Game Preview: Sox @ Rays GM3

Into the belly of the beast
Matszaka (9-1, 3.21) vs. Kazmir (7-3, 2.28)
Game 3 of 3 710 ESPN @ Tropicana Field

As the Sox try to salvage one game from this washout of a series on Florida's left coast I am heading down to the Trop to try and do everything I can to prevent a catastrophic sweep from occurring.

In other words I'll be sporting my Sox gear, swilling much beer and screaming my head off in the general direction of any suddenly smug Tampa Bay Rays fan that dares stick it in my face that they have the best team in baseball right now.

Which could be, like, 3/4 of the stadium.

Honey, get the bail money out of the account.

Let it be known that for the first time in the history of this formerly feeble Rays franchise I had to buy tickets at a premium price through fan fave StubHub.com. That's because I asked my wife to contact her ticket connection too late to procure ducats for this highly anticipated series, and as I was browsing Ticketmaster the few remaining seats were snatched up quicker than I could maneuver my mouse.

And so for a mere $60 a a pop my stepson and I are going to brave the insane scene that will be taking place in and around Tropicana Field this evening in what is likely the biggest game to be played in this building since the Lightning packed in 27,000+ hockey fans for a playoff game against the Flyers over a decade ago.

In fact this thing might even be bigger than the annual home show, which is really saying something in these parts.

Another reason this game is so big, aside from the fact that the Rays can put the Sox 3 1/2 games out of first place with a win, is the starting pitcher match up.

For Boston wins leader Daisuke Matsuzaka will be faced with the challenge of stopping the runaway train that is the recent Rays, and for Tampa Bay Red Sox killer Scott Kazmir will try and improve on his already stellar record against the defending champs.

Although the young lefty is just 6-6 in 18 starts against Boston over the course of his career, his ERA is a terrific 2.82 in 105.1 innings of work, and he has struck out 123 Boston batters while walking just 51 in that time.

This year he is 0-1 against the Sox, losing a 7-3 decision at Fenway in early May in his first start of the season after spending the opening month on the DL.

On the other side of the mound Matsuzaka has not fared very well against the Rays in his brief ML career. He is 1-3/4.09 in five starts overall and 0-2/4.26 at the Trop. That record will have to improve - quickly - if Boston is going to pull this one out.

Especially since Boston's offense has apparently gone on holiday while visiting scenic Tampa/Clearwater/St. Pete. Not only has the team managed just five runs and 14hits in two games, but stalwarts like Manny Ramirez, Jason Varitek and Jacoby Ellsbury are all in protracted slumps that have hurt the club immensely over the past two weeks.

Evidently all Ramirez can hit right now is someone in the Sox clubhouse (rimshot, please.)

It all comes down to which team wants it more, and for the last couple of nights that team has been the Tampa Bay Rays. They've pitched better, they've hit better, their fans have come out to cheer better, and it's added up to the position the Sox find themselves in now - hurtling towards the middle of the division as they enter a 4 game set against the Stanks this weekend.

But I aim to help change all that tonight. I just hope Dice-K and the boys got my back.

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Sox look clueless in lackluster loss to Rays

Rays 3, Sox 1
WP: Garza (7-4)
LP: Wakefield (5-6)
SV: Balfour (2)
HRs: None

SUMMARY:
The Red Sox offense has disappeared without a trace as Boston could muster just six hits - 5 singles, two of the infield variety, and one meaningless 2-out 9th inning double - off three Rays pitchers, and once again Tim Wakefield pitched a brilliant game and got nothing to show for it.

The loss dropped the Sox 2 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay, the furthest they have been out of first place this season.

#1 STUNNER: Dionner Navarro 2-4, 2BI
The Rays catcher drove in two of Tampa Bay's three runs, both were big and both came with two outs.

THE BIGGEST LOSER(s): Hansen & Delcarmen 1IP, 1H, 1ER, 2BB, 2K
Can anyone in that fucking bullpen come in and get three consecutive outs? Is that too much to ask of a bunch of guys who throw 95+ mph and are supposed to have such scintillating stuff?

Evidently so.

RECAP:
As I was sitting on my sofa and watching tonight's game on the HD set, trying not to get annoyed with the nauseating Rays announcers I'm stuck listening to down here, I suddenly realized the similarities between tonight's and last night's games are pretty freaky:

-Tampa Bay jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning of both contests

-the Sox didn't get their first hit until the 4th inning, when they went on to tie the game at one

-the Rays came right back to take the lead again in the bottom of the 4th, both times for good

-Tampa Bay's starter handcuffed the Boston batters for the better part of the night

-the Sox had a chance to tie or win the game in the 9th, but a late rally came up short

-the Rays won both games

The other similarities between the two games has been the anemic Boston offense.

In two games Boston has tallied five runs, 14 hits, four extra base hits and just four walks. By contrast in their game against the Astros on Saturday the Sox scored 10 runs, ripped 13 hits including 6 XBHs and walked four times, although they lost that game too, and they were facing inferior pitching.

But my point is the Rays pitching hasn't been all that great, it's just that the Sox offense has sucked worse than The Love Guru.

Case in point tonight. Starter Matt Garza (7IP, 5H, 1R, 0ER, 0BB, 3K, 102) was nowhere near as dominant as he was in his 1-hitter against the Marlins last week, and he threw mainly fastballs near the plate the whole night, yet the Sox batters could do nothing with his heater.

Ditto interim closer Grant Balfour, who was "bringing the heat" with 93 mph cheese, yet the Boston batters acted like they were facing a pre-injury Joel Zumaya. Fouling pitches off, looking at strikes right down the plate, LATE ON 93mph FASTBALLS.

Guys this is the freakin' major leagues. If you can't crush a mid-90s fastball get back down to AAA, okay. I mean you'd have thought the Sox were facing Nolan Ryan and Bob Gibson, not a 24-year-old head case and 30-year-old mediocre middle reliever for crying out loud.

Like last night the Sox had their share of chances in this game too, thanks to some shoddy fielding by the Rays MLB-best defense, which committed three errors on the night, all while Jacoby Ellsbury (2-4, R, SB) was burning down the first base line.

After Tampa Bay took the lead in the first on a walk, a ground out, an error by Alex Cora and a wild pitch by Wakefield (7IP, 5H, 2R, 1ER, 3BB, 4K, 115P) Boston tied it up in the fourth when Ellsy reached on an infield single and made it all the way to third base when Navarro threw the ball into right field.

One out later J.D. Drew hit a sac fly to tie the game, but just like last night the Rays wasted no time taking the lead right back.

In the bottom of the inning Evan Longoria (1-3, R) reached on a one out infield single, moved to second on another Wake wild pitch and scored on a clutch two out single to right by Navarro before Eric Hinske struck out to end the inning.

And the score would stay 2-1 for a while despite Boston getting men on base in each of the next five innings.

In the fifth a two out single by Brandon Moss (2-4) went nowhere when Cora ended the inning by grounding out; in the sixth Ellsy again reached on an infield hit and made it to second on an error by shortstop Jason Bartlett, followed by a bloop single by Dustin Pedroia, but Drew popped out and Manny fouled out to squelch the threat.

The seventh was deja vu of the fifth - Moss two out single, Cora shit the bed. Then the eighth represented Boston's best chance yet to take control of the game once and for all, but again the inept offense couldn't get the job done.

Ellsy (stop me if you've heard this before) reached on a error by pitcher J.P. Howell to lead off the frame, then stole second in front of a walk to the Little Big Man, and with Drew, Manny and Lowell due up it was rally time for sure, right?

Wrong.

