In a game that looked like the Red Sox were in total control, Boston could only manage one run despite an outstanding effort from Daisuke Matsuzaka (13-10) they would lose to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 2-1 at Tropicana Field.
Once again runners left on base and more importantly runners left is scoring position killed several chances Boston had to expand their early lead and even break the game wide open. The Sox would leave 14 runners on base in total, 7 of them in scoring position.
Matsuzaka, who lost for the third time this season to the Rays, was really good tonight. In 6 innings he gave up 2 hits, walked 4 and struck out 8 while allowing only two runs. On most nights that’s good enough for a win but for Daisuke this year it’s almost as if he has to throw a shutout to win because of the lack of run support.
Rays starter Edwin Jackson (4-12) should consider himself a very lucky man. The Sox had their chances in all six innings he pitched but with the failure of the batters, especially Jason Varitek and Alex Cora, to come through he was able to wiggle out of jams all night long.
And wiggle he did until B.J. Upton took him off the hook with a sixth inning two-run homerun into the rightfield seats to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 advantage that the Rays bullpen would make stand up with some help from the Boston batting order.
The Red Sox drew first blood in the game in the third inning when Dustin Pedroia was hit on the left arm by a pitch from Jackson, Kevin Youkilis followed with a double over the leaping Jonny Gomes in rightfield to move Pedroia to third. David Ortiz walked for the second time on the night to load the bases with no outs for Mike Lowell who hit a sacrifice fly to Carl Crawford in leftfield to plate Pedroia for a 1-0 Boston lead. The Sox would be unable to add to it as J.D. Drew popped out to Brendan Harris at 2nd and Varitek grounded out to Joel Guzman at first with Jackson covering to end the inning.
Matsuzaka looked really good through the first three innings only allowing a 1 out third inning single to Josh Wilson while striking out 4 in facing one hitter over the minimum.
Jackson meanwhile struggled through his first four innings giving up a pair of hits, walking both Ortiz and Eric Hinske twice and hit Pedroia but he had only given up the one run because the Sox left 6 runners on base including 3 who were in scoring position.
The Rays finally got a couple runners on against Matsuzaka in the bottom of the fourth by getting a pair of walks but were unable to do anything with them as Matsuzaka got out of his mini-jam.
Boston tried to tack on a run in the fifth inning, with one out Ortiz sliced a double into leftfield, Lowell singled to center but Upton threw out Ortiz at the plate for the second out of the inning. Drew walked to put runners on first and second but Varitek would strike out. In the first five innings the Sox left 4 runners in scoring position and 8 in total on the bases.
Tampa Bay finally got to Matsuzaka in the 6th with one out Carlos Pena walked and Upton followed with his 18th HR of the season into the rightfield seats and it was 2-1 Rays. It was only the second hit Matsuzaka had given up. He would get Harris to pop out, then Gomes would reach on a two-base throwing error by Lowell before Guzman would become Matsuzaka’s 8th strike out victim to end the inning. He threw 111 pitches as he left the game after the inning.
Continue reading →
at
The Astros sent 
