Red Sox Sign Both Hanley Ramirez & Pablo Sandoval, Because Why The Hell Not?

Two out of the last three seasons, the Red Sox have finished in last place in the AL East. That's not acceptable by any means and the fact that they won the 2013 World Series in between is still nearly impossible to explain. With no salary cap in baseball, an extremely loyal fan base that pays the highest tickets prices in MLB and filthy rich owners, Boston has no excuse but to spend like crazy this offseason to regain their relevance both regionally and nationally.

The Red Sox took a big step forward in terms of wins in 2015 and beyond by signing both shortstop Hanley Ramirez and third baseman Pablo Sandoval. Ramirez, the former Red Sox prized prospect that was traded to Florida in the Josh Beckett deal (November 2005), is reportedly getting a four-year deal worth $88 million with a vesting fifth year worth an additional $22 million. The figures on Sandoval's deal aren't known yet but it is thought to be in the five-year and $90 million range.

Take a breath. The interesting part about this is that while Sandoval was rumored to be coming here for weeks, Ramirez's name wasn't mentioned at all until it was basically signed, sealed and delivered yesterday. They both come with issues: Ramirez has missed a bunch of games the last two seasons with the Dodgers due to various injuries while Sandoval's weight is a constant battle. Ramirez is willing to move away from shortstop which will probably be the case here unless the Red Sox trade Xander Bogaerts (no!). His defense at shortstop wasn't great anymore and as we've seen time and again, any schmoe can play a decent left field at Fenway Park. Sandoval is two years younger (30-28) than Ramirez and while he doesn't have the same tools, he has been a more consistent performer in the postseason (.344 average in 39 games) as he helped San Francisco win three of the last five World Series crowns.

Even before these two moves (the Red Sox will have a press conference to introduce them on Tuesday at 1pm), we knew that the team's biggest need was top of the rotation starting pitching. This certainly improves their lineup but they won't go anywhere without a true ace (Jon Lester?) and a solid number two (James Shields or Cole Hamels?). You worry a bit that both guys have played their entire careers in the kinder, gentler National League, plus they are each coming from California which couldn't be more different than Massachusetts.

The money and risk is worth it because this is the Red Sox who can afford to make high-profile mistakes. I'm not wishing that on them with these guys or predicting it but honestly, what do they have to lose at this point? Ramirez won the NL batting title in 2009 and led the NL in OPS last season (.283, 13 HRs, 71 RBIs, .369 OBP, .448 SLG). Sandoval's regular season numbers won't blow you away (.279 with 16 HRs, 73 RBIs, .324 OBP, .415 SLG) last season) but keep in mind the lack of protection he played with in the Giants' lineup and also what a pitcher's park AT&T has proven to be. Oh and third base was a black hole for Boston last season so anything would be an improvement over that.

There is no question that these two make the Red Sox way better than they were yesterday without them and isn't that ultimately what this is all about? Sure we might not be in love with the player (on paper at least) or the contract (remember it's not our money) but you have to appreciate Boston's attitude here: they are going for it, again, after some truly awful years that should rarely happen to them.

UPDATE 11/25: It's a five-year deal for Sandoval-the 2012 World Series MVP-with an option for 2020.



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It's Safe To Say The Red Sox Did Not Enjoy Their Time in Kansas City

The Pittsburgh Pirates are rightfully earning most of the praise and attention across MLB this season as the team that has totally turned it around after years of losing. However in the American League, Kansas City is starting to become a great story as well. With the Royals' (61-54 overall, 32-26 home) 5-4 win this afternoon over the Red Sox (71-49 overall, 32-28 home) at Kauffman Stadium, they took this weekend's series (3-1) and the season series (5-2).

The good news for Boston is that Tampa Bay has finally slumped a bit, losing their last five games including a sweep from the Dodgers this weekend. Strictly because of that, the Red Sox remain three games up on them for first place in the AL East.

James Shields (7-8) is still a good pitcher and he is certainly familiar with some of the Red Sox hitters from his time with the Rays. Shields went seven innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits with five strikeouts and three walks. John Lackey (7-10) did not have his best stuff by any means but he gutted it out for seven innings: four earned runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and two walks.

Boston got on the board first as Shane Victorino (double, stolen base) came around on Salvador Perez's throwing error in the first inning. Alex Gordon (3 hits) tied it with an RBI single in the home half of the first. Then Jarrod Dyson and David Lough (who?) added RBI singles in the second and Gordon smacked his 13th homer of the season-a solo shot in the third for a 4-1 Royals lead.

For whatever reason, it felt like the Red Sox were down by way more than three runs which is why Ryan Lavarnway's (2 hits) two-run single in the sixth woke everybody up. Kansas City's bullpen was equal to the task though with a scoreless eighth by Tim Collins and Aaron Crow while All-Star closer Greg Holland had a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts for his 32nd save of the season (2nd of the series).