Drew inexplicably watched three straight mid-80s pitches from the junkballer Howell go right down the plate to earn the statuesque strikeout (June's over, guess he's back to being Nancy), and after Manny (0-3, BB, K) drew a walk from newly inserted Balfour to load the bases, Lowell grounded out meekly to short, and the Sox hopes to pull this game out might as well have died right there.

I only say that because Tito called upon the Boston pen to keep it a one run game, and lately that's like asking Nick Hogan to drive your kids to school.

Craig Hansen, he of the nasty 95 mph stuff, walked Carlos Pena and Cliff Floyd sandwiched between a couple of outs, and then for some reason Francona thought Manny Delcarmen would be a better candidate to get out of the jam than the similarly armed Hansen.

Delcarmen, he of the nasty 95 mph stuff, went to 2-2 on Navarro before the portly catcher laced a single into center to score Longoria with the all too important insurance run, and with the way Boston had been batting it might as well have been 13-1 instead of 3-1.

Turns out the run was big (what a shock) when Cora miraculously lined a two out double down the third base line to keep the Sox hopes alive, but Balfour (1.1IP, 1H, 1BB, 3K), juiced up on adrenaline, get Jason Varitek to strike out to end the game and the Trop nearly imploded under the joyous screams of all the new Rays fans.

Two games, two putrid performances and a 2 1/2 game deficit in the AL East. If the Sox don't find a way to hit Rays ace Scott Kazmir tomorrow night, and Dice-K doesn't reprise his outing from last Friday in Houston, it's gonna be a long trip to the Bronx for this team.

So I suggest the boys eschew the temptations of Ybor City and Channelside tonight and hit the sack early.

After all, they can't hit anything else here.

RECORD: 50-36
AL EAST: 2nd, 2 1/2 GB
STREAK: L4
LAST 10: 4-6
UP NEXT: Wed @ TB 710 Matsuzaka vs. Kazmir

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Game preview: Sox @ Rays GM2

Wakefield (5-5, 3.88) vs. Garza (6-4, 3.76)
Game 2 of 3 7:10 @ Tropicana Field

If the Sox are going to stem the tide of the red hot Rays and stay within striking distance of first place it will be up to Boston's Rays killer to get the job done tonight.

Tim Wakefield has enjoyed an uncanny mastery of the team from Tampa Bay over the course of his career, especially in the Trop. In 29 career starts (39 apps) against the Rays the knuckelballer owns a 19-3 record with a 3.16 ERA, and in the dome he is even better: 9-1 with a 2.52 ERA in 15 starts (22 apps).

Blame it on the lack of wind, the sterile conditions inside the Teflon Trop or just plain luck, but whatever the reason Wake owns the Rays.

Hopefully that ownership continues tonight.

Luckily for Boston Wake has pitched lights out over the past month. Since May 28th he has allowed 10 earned runs in 43 innings (2.09 ERA) spanning six starts, and he hasn't pitched fewer than seven innings or allowed more than 3 earned runs in any of them.

Last time out he tossed a brilliant 2 hitter against the Diamondbacks, which earned him just his second win since early May.

Unfortunately for Boston Wake's mound opponent is just as hot as he is.

24-year-old righty Matt Garza is coming off a 1-hit gem against the Marlins in which he went 9 innings and struck out 10, walking just 1 batter and throwing only 108 pitches. In his last four starts he's allowed 8 earned runs in 26 innings (2.79) as he has finally lived up to expectations the Rays had when they traded Delmon Young for him in the offseason.

Unlike Wake he owns a modest 2-1, 4.71 mark in four career starts against the Sox, and he allowed five earned runs and six hits in a 7-4 loss in Fenway earlier in June.

It promises to be another intense game in St. Pete, and for a change the Sox backs are up against the wall as they find themselves needing a win to keep pace in the AL East.

Another solid effort from Wake should get the job done.

But if that knuckler isn't dancing it could be a long night for the reeling Red Sox.

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Rays take Round 1 despite late Sox rally

Rays 5, Sox 4
WP: Shields (6-5)
LP: Masterson (4-2)
SV: Howell (2)
HRs: BOS-Drew (16); TB-Upton (6), Gross (6)

SUMMARY:
James Shields out dueled a shaky Justin Masterson and Tampa Bay used two big home runs and survived an odd ninth inning to take the first game of this series, increasing its lead over the Sox to a game and a half in the AL East.

#1 STUNNER: Gabe Gross 2-2, R, 2BB, 2BI, HR
Acquired in a late May in a deal with the Brewers the part time right fielder had the biggest hit of his Tampa Bay career when he drove a monstrous two-run blast into the right field seats to give the Rays a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the 4th.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Julio Lugo 0-4
The useless former Ray ended four innings tonight against his former team, the worst coming when he left the tying run stranded at third as he lined out to shortstop to end the game.

Has this loser ever had a big hit in all his time with Boston?

RECAP:
What's worse than being a Sox fan and having to deal with this humbling loss?

Being a Sox fan living in the Tampa Bay area and having to deal with this loss.

For the first time since God created his own personal waiting room down here on the Sun Coast of Florida myself and all the other New England transplants do not own bragging rights over the once feeble legion of Rays followers.

And lemme tell you its a strange feeling indeed.

Everywhere I go everyone's clamoring about the new and improved Rays, and when they find out I'm a Sox fan I receive death stares, boos, hisses and insults not fit to reprint in a family blog.

Which is fine, because being a Boston sports fan I know it's par for the course; we accepted the fact long ago that everyone who's not one of us hates us. No biggie.

But for the better part of this decade we could always fall back on the number one argument stopper when it came time to shut the yahoos up: scoreboard. Now these pesky fucking upstart Rays have taken that hard earned privilege away from us, and if we don't take it back soon things are gonna start getting ugly down here.

Because there's so many members of RSN South here we'll turn this fucking tranquil tropical paradise into a mini Southie if they're not fucking careful.

Sorry, I let myself get carried away a bit there. Let's get back to the game.

To say the night started off poorly for Boston would be a massive understatement.

Tampa Bay starter James Shields retired the side in order in the top of the first on seven measly pitches resulting in three weak grounders, and when the Rays came to bat center fielder BJ Upton, leading off in place of suspended Akinori Iwamura, knocked Justin Masterson's first pitch of the game over the wall in straightaway center for a lightning quick 1-0 Tampa Bay lead.

It would go downhill from there.

While Shields (6.1IP, 5H, 2ER, 1BB, 5K, HR, 104P) was dealing more like he did in his complete game 2-hit shutout against Boston on April 27th than his last two starts against the Sox, where he allowed 11 runs and 13 hits in 4 1/3 innings, Masterson was having a hard time locating his pitches and seemed to behind on every batter.

In fact on the night the 23-year-old fell behind 15 of the 28 batters he faced, including 10 of the first 18 hitters at a time when he needed to establish some rhythm and control over the Rays while Shields didn't allow a hit and struck out four Sox batters through the first three innings.

But the lack of control didn't hurt Masterson (6IP, 5H, 4ER, 5BB, 5K, 2HR, 105P) early on as he used a double play grounder and a couple of one-pitch at bats to keep the Rays at bay, and his abilty to keep his team in the game paid off when the Sox finally got to Shields in the top of the fourth.

Who else could get the first hit for the Sox than the red hot Dustin Pedroia (1-4, R) as the Little Big Man hit a hard hopper to short that was bobbled by Jason Bartlett but ruled a base hit.

After J.D. Drew flew out to deep right for the second out of the inning Manny the mauler drew a four pitch walk before Mike Lowell (3-4, R, BI) ripped a scorching line drive past a diving Evan Longoria at third base to drive in Pedroia and tie the game at one.

