The Tampa Bay Rays got 3 early home runs off of Tim Wakefield and just continued the pounding as they annihilated the Boston Red Sox 13-4 in front of another 38,133 stunned fans at Fenway Park. The win for the Rays gives them a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 ALCS.
Tim Wakefield was brutal tonight, just absolutely brutal.
Wakefield just didn’t have it tonight. He lasted only 2 2/3 innings and gave up 5 runs on 6 hits while walking 2 and fanning 2. Justin Masterson came in and settled things down for a bit as he went 2 1/3 innings allowing a run on 2 hits and a walk while striking out 4.
Things took a turn for the worse when Manny Delcarmen came in as he gave up 5 runs on 2 hits and 3 walks in just 1/3 of an inning. Javier Lopez worked 1 2/3 innings allowing 2 hits while Mike Timlin mopped up the final two innings, giving up 2 runs on 2 hits and a walk.
The Red Sox managed just 7 hits in the game as the really didn’t have an answer for Rays starter Andy Sonnanstine. Kevin Youkilis knocked in 2 runs with his hit and Kevin Cash drove in one with a home run. Dustin Pedroia brought in the other run for the local nine.
The night for Wakefield started with a strikeout of Akinori Iwamura. He then issued a walk to B.J. Upton and he stole second with Carlos Peña at the plate but it wouldn’t matter as Peña took a high knuckleball the opposite way into the Green Monster seats. Evan Longoria followed with a solo home run and just like that it was 4-0 Rays. Carl Crawford had the first of his 5 hits on the night, a double, and then stole third with Willy Aybar at the plate. Wakefield struck out Aybar, walked Dioner Navarro and finally ended the inning when Fernando Perez fouled out to Kotsay at first.
The Red Sox went quietly in the 1st inning and Wakefield has appeared to settle down in the 2nd as he set the side down in order. The Red Sox then had a big chance to get back into the game in the bottom of the 2nd but failed to do so.
After Youk flew out to center, Jason Bay reached on error by Longoria and went to second on a throwing error by Longoria. Mark Kotsay lined a single to center as Bay stopped at third. Sonnanstine escaped any damage when he got Coco Crisp to ground into a 4-6-3 inning-ending twin killing.
Wakefield got the first two outs of the third inning before Crawford beat out an infield single. With Aybar at the plate Crawford stole second but it didn’t matter once again as he came into score on Aybar’s two run blast into the Fenway faithful sitting on top of the Green Monster to make it 5-0 Rays. Navarro chased Wakefield from the game with a single and young Masterson ended the inning by striking out Perez.
Cash made it 5-1 when he led off the bottom of the 3rd with a blast into the Green Monster seats.
The Rays added another run in the 5th on a Crawford double and Aybar single off of Masterson.
Even Manny Delcarmen couldn't bear to watch the game tonight.
Delcarmen came into the game in the 6th inning for Masterson and the game turned into a good ol’ fashioned ass kicking, kind of like the one Kimbo Slice took last weekend.
He struck out Perez to start things and then Jason Bartlett laced a triple to deep right center. MDC walked Iwamura and Upton followed with a single to Barlett to make it 7-1. Delcarmen followed that with back-to-back walks to Peña and Longoria, the latter forcing in a run to push the lead to 8-1. Lopez came in and gave up RBI singles to Crawford and Aybar before Navarro knocked in another run with a ground out. making it 11-1. The inning mercifully ended as Perez grounded out.
Big Papi led off the 7th with a triple and came into score on a Youk ground out to make it 11-2.
The Rays added two runs in the 8th off of Timlin and the Red Sox followed with 2 of their own in the bottom half of the 8th.
The Red Sox 2008 season and run to the World Series now hinges on the right arm of Daisuke Matsuzaka who will go up against James Shields on Thursday night.
Notes and musings:
Rays @ Red Sox ALCS Game 4 Box score
The original Dirt Dog Trot Nixon
The original Dirt Dog Trot Nixon threw out tonight’s ceremonial first pitch.
With losses of 9-8 in Game 2 and 9-1 in Game 3, this marks the 1st time that the Red Sox have ever allowed 8 or more runs in consecutive playoff games.
Tim Wakefield at the age of 42 years, 73 days, became the oldest pitcher to ever start an ALCS game.
Wakefield was the 2nd oldest Red Sox pitcher to ever start a post-season game. David Wells was 42 years, 138 days when he lost to Chicago in Game 2 of the 2005 ALDS on October 5.
The Red Sox scored just once on Monday, their lowest run total in a playoff game since a 3-1 loss to New York in Game 2 of the 2004 ALCS on October 13. In fact, it marked just the 2nd time in the last 48 playoff games that Boston had been held to only one run.
Mike Timlin’s appearance tonight ties him for the most all-time with Mariano Rivera in the LCS.
