more runs in the fourth, highlighted by Pena's mammoth blast to straightaway center off Kyle Snyder, his 39 longball of the season.

Did I mention the Sox had this guy last season and let him walk? Anyone see any Big Papi/Minnesota comparisons here? No? Okay.

Anyway, it was right about here that I clicked over to DHD and learned about the value of a restored 1965 Oldsmobile JetStar while the Boston lineup, despite a large number of Fenway no-shows due to the wet weather and woeful opponent, kept plugging away at Sonnanstine until they could get to the soft underbelly of the Rays pen.

Luckily for me the show ended, a repeat came on, and I got the chance to see the Sox make history for like the 45th time this season.

Cool.

The comeback started when Mike Lowell (4-5, 3R) and J.D. Drew led off the fourth with consecutive singles, and after Youk popped out, Coco followed with a single to right center to load the bases for Lugo with one out.

One day after I ripped Tito for using him in the leadoff spot Lugo (2-5, R, 2BI) proved he belongs in the rear when he laced a solid single to left to score Lowell, and when Kevin Cash, subbing as Wake's caddy due to Mirabelli's tweaked hammy, shot a single past Harris at second to plate two more runs, the score was suddenly 8-4 and early enough that a comeback no longer seemed out of the question.

Rays manager Joe Maddon removed Sonnanstine after that and brought in Scott Dohman, who promptly walked Ellsbury (2-5, R, 2BI) walked to reload the bases, and then Dustin Pedroia skied an 0-1 offering into center field where B.J. Upton camped under it and came up firing, and it looked like Lugo would be a dead duck at the plate.

And he would have been had the ball not bounced off Navarro's mask and squirted harmlessly away, and just for good measure Lugo plowed into the portly backstop as if to say "we must protect this house."

Or something like that.

Even though Papi flied out to end the inning the damage was done, both scoreboardical and psychological, and despite an RBI double by Iwamura (3-6, R, 3BI)off Javier Lopez ran the score to 9-5 in the fifth, the best of the Boston comeback was yet to come.

The fifth inning rally began exactly like the fourth, with Lowell and Drew (3-4, 4R, BI) leading off with singles and just waiting to get driven in by the other salivating Sox sluggers. This time Youk walked to load the bases, and the bottom of the lineup proceeded to deliver three consecutive run-scoring at bats: a sac fly by Coco(2-4, 2R, 2BI), an RBI double by Lugo, and a sac fly by Cash that was shallow enough for Delmon Young to nab Youk but his throw went up the line instead.

It was that kind of night for the Rays.

The score was now 9-8 Rays with four innings to go, but it would only take one more frame for Boston to put this one out of reach.

After Pena (3-5, R, 3RBI) singled to lead off the sixth, Tito brought in Bryan Corey to pitch to Upton. It took nine pitches for Corey to get Upton to strike out swinging, then only one pitch to induce Delmon Young to ground into an inning-ending double play, a feat that surely inspired the offense to do what came next.

The Sox would send 10 men to the plate in the bottom of the sixth, and six of those hitters would score as the Sox battered three Tampa Bay pitchers and officially turned a near-disastrous loss into an enjoyable, kick you heels off and relax type win.

Dustin Pedroia (2-5, R, 2BI) got the festivities started when he rocketed a solo shot into the Monster seats to tie the game at nine off Jon Switzer, and when Papi (2-4, 2R, BI) followed with a single to left, Switzer was gone and it was Grant Balfour's turn to get spanked.

Balfour allowed a single off the Wall to Lowell, then walked Drew to load the bases again for Boston, and that bought the struggling Youkilis (2-4, 2R, 3BI) to the plate with a chance to win the game at his sweaty, meaty fingertips.

Youk's second-half troubles have been well-documented(.239 since the break), and his recent 4-18 stretch had started the "should they get rid of Youk" talk radio crap all over again.
And then the chrome-domed overachiever crushed a 1-0 pitch from Switzer high and deep off the triangular seam of the Wall, a ball hit so hard it ricocheted all the way to right field, and by the time Youk pulled into third with his second triple of the season, the slump was over, the love was back, and the Rays were officially dead in the water.

But just to make sure, Coco knocked in a gassed Youk with a double, and then two batters and one pitcher later the now 24-year-old Ellsbury ripped a single into left center to score Coco and make the score 14-9, and Tampa Bay fans were left wondering how the fuck their baseball team could outscore their football team and still lose!

Game over, right?

Wrong again, ass breath.

After Manny D. pitched around a pair of singles in the top of the eighth, Boston decided to add to the carnage when David Ortiz and J.D. Drew took Juan 50 game 'roid suspension Salas yard, Papi's a classic Papi job into the bully on the first pitch of the inning and Drew's a straightaway number that rattled the camera stanchion in center one out later, an impressive shot that along with his two other hits silenced the sea of bashers for at least one day.

The only thing left of any consequence by now was the reappearance of banished, errr sore shouldered reliever Eric Gagme, who made his first appearance since Aug 26th when he took the mound for the ninth inning.

With a new 'do that makes him look less like Seth Rogen and more like Sasha Baron Cohen, the rested Gagme was an exact replica of tired-shouldered Gagme, allowing a single to Harris to lead off the inning and later a single to Navvaro that would bring Harris home with Gagme's 11th run allowed in 12 appearances with Boston.

But it didn't matter. The fans who were still there were just happy to have witnessed such a historical comeback, and the Faithful who had already left or clicked off the TV set didn't even know the former Cy Young winner turned future beer league closer was on the mound.

I'm just glad I wasn't one of them.

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