Temporarily.

The Sox fans in the stands (and there was quite a bit fewer Nation members present at the Trop, by all accounts) had barely stopped celebrating before the Rays silenced them completely. Masterson walked Willy Aybar on four pitches with two outs in the bottom of fourth and then Gabe Gross connected on a 2-1 pitch and nearly put it through the back of the stadium, sending the pro-Rays crowd into a frenzy and giving Sox fans the feeling that this was not going to be our night.

That feeling grew as Tampa Bay tacked on single runs in the fifth on an RBI double by Carlos Pena (1-3, BI), and although Drew would stem the tide briefly when he hit his 12th homer of the month to cut the lead to 4-2 in the sixth, the Rays added a key insurance run in the seventh when reliever Chris Smith loaded the bases on three walks and Javier Lopez allowed an RBI groundout by pinch hitter Jonny Gomes.

That run would prove to be a very large one indeed.

After Lopez worked out of a self-induced jam in the bottom of the eighth the Sox had one more chance to try and salvage this game in the top of the ninth. And they very nearly did.

Closer Troy Percival began the frame by striking Ramirez (0-3, Bb, 2K) out on a blazing 90 mph fastball, but then the streaking Lowell belted a double to deep left center to set the wheels in motion for aa potential game-tying rally.

Youk then sliced a ball down the third base line that Longoria overplayed but knocked down for a single that saved a run, and then something happened that you can only see at the glorious stadium known as the Trop:

Brandon Moss hit what should have been a sure pop out but got a ground rule double out of it.

The sky high shot off Moss' bat hit one of the catwalks that ring the top of the Trop, and when it landed 25 feet in front of Gross Lowell had scored, Moss stood at second base and Lowell was at third as the whole place shook their collective heads, thinking THIS is reason #1 why the Rays need a new stadium.

An even stranger thing happened at the tail end of the play as Percival pulled a hammy running to cover third base, and despite his vehement (and profane) protests to manager Joe Maddon he was removed from the game in favor of J.P. Howell.

Alas even with all the oddity and obvious anti-Rays karma working they still had one thing in their favor - Lugo at the plate - and he reminded every Rays fan why they are glad to be rid of the overpriced underachiever when he hit a soft line drive on a 3-2 pitch right at his counterpart Bartlett, and the game ended with a fizzle instead of a bang for Boston.

Round 2 tomorrow and the Sox better have a win in them or its gonna be even tougher for us ex-Pats to exist here in the Bay.

Things could get so bad I might have to head to the beach and drown my sorrows in a bucket of beer while grabbing a handful of smooth white sand.

RECORD: 50-35
AL EAST: 1 1/2 GB
STREAK: L3
LAST 10: 4-6
UP NEXT: Tue @ TB

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Series Preview: Sox @ Rays

Tampa Bay Rays (49-32)
AL East: Up 1/2 gm
Streak: W1
Last 10: 7-3


3 game series at Tropicana Field
Game 1 Monday 7:10
Masterson (4-1, 3.43) vs. Shields (5-5, 3.76)
Game 2 Tuesday 7:10
Wakefield (5-5, 3.88) vs. Garza (6-4, 3.76)
Game 3 Wednesday 7:10 ESPN
Matsuzaka (9-1, 3.21) vs. Kazmir (7-3, 2.28)

Season Series: Bos leads 6-3

Preview:
In the words of the lyrical gang banger turned kiddie flick star Ice Cube:

Once again it's on!

The Sox and Rays will reprise their decade of dislike when the two American League East rivals kick off a three game set at the Trop tonight, and the interest in this series is at an all time high for many reasons, such as...

-the Rays overtook the Sox for the top spot in the division yesterday, the latest point (by far) in a season Tampa Bay has ever occupied first place

-the Raysbrawl at Fenway at the beginning of this month that resulted in 8 players being suspended, including tonight's Rays starter James Shields and instigator Coco Crisp, who will miss the series (altogether now - awwwwwwwww!)

-the history of violence between the clubs that dates back to the Pedro Martinez/Ice Williams incident in 2000 and includes about 400 hit batters

-a terrorist threat made against the Sox that will force MLB to provide extra security for Boston personnel to and from the stadium

-the Rays are finally good enough to earn the respect of the big bad Bosox.

These are just a few of the factors making this series the most talked about of the season.

Other than that it's just a standard, run-of-the-mill mid-season showdown.

Now I'm not going into in depth detail of all the past disagreements these teams have engaged in, or rehash the June 5th brawl, or go on and on about how the small market Rays are the surprise of the league with the best record in baseball despite having the second lowest payroll.

That's what the World Wide Leader is for.

What I am going to say is that for the first time since, scratch that for the first time ever a Red Sox/Rays series carries playoff implications, meaning this old fashioned (AL East) family feud has finally graduated to full-fledged rivalry status.

After all what was it that the Stanks fans used to say about The Rivalry? It's not a real rivalry as long as only one team keeps winning the meaningful games.

After taking three straight games in St. Pete in late April the Rays sent a message that they might finally be worthy of rival consideration. And even though they lost the next six contests, the animosity combined with the fact that the Rays have hung in all season and have reclaimed the top spot in the east makes this series the most important in franchise history.

Not that these three games will decide which team wins the division, makes the playoffs or sits home in October. But a series win by the Rays will go a long way towards earning them respect within the game and from the players on the opposite side of the field.

As for the field I don't expect there to be any hi jinks or beanbrawls happening this week. Both clubs are still recovering from the multiple suspensions handed down from the last skirmish, as evidenced by Coco having to sit this set out nearly a month after the brawl took place, and nobody wants to miss time with the division race so tight.

Plus the umps are going to be calling this series tighter than any in recent memory.

Terrorist threats aside it should be a fun three games in the cool, crowded environment of Tropicana Field, with fans from both sides cheering on their teams knowing that whoever comes out on top in this series will be sitting atop the standings this weekend.

May the best team win.

As long as its the Sox.

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Sox and Rays go MMA in an ugly, costly win for Boston

Sox 7, Rays 1
WP: Lester (4-3)
LP: Shields (4-4)
SV: None
HRs: BOS- Manny (13); TB-None

Umpire: "Batten down the hatches, this shit is going down NOW!"

SUMMARY:
A wild game at Fenway saw the Sox engage in fisticuffs with the Rays on the field and then between each other in the dugout as Boston completed the sweep but lost two center fielders.

Coco Crisp charged the mound after James Shields hit him with a pitch in the second inning, inciting a benches-clearing brawl, and later Manny Ramirez was seen slapping & shoving Kevin Youkilis in the Boston dugout. In between the brawling Jacoby Ellsbury left with a sprained wrist, but at least Jon Lester pitched well enough to get the win.

#1 STUNNER: Manny 2-3, BB, 1R, 5BI, HR
He did damage with his bat - belting a 3-run bomb over the Monster in the first inning and a 2-run single in the fourth - and with his hands when he bitch slapped Youk in the dugout at the end of the fourth inning. He also left with a potential knee injury in the seventh.

Busy night for ManRam.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Crisp 0-0, HBP, ejected
He started this whole mess when he package-punched Aki Iwamura last night because he was mad at Jason Bartlett, and then after James Shields appropriately plunked him on the leg, instead of taking his base he took it to the mound, touching off an ugly incident that could linger long into the summer.

RECAP:
Nothing like a little on-field battle royale and off-field infighting to divert attention from the Celtics/Lakers NBA Finals Game 1 taking place across town.

