After last night’s big 8-1 win behind Josh Beckett at Tropicana Field it was important to come out and get another win especially with Daisuke Matsuzaka on the bump.
But a good effort by Matsuzaka was wasted, and it looked like a productive night by middle of the order was gone as well and once again the bullpen appeared to be the weak link in an apparent Boston loss. This time the victim was Javier Lopez who was called upon to get Carlos Pena with the game on the line in the 7th inning.
With two outs in the 7th and Matsuzaka over 100 pitches and tiring he gave up back-to-back walks to fellow countryman Akinori Iwamura and Jorge Velandia to put the tying run on base. This brought out Terry Francona who pulled Matsuzaka in favor of the lefty Lopez to face the dangerous Pena. Lopez got in front of Pena 0-2 but he worked the count to 3-2 and then hit a three run homerun to rightfield on a thigh high pitch middle in. It was his second homerun of the night and 42nd of the year and just like that gave the Rays a 6-5 lead. Mike Timlin replaced Lopez and struck out B.J. Upton to put down the Rays one batter too late.
The Red Sox got on the board first when they actually manufactured a run in the third inning off of Rays starter Andy Sonnanstine. Coco Crisp reached on a bunt single to third despite a great try by Iwamura. Julio Lugo sacrificed Crisp to second and then rookie outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury singled to center to score Crisp for his 15th RBI and a 1-0 Sox lead.
The Sox tacked on a pair in the fourth inning when Mike Lowell got a lead off walk and he came all the way around from first to score standing up on a J.D. Drew double into the left centerfield gap for a 2-0 lead. Drew would score when Jason Varitek singled to right and it was 3-0 Sox.
Matsuzaka looked pretty comfortable through the first three innings, surrendering only a pair of singles, one each to Iwamura and Greg Norton and recording a pair of strikeouts on Pena and Velandia.
But the fourth inning would be a rough one for Matsuzaka. As he does so often, he seems to have one inning in each start when he looses his concentration or his command or both. Tonight it was the fourth. Pena hit his 41st homerun of the year to lead off the inning and cut the lead to 3-1. With one out Delmon Young, Tampa’s rookie of the year candidate, singled to left and stole second and he came around to score on Norton’s RBI single to center and it was 3-2 Boston. But Matsuzaka would come back and get back-to-back strikeouts of Jonny Gomes and Dioner Navarro to end the threat and keep the Sox up by a run.
Matsuzaka regained his composure in the fifth getting a 1-2-3 inning that included his 5th (Iwamura) and 6th (Velandia) strikeouts of the night. It was also the second inning in a row he ended with back-to-back whiffs.
In the sixth the Beantowner’s would add a few more. With one out Lowell got his second hit of the night a flare single to right and he would score when Drew, of all people, hit a two-run bomb into the rightfield seats for his 10th homerun of the year. It was Drew’s second extra base hit in the game and his 2nd and 3rd RBI of the night. It would also give the Sox and Matsuzaka a 5-2 lead and chase Sonnanstine from game. He would be replaced by lefty John Switzer. After giving up a single to Varitek he would get a pair of fly outs to end the inning.
The Rays chipped away for a run in their half of the 6th off of Matsuzaka who walked Pena to lead off the inning, Upton then barely beat out a pretty double play attempt on his high bouncer by Lugo, Dustin Pedroia and Eric Hinske. This would prove to be the big part of the inning as Upton would steal second as Young struck out swinging for Matsuzaka’s 7th K. Upton came around to score on a looping single to center by Norton, it was his third hit of the night and his second RBI and it shaved the Sox lead to 5-3. But Matsuzaka would get Gomes to fly out to Drew to end the inning.
Dan Wheeler came in and got a 1-2-3 eight with a pair of strikeouts in the 8th for Tampa.
Eric Gagne (4-2) had his second straight good outing, once again he had all his pitches working and only surrendered a walk to Gomes in the 8th while getting a pair of K’s.
Just when this was starting to have that gloom and doom feeling to it of yet another late loss, the Sox wasted no time in getting to Rays closer Al Reyes. Varitek lead off the 9th inning with solo homerun to the opposite field over a leaping Gomes to tie the game 6-6. Hinske followed with a double down the rightfield line past a diving Pena, Crisp popped out then Lugo, the former Tampa Bay short stop, hit a 2-run HR into left field to put the Sox up 8-6. Ellsbury followed with a double into right centerfield, Pedroia moved him over with a sacrifice fly to first baseman Pena in foul territory and with him running away from the field there was no way he was going to get Ellsbury going to third. Reyes (2-4) intentionally walked Ortiz, who was run for by Royce Clayton and got Lowell to pop out to end the uprising.
Francona then called on closer Jonathan Papelbon to put the Sox into the playoffs for the fourth time in the last five seasons. This would be possible because Kansas City beat Detroit, 7-4 and with a Sox win they were in. Papelbon got pinch hitter Raul Casanova to ground out on the first pitch, Iwamura and Velandia both flew out to Crisp and that was the ball game. Papelbon’s career high 36th save, the 71st of his short career, was no doubt the biggest.
It was a night where in the end it came down to the closers. One failed, one succeeded. Both teams battled but in the end it came down to the team with the biggest guns in their arsenal.
Notes and Musings:
Daisuke Matsuzaka is 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA on 6+ days rest. He made this start on 7 days rest.
Jacoby Ellsbury has hit in 18 of 19 games since his September 1 recall.
The Red Sox 4-5-6 hitters tonight did a lot of damage. Lowell, Drew and Varitek went 7 for 10 with 2 walks, a double, 2 HR’s, 5 RBI and 5 runs scored.
They’re still raving about the catch Ellsbury made last night while running into the Red Sox bullpen.
Boston native Carlos Pena is almost a lock to be the AL Comeback Player of the Year. After being in Triple A last season, he is hitting .279 with 42 HRs and 116 RBI.
Rays closer Al Reyes is 24 of 28 in save opportunities. 3 of the 4 blown saves have come at the hands of the Red Sox. He has allowed 8 ER’s in 7 innings against Boston this year.
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Dustin Pedroia’s weirdest autograph request: He was asked to sign a baby ala Ricky Bobby in Talladega Nights.
Three of the Rays four wins against Boston have come against Daisuke Matsuzaka. They’ve never beaten a pitcher four times in a season.
The Red Sox have the second best road record in MLB.
The Red Sox have led the AL East for 157 days it is the longest stretch in team history. The previous high was 155 days in 1946.
