Are you ready to live in a world where the Tampa Rays have a better season than the New York Yankees? It probably won't happen this year but I'm just putting it out there. The Yanks are really nothing special this year and Tampa finally seems to be turning the corner and accumulating wins, not just talent.
Tampa beat the Red Sox, 2-1 last night at Tropicana Field. The Rays (13-11) won their fifth in a row while the Red Sox (15-11) lost their fourth in a row.
Clay Buchholz (1-2) was outstanding but manager Terry Francona kept him in one batter too long. David Ortiz sat after bruising his knee on a slide Friday night.
Staked to a slim 1-0 lead in the bottom of the eighth, Dioner Navarro hit a pinch-hit single. Buchholz was over 100 pitches by that point but Francona chose to keep him in (even though Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon were waiting in the bullpen) and the next hitter, Akinori Iwamura crushed a two-run bomb to right. Iwamura is not a power-hitter by any means but Buchholz was tired and should have been yanked.
Buchholz went eight innings giving up just three hits, two runs, two walks and nine strikeouts.
Rays starter Edwin Jackson pitched well, going seven innings, giving up five hits, one run, three walks and four strikeouts.
Reliever Scott Dohmann picked up the win and Troy Percival pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his fifth save.
Jacoby Ellsbury was the only player with multiple hits as he had two hits, including an infield single that drove in the only Sox run.
Boston looks to salvage something from this series as Josh Beckett opposes James Shields this afternoon.
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