The Sox and Rays renewed long standing hostilities that trace back to Pedro Martinez plunking Gerald 'Ice' Williams in 2000, but to find the origins of this latest incident one only has to look back to last night's game.

When Coco Crisp clocked Akinori Iwamura in the johnson in retaliation for Jason Bartlett dropping a knee in front of the bag as Crisp attempted to slide into second base earlier in that game, everyone knew there would be ramifications in tonight's ballgame.

What we didn't know was how swiftly and severely those repercussions would play out, and the end result of all this misplaced hostility could end up costing Boston dearly in the near future, especially in light of the injury to Jacoby Ellsbury.

The game, which was moved up an hour to 6:05 to accommodate everyone who wanted to watch the Celts play in its first Finals game in 21 years, started out with a bang and just got louder from there when Rays starter James Shields plunked Dustin Pedroia with a pitch one out into the first inning.

JD Drew, who has been scorching the ball since Papi went down, then doubled to deep left center, and up stepped Ramirez, who has also been mashing the ball of late.

After taking ball one from Shields (1IP, 3H, 4ER, 2K, 1HR, 2HBP, 27P), Manny uncoiled his patented silky swing and drove the ball high and deep over the Monster and out of the park, and the Sox had a 3-0 lead before most of the late-arriving crowd had, well, arrived.

Shields went on to get out of the inning, but little did anyone know it would be the only inning he would complete on the night.

Lost in all the wackiness was the fact that Jon Lester (6.1P, 8H, 1ER, 0BB, 5K, 109P)pitched a solid game, the only run he allowed coming in the top of the second when Willy Aybar hit a double high off the Wall with two outs, and after running the count full Jonny Gomes singled him in to cut the lead to 3-1.

Little did we know it would be the last time Jonny would come to bat tonight, but definitely not the last swing he would take.

The real action started as soon as Coco came to bat to lead off the bottom of the second. After throwing him a ball, Shields nailed Crisp with a little message pitch on the thigh, a play Coco himself would have to brush off by admitting it was just "tic for tac."

Only Coco wouldn't take his punishment like a man and walk to first base, and after thinking about it for a second or two, he decided to charge the mound and attempt his best Kimbo Slice imitation.
But Shields was ready for him, and lucky for Coco he dodged the first punch thrown by the Rays starter or Crisp would have been in the BI emergency room having his face reconstructed right now.

The melee then turned into a full scale brawl, complete with sucker punches, cheap shots, rolling around and pig-piling by members of both clubs and coaching staffs, and when the dust settled Shields, Crisp, Gomes and Sox third base coach DeMarlo Hale were ejected, and the only reason there wasn't more is because it was too hard for the umps to get a clear picture of who was really beating on whom.

After the fracas and things settled down Boston scored another run when rookie Cris Carter, who came in for Crisp, came home on a sac fly by Pedroia, but by this point the score was almost irrelevant.

What wasn't irrelevant was what happened during and after the fourth inning.

First Ellsbury suffered a scary injury when he dove and caught a sinking liner off the bat of evan Longoria to lead off the inning, bending his wrist under his body as he hit the ground. The rookie had to leave the game and tests show it's probably just a sprain, but with Coco already gone that meant Boston had to go with an outfield of Carter, making his first major league start, Drew in center and Youk in left.

Ugh!

In the bottom of the frame Boston blew the game open when Carter recorded his first career hit, Lugo followed with a hit, and after JP Howell relieved Grant Balfour, Pedroia (0-2, 2R, BI, BB) walked to load the bases.

Drew (1-3, 1R, 1BI, 2BB) then drew a walk to force in Carter and when Manny dropped a single to left to score Lugo and Pedroia to make it 7-1 Boston, it was all over but the shouting.

Literally.

Following the inning Manny apparently had an altercation with Youk, first backhanding the bald first baseman/third baseman/outfielder and then shoving him against the dugout railing before teammates and coaches separated the two.

As Youk walked away to take his spot on the field he appeared to be clueless as to what set Ramirez off, but something tells me the hot-tempered Youk said something about Manny's lack of participation in the brawl, touching a normally untapped nerve in the eternally placid slugger.

To make a long story shorter (so much for that early start time) the rest of the game was pretty uneventful until Manny possibly injured his knee on a swing in the 7th inning; after drawing a walk he was pinch run for by Kevin Cash of all people, making Manny the third outfielder to be removed from the game due to injury and/or idiocy.

Mike Timlin and David Aardsma combined to keep the score the same despite allowing five baserunners in the last two innings, but the real story of the night wasn't the win, or the second Sox sweep of the Rays at Fenway, or the fact that Boston once again owns a 1 1/2 game cushion in the AL East.

No the talk of this game will be all about the brawls, both on the field and off, and something tells me the ripple effects are going to be felt for many weeks and months to come.

By the way, Celts won Game 1, 99-88.

RECORD: 38-25
AL EAST: Up 1 1/2 gms
STREAK: W3
LAST 10: 7-3
UP NEXT: Fri vs. Seattle 705 Hernandez vs. Colon

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Sox Drawer: Coco's cock knock causing a stir

During last night's 5-1 Red Sox win over Tampa Bay Coco Crisp blasted Akinori Iwamura in the package in retaliation for a cheap play Jason Bartlett had pulled on the Sox ceterfielder a few innings earlier.

There is video of the incident on both Bugs & Cranks and Sox & Dawgs, the latter featuring Coco's comments after the game regarding the incident.

The background of the situation goes like this: in the sixth inning of the game, with Coco on first after an infield single, Crisp attempted to steal second base and was successful. But on the play Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett dropped his knee in front of the bag where Coco was sliding, a no no for infielders in the book of baseball etiquette because the runner could suffer serious damage to his hands.

Irked at the play Coco stored it away and reacted on his anger later.

Later came in the 8th inning when Crisp walked with one out and the Sox leading 5-1. Shortly after the base on balls Coco took off for second base, and although he was out by a mile, the intent was not to steal but exact revenge for the earlier play by Bartlett.

Thus when he slid into the base Crisp came up with his arm high and nailed Rays second baseman Akinori Iwamura right in the groin, touching off a heated exchange between both teams and included Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon, who came out to the mound to remove pitcher Jason Hammel after the play, and continued long after Crisp was in the dugout.

The play was eerily similar to the spring training incident the Rays had with the Stanks when Shelly Duncan package-jacked Iwamura on a slide into second after a Rays player had injured a Stankee catching prospect days earlier.

My feelings about this incident are mixed. Do I believe Coco had every reason to be mad at Bartlett for a play that was stupid but probably unintentionally malicious on his part? Absolutely. But should Crisp had retaliated against Iwamura in the 8th inning of a 5-1 game on a play that wasn't even an attempted break up of a DP, just a straight steal? Absolutely not.

My fellow commenters at B&C are lambasting me for not agreeing with the retaliation, saying that Crsip had to get back at someone so he just picked the nearest player, not unlike a pitcher hitting an opposing batter to get back for one of his own teammates getting hit by the opposing pitcher.

I say bullshit. Coco's problem was solely with Bartlett and he will have other chances to get back at the shortstop, whether it is tonight or one of the next 10 games the teams have against each other.

To cock knock Iwamura was petty and unnecessary and will most likely result in Coco getting drilled tonight and could touch off a season-long war between the top two teams in the East.

The bottom line is Bartlett was wrong for what he did and Coco was also wrong for how he reacted. Let's hope cooler heads prevail and this thing doesn't drag out and give the Rays any more fuel for an already contentious rivalry.

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Sox back where they belong: 1st place

Sox 5, Rays 1
WP: Beckett (6-4)
LP: Jackson (3-5)
SV: None
HRs: None

SUMMARY:
The Red Sox regained sole possession of first place in the AL East with their 12th straight home victory and 5th in a row against the Rays at Fenway. Josh Beckett pitched well enough to win as the new-look offense again performed admirably in Big Papi's absence.

#1 STUNNER: Manny Delcarmen 1IP, 0H, 0BB, 0R, 3K
Yesterday JD Drew made his 2008 debut in this category, today it's another former doghouse inhabitant's turn. With no one on the offense nor Beckett really turning in a great game, it was Manny D's surprising 3-K showing that really stood out tonight, begging the question: where the fuck has this been all year!

THE BIGGEST LOSER: BJ Upton 0-4, 3K, ejection
The talented center fielder may be getting a little full of himself. Not only did he whiff three times, but he tried to throw everyone out at home (he did finally get Manny, but his percentage is low) and he got ejected arguing a close strike three call in the 8th.

My advice: lighten up, Francis!

RECAP:
The Rays would be about five games ahead of the Sox in the AL East this year - if they didn't have to play any games at Fenway.

For the fifth time in five Fenway meetings the Sox waxed the Rays, and this time the result put Boston back in the driver's seat in the East with one more game to play here between the two until September.

Too bad because the Sox would have the Rays back in the cellar by the All Star game at this rate.

The best part about this victory is not just that the Sox won, but how they did it - without the benefit of the longball and by using a revamped lineup that relied on old school techniques rather than "in your face" mashing.

Talk about a versatile team.

After the umps missed yet another home run call this year when Dustin Pedroia's first inning drive appeared to curl around Pesky's Pole but the crew couldn't see it and ruled it foul, Boston went straight to the small ball to grab the lead in the third.

Coco Crisp started the inning with a single to right, and with the hit and run on he made it to second on Julio Lugo's groundout, preventing a double play. That set up the first run of the game when he came around to score easily on Jacoby Ellsbury's (2-5, R, BI) sharp single to center on the very next pitch, even though Upton foolishly attempted to throw him out at home.

Ellsbury moved to second on a wild pitch by Edwin Jackson (5IP, 6H, 4ER, 3BB, 4K, 94P), and after Pedroia struck out JD Drew, batting third in place of Ortiz tonight, belted a ground rule double into the right field seats to score Ellsy and give Boston a 2-0 lead.

Manny Ramirez, who has yet to homer at Fenway since hitting #'s 500-502 on the road last weekend, worked an 0-2 count by fouling off three pitches before he delivered an RBI single to left, and the Sox had a 3-0 lead on three singles, a double and a well-called hit & run.

Small ball indeed.

The Rays would get one run back in the fourth off Beckett (6IP, 7H, 1ER, 0BB, 5K, 92P) on a double by Evan Longoria, a groundout and an RBI single by ex-Sox Eric Hinske, who was 2-4 with an RBI against his old mates.

But Boston would get the three run lead right back in the bottom of the inning when Youk (2-4, R, BI) and Tek both bounced singles into left and Coco crushed a sac fly to center, which scored Youk despite Upton's attempt (again) to nail the runner at the plate.

Beckett dodged a potential bullet in the 5th when Aki Iwamura scorched a one out single to center, nearly taking Becks' head off, but Carl Crawford lined a laser right to Youk at first, who then stepped on the bag to easily double up the stunned Aki.

The score remained 4-1 for a few innings and Boston got a small scare when Beckett slipped throwing a pitch to Cliff Floyd in the 6th, and although he said he was fine and remained in the game to finish the inning, his night was done after that.

Boston missed a chance to pad the lead when Coco got tagged out rounding third on a single to left by Ellsbury in the 6th, but they did tack on a run after Delcarmen struck out the side in the top of the 7th, and once again it was a bunch of little plays that got the run home.

Pedroia grounded out to begin the inning before Drew singled to center, stole second, and after Manny walked Mike Lowell blooped a single to left to load the bases with one out.

Youk then singled to left to score Youk with Boston's 5th run, and the damage could've been worse but Upton finally got his man when he nailed Manny trying to score on a medium depth fly ball to center off the bat of Jason Varitek.

You know what they say, even a broken clock gets the time right once a day.

The game was basically in the books after that as Okajima (1IP, 1H, 2K) and Craig Hansen (1IP, 1BB) continued the improved play of the bullpen and kept the Rays at bay, and in a game that was played in chilly temps and a steady mist the Sox took back what was rightfully theirs - first place.

Who knows, maybe this hit & run small ball stuff will catch on and they won't even need Papi anymore.

Yeah right. That thought's about as crazy as the Rays winning the AL East.

In other words unthinkable, especially if they have to play crucial games at Fenway in September.

RECORD: 37-25
AL EAST: Up 1/2 gm
STREAK: W2
LAST 10: 6-4
UP NEXT: Thu vs. Rays 6:05 Shields vs. Colon

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Game Preview: Rays at Sox GM2

Jackson (3-4, 3.70) vs. Beckett (5-4, 4.30)
Game 2 of 3 705 ESPN @ Fenway Park

The Sox hope to get the second game against the Rays in tonight, especially since it was switched to a nationally televised game and they will have a chance to regain first place in the AL East with a win, but if Mother Nature has a say in the matter don't count on it.

It's currently raining in Boston (what else is new) and the forecast calls for intermittent showers all night long making a delay or postponement a definite possibility, so we'll have to wait and see if the weathermen are wrong, as usual.

If the game does get played as scheduled there will be some significant changes to the starting lineup, and this time I'm not talking about Boston's.

Yesterday the Rays sat All Star outfielder Carl Crawford after he took a trip to see Dr. James Andrews regarding a knee problem he has been experiencing; needless to say a trip to Dr. Andrews office is never a good thing for an athlete.

Crawford did pinch hit and grounded out in the 8th inning of the loss, and although he is not at 100% he is expected to be in the lineup tonight.

That's a good thing for Tampa Bay because first baseman and team home run leader Carlos Pena will not be in the lineup tonight or for the foreseeable future as he was placed on the 15 day DL with a broken finger sustained when he was hit by a pitch from Justin Masterson in the first inning of last night's game, according to MLB.com.

The loss of Pena and the injury to CC along with closer Troy Percival being on the DL are huge blows for a club attempting to hang on to its tenuous grip of first place and could spell the beginning of the end of the good times for the major league's most surprising team this season.

If the Sox are going to capitalize on the Rays misfortunes they will have to get another solid start from Josh Beckett and hope for another disaster by Rays starter Edwin 'up & down' Jackson.

Beckett has pitched well in his last two starts, surrendering just four earned runs over 13 innings while recording 19 strikeouts, but all he's got is a loss and a no decision to show for it. Still his efforts are a marked improvement from his previous two starts when he allowed 11 runs, 18 hits and 5 homers in 12 2/3 innings.

Jackson has been erratic all year, alternating terrific outings with miserable ones, and the Rays never know which version of Jackson is going to show up. In his last two starts he's given up 7 runs and 14 hits 11 innings, going 1-1, but before that he had allowed just 1 earned run over three starts covering 20 1/3 innings, although he didn't receive a decision in any of those games.

This season he is 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA in two starts against the Sox while Beckett is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in two starts against the Rays this year, including his 13-strikeout gem in an April loss.

So the game will most likely come down to which starter performs up to his potential, and will major offensive weapons missing from both teams someone else will have to step up and provide the firepower in order to get his team a win, like JD Drew and coco Crisp did last night.

The battle for first place continues tonight, and the Sox have a change to regain the top spot with a win.

Weather permitting.

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Home boys: Sox K.O. Rays for 11th straight home win

Sox 7, Rays 4
WP: Masterson (2-0)
LP: Garza (4-2)
SV: Papelbon (17)
HRs: BOS-Lowell (8), Drew (6); TB-Iwamura (4), Pena (11)

SUMMARY:
The two teams atop the AL East waged a back-and-forth battle for six innings before Boston finally pulled away with a four-run sixth. Justin Masterson pitched well enough to earn the win as Mike Lowell, JD Drew and Coco Crisp provided the big hits necessary to help the Sox climb within a half game of the Rays.

SUPERSTAR: Drew 2-3, 2R, BI, BB, 2B, HR
Not only did the rundown rightfielder contribute mightily at the plate, he also made two spectacular catches in the field to prevent runs and keep the score close.

Imagine what he could do if played every day - he might just make this list more than once a season.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Garza 5.1IP, 6H, 7R, 5ER, 2BB, 3K, 2HR, 96P
Not only did the randy righty implode on the mound when he allowed four runs in the sixth inning, he exploded as well by cursing at himself & others, slamming the resin bag down and generally acting like a Little Leaguer with a hair trigger during the fatal frame.

RECAP:
So far the season series with the Rays has been a microcosm of the Sox season as a whole.

They win at home, they lose on the road.

Boston ran its record against the Rays in '08 to 4-3 with the win tonight, and yup, you guessed it, all four wins have come at Fenway while the three L's came at the fabulous, soon to be extinct Trop.

By winning its 11th consecutive home game Boston moved to an ML-best 22-5 at Fenway and while the three wins in Baltimore made its road record a bit more respectable, 14-20 is not exactly a mark that makes you start printing playoff tickets.

Regardless of the venue the win tonight was huge for the Sox on many levels:

-Justin Masterson, despite allowing a homer on his first pitch of the night, hung in for the win in what was the least impressive of his three major league starts to date

-the Sox slugged two key homers and had four extra base hits out of their seven in their first game at home since David Ortiz was placed on the DL

-both Manny Delcarmen and Craig Hansen had solid outings in setting up Jonathan Papelbon for the save

-Boston is now one beautiful effort by Josh Beckett away from reclaiming first place in the East for the first time since May 25th

If that isn't enough to ensure huge ratings for tomorrow night's clash of the titans on ESPN I don't know what will.

As i said this game was worthy of two clubs battling for first place as the Rays and Sox took turns trading leads before Boston finally grabbed the last lead of the night in the sixth.

It all started when Masterson (6IP, 6H, 4ER, 2BB, 5K, 2HR, 91P) allowed a leadoff home run to pesky Akinori Iwamura on the first pitch of the game, a ball that barely cleared the Monster in left but was ruled a homer without the benefit of replay.

When the rookie hit Carlos Pena with a pitch two batters later, it didn't take a genius to realize this wasn't the same masterful Masterson we had seen in his two previous outings.

Luckily for Boston Matt Garza, who had been rock solid lately in allowing just 2 runs and 8 hits in 15.1 innings while posting two straight wins, was as shaky as the rookie, and when Manny Ramirez led off the second with a single and Mike Lowell blasted a 2-run shot over the Wall, you got the feeling it was gonna be one of those nights.

The Sox missed a golden opportunity to add to the lead in the third when Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a walk, stole second (of course) for his league leading 28th theft, and Dustin Pedroia was hit by a pitch to set up a first and second, no outs situation.

But Youk skied to shallow left and ManRam (1-4, 2R) bounced into a double play, and that threat was gone by the wayside.

Like last night's game in Baltimore the Rays made the Sox pay for the failure immediately after when BJ Upton and Pena hit back-to-back booming doubles to start the third to tie the game at two, and if it wasn't for the glove of JD Drew it could have been a lot worse.

On the next pitch following Pena's ground rule double to the right field seats Rays rookie third baseman Evan Longoria launched a deep, slicing drive to the same corner, but Drew hopped on his horse and tracked the ball down near the wall for an inning-saving out, and Masterson retired the next two batters to escape the inning with the game tied.

As so often is the case in baseball Drew contributed a great offensive play in the next inning when he turned on the first pitch he saw from Garza and deposited it deep into the right field seats to give Boston a 3-2 lead.

You're serve, Tampa Bay.

Neither team scored in the fifth but the Rays returned the serve in the top of the sixth when Upton (2-5, 2R) singled through the infield to right and Pena followed with a towering blast that nearly brought rain and ended up in the bullpen to give Tampa Bay the lead back at 4-3.

The the game, and Garza, fell apart in the bottom of the sixth as the Sox would not only return the serve but slam it down the Rays throats, making sure there would be no more see-sawing for the rest of the night.

It all stated to unravel when Garza hit Youk in the forearm on an 0-1 count, and as the pitcher cursed and called his catcher to the mound you could see something was wrong with the fiery youngster.

If he was mad at himself after that mistake he must have been furious when his former Twins teammate, shortstop Jason Bartlett, booted a grounder by Ramirez, and after Lowell fouled out, Garza walked Drew on a couple of close pitches to load the bases, and it felt like all hell was about to break loose.

It did.

Captain Tek hit a sharp single up the middle to score Youk and tie the game (again) at four, and then Coco Crisp, who just ended a horrific 0-23 slump last night, stepped in with a chance to break the game open.

(*Side note - actual exchange between my son and I at this point: Drew: "Oh great, Coco's up!?" Dad-" he just broke a long slump last night, he's due for a big hit")

Like I actually know what i'm talking about Crisp proceeded to carve a 1-0 pitch from Garza down the leftfield line for a 2-run double, and just like that the game was all but over.

Ellsbury added a sac fly off Grant Balfour as Garza was shredding something in the dugout to give us the final margin of 7-4, and after that it was up to the Sox pen to bring the win home.

Amazingly they did just that. Manny D tossed a scoreless, hitless seventh, and after Javier lefty Lopez walked one and allowed a hit to his two batters, Hansen came on and retired Carl Crawford, Gabe Gross and Bartlett to send the game to the closer.

Papelbon wasted no time in setting the side down in order in the 9th, needing just 12 pitches to record two Ks and a groundout, and when Upton went down swinging to end the game Boston was one step closer to reclaiming first place and had its first game in the win column since Big Papi went on the DL.

If only they could play every game at home, life would be so much easier.


RECORD: 36-25
AL EAST: 1/2 GB
STREAK: W1
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Wed vs. TB 705 ESPN Jackson vs. Beckett

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Series Preview: Rays @ Sox

Tampa Bay Rays (35-22)
AL EAST: Up 1 1/2 gms
STREAK: W3
LAST 10: 8-2
BA: .262 (5th in the AL)
RS: 257 (6)
HRs: 54 (5)
ERA: 3.65 (4)
RA: 228 (10)
SV: 17 (t5)

Season Series: 3-3

3 game series at Fenway Park
Game 1 Tuesday 705
Garza (4-1, 3.78) vs. Masterson (1-0, 1.46)
Game 2 Wednesday 705 ESPN
Jackson (3-4, 3.70) vs. Beckett (5-4, 4.30)
Game 3 Thursday 605
Shields (4-3, 3,24) vs. Lester (3-3, 3.67)

KEY RAYS:

-1B Carlos Pena .221/10HR/32RBI although the ex-Sox slugger is having a slow start to the season he has been popping the ball better of late, and you know he'd love nothing more than to get hot against his former/hometown team

-CF BJ Upton .305/3HR/32R/34BI/38BB/17SB the talented older Upton has found a home in center field and is tearing it up this season. He is currently 9th in the AL in average, 3rd in steals, 2nd in walks and 2nd in OBP (.410)

-3B Evan Longoria .241/7HR/28BI/22R/9 2B the rookie has struggled a bit with the bat since the Rays dicked him around and sent him back to the minors after his torrid spring, but he's a slick fielder and good hitter who has a flair for the dramatic -he's already got three game-winning hits this year.

PREVIEW:
This week's sign that the apocalypse is upon us - the Sox and Rays are about to wage a three game battle for first place in the AL East and we're already in the month of June!

You know what's even more fucked up about that statement? It's the upstart Rays that own the top spot, not the defending champs.

Bizarro baseball indeed!

But that's the situation we find ourselves in over 1/3rd of the way into the 2008 season, and it's up to the Sox in these next three games to set the situation straight.

Granted it won't be easy as the Rays are most definitely the hotter club, Boston is without David Ortiz and Daisuke Matsuzaka, and all Tampa Bay has to do is take one of the three games to remain in first place, but...

...that being said you have to like Boston's chances of winning all three games and regaining the lead in the East, if for no other reason than the Sox have been unbeatable at home the last few weeks.

The last time the Sox lost at Fenway was the day prior to the last Rays series, when Boston dropped a 3-0 decision to Toronto in the final matchup of a hard-fought three game set on May 1st.

Since then the road warriors have ripped off 11 in a row at home, when they weren't on grueling 10-game road trips, including three straight against these Rays May 2-4 when they outscored the NKOTB, 26-10.

Anyone for a repeat?

The main reason the Rays are where they are has been their pitching. Not only have the young starters stepped up and played well above their years, but the bullpen, which was an atrocious laughingstock last season (and every other for that matter), has been one of the best in the league.

And the Sox, which had one of the best bullpens in baseball last year, have lost quite a few games this year thanks to the pen men's inability to shut a team down and protect a lead (Monday's Okajima debacle immediately comes to mind).

To wit the Rays bullpen ERA (3.36) is 5th in the AL while the Sox sit at 10th (4.09) out of 14 clubs, and Boston's bully has allowed 27 more runs and 45 fewer hits than Tampa Bay's in just 2 2/3 more innings.

Ouch.

So obviously the key to this series will be keeping the game out of the bullpen's hands, which means the Sox starters will have to pitch deep into the games and the Boston batters will have to grab leads early.

No problem, right?

Not as long as Masterson pitches another gem, Beckett keeps the ball in the yard and pitches like he has been lately, and Colon continues his miraculous comeback and posts win # 4 on Thursday night.

If all that happens and Boston keeps hammering the ball at home then the Sox will regain first place when the series is over, and all will be right with the world.

But if the starters falter, the pen keeps sucking, and the hitters can't compensate for the loss of Ortiz, then it could be a lousy series at Fenway for a change.

What am I saying, they're gonna sweep these fucking pretenders!

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How sweep it is! Sox broom Rays out of town

Sox 7, Tampa Bay 3
WP: Lester (2-2)
LP: Kazmir (0-1)
SV: Papelbon (9)
HRs: BOS-Youk (3); TB-Pena (7)

SUMMARY:
The Red Sox jumped out to a 4-0 lead against Scott Kazmir, who was making his season debut, before Tampa Bay closed to within one run. But Kevin Youkilis drove in the final three runs to put the game away, and Boston completed the payback sweep against the Rays.

SUPERSTAR: Youk 3-4, 2R, 4BI, 2-2B, HR
He drove in the first run of the game with a sac fly, the 5th run with a homer to straightaway center, and the 6th & 7th runs with his second double of the day in the 8th, single handedly collecting more RBI than the entire Rays team.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Carlos Pena 1-4, R, BI,HR, 3Ks
He did provide the Rays first run of the game with a homer in the 6th inning, but he also fanned three times, including twice with men on base and twice to end innings.

Classic case of all or nothing.

RECAP:
If payback's a bitch, then Boston just sicced one nasty, rabid, Cujo on the Chihuahua's known as the Tampa Bay Rays.

Upset and embarrassed over the three game sweep Tampa Bay inflicted on them last weekend at the Trop, the Sox wasted no time making sure any thoughts of a repeat performance were quickly dispatched from the minds of the Rays and all the Nation haters out there.

Beginning with a solid 7-3 victory on Friday night, Boston proceeded to trounce the Rays, 12-4, on Saturday, and they completed the sweep today on a dismal afternoon at Fenway when the majority of the Commonwealth was watching the Celtics defeat the Hawks in Game 7 of their first round playoff series at the new Garden.

But it didn't matter to the Red Sox that Fenway was not quite filled to capacity, or that most Boston sports fans had the Cs on the main screen while the beloved Sox were relegated to the PIP window.

All that mattered to them was showing the Rays and the rest of the division that last weekend's sweep was a result of combination of them facing tough pitching while their offense was struggling, and now after scoring 26 runs and rapping 39 hits in three games, it's safe to say that things are back to normal.

For the second game in a row, Boston set the tone early by scoring in the first inning. Jacoby Ellsbury led off the game with an infield single to second, and Dustin Pedroia, the hero of last night's game drew aa walk off the rusty and erratic Kazmir (4IP, 6H, 4R, 3ER, 3BB, 5K).

But despite a rare double steal that put runners on second & third with no outs, Boston could only manage to plate one run in the inning, on a sac fly to center by Youk, batting in the three hole in place of David Ortiz, who got the day off due to his balky knee (plus the fact that it was a shitty day and he is only 7-37 career against Kazmir.

The missed opportunities didn't hurt Boston though as they quickly added to their lead when they plated two more runs in the third inning. Once again the first two batters reached base (Pedroia single, Youk double), and then Kaz hurt his cause by tossing a wild pitch that allowed Pedroia to scoot home with the second run of the game.

On the next pitch Manny Ramirez, who had rough series (2-13, 5Ks), doubled down the left field line to score Youk, and for the third straight game Boston had jumped out in front by a score of at least 3-0.

After adding another run on an RBI groundout by Pedroia (1-4, R, BI, BB) in the fourth, the new and improved Rays did what they've done all year long - fought back to make a potential blowout game interesting.

Through five innings Jon Lester (6IP, 4H, 1ER, 3BB, 5K, HR) had been cruising along, allowing the occasional base runner here and there but not having to face any real threat or jam.

But in the 6th Carlos Pena touched him for a solo shot to right that put the Rays on the board and gave them the opening they needed to get back into the game.

And get right back in it they would, against none other than Manny the anti closer Delcarmen.

Delcarmen, who has allowed 21 base runners and 10 earned runs in 12 1/3 innings of work this season, retired the first batter of the inning before surrendering a single to slpa hitter Jason Bartlett and then a triple to Sox killer Aki Iwamura, slicing the Boston lead to 4-2.

That disgusting display brought Hideki Okajima into the game, and even though he allowed an RBI single to Carl Crawford, he then struck out BJ Upton and Pena to end the inning and the threat.

Suddenly faced with a 1-run game Boston responded immediately in the bottom of the 7th when Youk took reliever Kent Birkins deep to the tarp in straightaway center to push the lead to 5-3, and in the 8th Youk extinguished any thought of a Rays comeback when he doubled in Lugo and Ellsbury for the final 7-3 margin.

Just to be sure none of his crappy relievers blew this one, and because he was already warming when the margin was just two runs, Francona brought in Papelbon to close it out. And the closer did just that, retiring the final three batters on three consecutive groundouts, and the re-sweep was complete.

So the Celts knocked off the pesky hawks and the Sox swept the pesky Rays on the same miserable day in the Hub.

I'd say order has been officially restored to the sports world.

RECORD: 20-13
AL EAST: Up 3 gms
STREAK: W3
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Mon @ Detroit 705 Matsuzaka vs. Bonderman

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Game Preview: Rays @ Sox GM3

Kazmir (NR) vs. Lester (1-2, 4.31)
Game 3 of 3 1:35 at Fenway Park

While the majority of the Hub will be tuned in to the NBA Playoffs as the hometown Cs try to expunge the pesky Hawks in Game 7 of their first round series, the Sox will be attempting to return the favor for the three game sweep the Rays gave them last weekend in St. Petersburg.

The last time a Celtics playoff game overshadowed a Red Sox game it was a misty, damp night in April of 1986.

On that evening, while the Cs were defeating (catch the irony here) the Atlanta Hawks in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, 119-108, a young fireballer named Roger Clemens struck out 20 Seattle Mariners in a game that was attended by about 10,000 fans.

History was made at Fenway while the rest of the city was watching the Celtics (Globe photo)

You know, back before he was a 'roided up philanderer.

Coincidentally the forecast calls for rain today in Boston, and that combined with the win-or-go-home urgency of Game 7 could make for similar circumstances today at Fenway.

Of course there will be more than 10,000 fans on hand, and another sellout is already assured due to advance sales, but don't be surprised if the stands are a little more sparsely populated today than usual.

Which is too bad because this could be another memorable game for the Sox.

Scott Kazmir makes his 2008 season debut for Tampa Bay, and since the 07 strikeout king owns the best ERA (2.73) at Fenway of any opposing starter, who knows if he could provide a Clemens-like outing this afternoon.

Kazmir has not played in a game this season after being diagnosed with an elbow strain early in spring training. The injury was initially thought to be minor, but here it is almost two months later and the young lefty is just taking the mound for the first time.

Needless to say it remains to be seen how long he will be able to go, or how effective he will be.

For the Sox Jon Lester will look to build on his impressive last outing, when he limited Toronto to one hit in 8 innings of a 1-0 Boston win. The lefty has been inconsistent at times this season, but has showed signs of finally realizing the potential the team believed he had before he was diagnosed with cancer a couple of years ago.

Boston will be without the services of rookie right fielder Brandon Moss, who had to be rushed to the hospital before last night's game for an emergency appendectomy. That means JD Drew will have to make it through this game healthy, a tall task considering the condition the field will be in as well as the condition of his brittle body.

So if the game doesn't get postponed, Boston will look to sweep the Rays and repay them for last weeks' embarrassing sweep.

We'll have to wait and see whether or not history is made again on the diamond while the Mean Green are trying to avoid another kind of history across town.

Go Sox and Celts!

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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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That's more like it: Sox spank Rays

Sox 7, Tampa Bay 3
WP: Buchholz (2-2)
LP: Jackson (2-3)
SV: None
HRs: BOS-Moss (2); TB-None

SUMMARY:
The Red Sox did two things tonight that they haven't done in a while: beat the Rays, and score more than three runs. Led by Clay Buchholz' strong pitching and the bat and arm of Brandon Moss, Boston avenged last weekend's 3-game sweep by Tampa Bay with a decisive win in Game 1 of this series.

SUPERSTAR: Moss 2-4, 2R, BI, 1 assist
The kid is picking up right where he left off when the club shipped him to Pawtucket after the opening series in Japan.

His 4th inning home run ensured the Sox would score more than 1 run in this game, but it was his laser throw to home plate that nailed Evan Longoria trying to score to end the 2nd that was the key moment of this game.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Edwin Jackson 4IP, 9H, 6ER, 3BB, 4K, HR
The escalator man was down again in this one, and it was his inability to shut the Sox down when they scored 5 runs with two outs in the 4th that led to the Rays losing this game.

RECAP:
Finally!

After a 2 1/2 hour rain delay that pushed the start to 9:30, and a week of feeble offense that produced thrilling wins and heartbreaking losses, the Sox got back to what they do best: pound the ball and pray the bullpen hangs on.

Since the rain delay pushed the start back I did get to catch the whole game, even though my son's Little League game was a 16-13 marathon. But with the game just ending at 12:48 am EST, I don't have the energy, nor the desire, to wrap this one up.

So as is my custom, I'm gonna get some shuteye and finish the post in the morning. Just another advantage bloggers have over the mainstream media.

Suck that, Bissinger.

----------------------------------------------------
Okay, I'm all rested up and ready to report on what took place last night. If you've already read the Globe or watched SportsCenter this morning, oh well.

The Sox ensured there would be no repeat sweep by the Rays with an impressive performance on the mound and at the plate. Although starter Clay Buchholz (5.1IP, 5H, 1ER, 4BB, 6K) was not nearly as dominant as he was last weekend in St. Pete, he worked his way out of several early jams and held the Rays down until his offense could pick him up.

Tampa Bay had numerous chances to get ahead early and put the Sox in a tough spot, but due to some solid pitching, and their own ineptitude, they were not able to capitalize on those opportunities.

The Rays had seven base runners in the first three innings yet failed to get any across the plate. In the second inning Buchholz walked the first two batters, but then got Dionner Navarro to strike out, Gabe Gross to fly out, and Longoria tagged out at home plate on a throw by Brandon Moss that was as good as any JD Who? ever made.

In the third the Rays again got the first two batters aboard, but Buchholz buckled down and fanned the next three hitters, including Carlos Pena and Longoria looking, thanks to a nasty breaking ball that was baffling Tampa Bay batters all night.

Boston broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the third when Dustin Pedroia (3-5, 1R, 3BI) doubled in Julio Lugo, who had also doubled. It was Pedroia's league-leading 12th two bagger of the year, and it broke an 0-11 drought that he had in the Toronto series.

After Buchholz finally retired the Rays 1-2-3 in the fourth, Boston broke the game open in the bottom of the inning, thanks to Edwin Jackson's inability to record the third out.

Jackson quickly retired Mike Lowell and Youk to start the frame, but then Moss followed with a cannon blast to deep straightaway center field that bounced off the top of the camera tent for his first homer since Opening Day in Tokyo.

That shot opened the floodgates for the sputtering Sox, as the next five batters reached base, the big blow being a 2-run single by Pedroia that made the score 5-0 and gave the soggy Faithful hope that this wouldn't be another 9th inning nail biter.

Although Buchholz gave up a run the next inning to make the score 6-1 and Javier Lopez continued the horrible performance of the bullpen by surrendering two runs in the seventh, you never got the feeling that the game was in doubt.

Indeed when Hideki Okajima came in and got three straight fly outs in the 8th, and then Varitek doubled in Moss in the bottom of the inning to run the score to 7-3, you could sense the victory was all but in the bag.

Just to be sure Francona trotted out his closer to pitch the 9th. Whether it was due to the fact that he had already been warming when the score was 6-3, or that Tito wanted to make sure no one (re: Timlin) fucked up this win, Papelbon came in throwing gas and retired the last three batters without incident, wrapping the win up at nearly 1 am.

The win gave the Sox a little breathing room in the division and also served notice that just because the Rays had won four straight against the Sox, Boston isn't about to cede the East title to the upstarts just yet.

Especially if the offense can score more than 1 run per game.

And especially with a healthy and fired up Josh Beckett ready to take the mound tomorrow night, with payback on his mind.

RECORD: 18-13
AL EAST: Up 1gm
STREAK: W1
LAST 10: 4-6
UP NEXT: Sat vs. Rays 705 Shields vs. Beckett

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