Red hot Stephen Drew (seriously) was 2 for 4 with a double and run for Boston in the loss. This has been a bumpy road trip so far for the Red Sox (3-4) but they have a chance to go home on a positive note after three games in Toronto (54-63, 5th in AL East) starting on Tuesday (7:07, NESN) with Ryan Dempster (6-8) vs. rookie Todd Redmond (1-1). The other two pitching matchups favor Boston at the Rogers Centre: Jon Lester (10-7) vs. Josh Johnson (2-8) on Wednesday (7:07, NESN) and Jake Peavy (9-4) takes on Mark Buehrle (8-7) on Thursday (7:07, NESN).

They haven't been off since July 25 (rainout vs. Rays) so tomorrow will give Boston a chance to relax for the first time in a while.

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As Big Papi So Eloquently Said, "This Is Our Fucking City!"

This dream start for the Red Sox in 2013 continued this afternoon as they returned to Fenway Park for the first time since the Marathon Bombings on Monday. Fittingly, they won it in memorable fashion. Daniel Nava hit a go-ahead three run homer in the eighth and Andrew Bailey hung on for the save as Boston beat Kansas City 5-4 for its seventh straight win.

Boston's (12-4 overall, 5-2 home) starting pitchers extended their streak to 16 games (all of this season) of three earned runs or less. Clay Buchholz (4-0) went eight innings, allowing two earned runs on eight hits with six strikeouts and a walk. Bailey gave up a solo homer to Lorenzo Cain (4 for 4, 2 doubles, 3 runs) but he worked around a walk and single to record his third save of the season.

Former Rays great James Shields finds himself in another MLB blackhole but unlike Tampa Bay, Kansas City (8-7 overall, 4-5 away) hasn't been good for at least a decade. He went six innings, allowing one earned run on four hits with eight strikeouts and three walks.

Jeff Francoeur got the Royals on the board with an RBI single in the fifth. David Ortiz tied it with an RBI single of his own in the sixth. Salvador Perez's RBI triple in the seventh gave Kansas City a 2-1 lead but Nava crushed a three-run shot (his fourth of the season) to right center in the eighth.

Last night's postponed game will be made up tomorrow as part of a day-night doubleheader. Ryan Dempster (1-1) faces Ervin Santana (0-1) in the afternoon (1:35 p.m., NESN) then Allen Webster (obtained from the Dodgers in that blockbuster trade last summer) makes his MLB debut vs. Jeremy Guthrie (2-0) at night (7:05 p.m., NESN) in the series finale.

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Bobby Valentine Will Take Out Daniel Bard When He Damn Well Pleases

The Boston Red Sox won three out of four this weekend against the Tampa Bay Rays. It was a nice first series at Fenway Park this season but you got the feeling this afternoon that they could have had more.

The Rays (5-5, 2-5 away) avoided the sweep with a tight 1-0 win against the Red Sox (4-6, 3-1 home) on Patriot's Day.

It was the first game since May 1, 2009 (Dodgers-Padres) when the lone run was scored on a bases-loaded walk (thanks ESPN Stats and Info). Daniel Bard (0-2) was clearly on the ropes, over 100 pitches and having walked two guys sandwiched around a single to load the bases in the seventh. For some stupid reason, Bobby Valentine thought that his converted reliever should face another batter and as it turned out, that's why they lost. Bard walked Evan Longoria, scoring Sean Rodriguez with the winning run.

Bard's final line was 6.2 innings, allowing one run (earned) on four hits with seven strikeouts and seven walks. Justin Thomas deserves props for getting Luke Scott to fly out to end the seventh with the bases loaded. He also threw a scoreless eighth.

James Shields (2-0) continued to show why he's one of MLB's best pitchers, even though he gets zero hype or attention (probably a product of playing in Tampa Bay). He went 8.1 innings, allowing four hits with five strikeouts and two walks.

Desmond Jennings led the Rays with two hits (double), a stolen base and a walk.

Mr. Tilted Brim aka Fernando Rodney recorded his fourth save of the season by getting the last two outs. He survived a walk and he was able to strike out Cody Ross (2 hits) to end it. It would have been nice to see Ross swing the bat in that situation but all three called strikes in his at bat weren't even borderline, they were balls. I don't blame him at all for freaking out at umpire Larry Vanover after it was over.

The schedule doesn't ease up at all this week for the Red Sox as the Rangers and Yankees both come to Fenway. The two-time defending AL Champions from Texas are here for two, starting tomorrow night with Colby Lewis taking on Jon Lester. Can Boston please score a few more runs for Lester and get him a win? Is that too much to ask?

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Beckett Returns To Glory, Ditto For Bard As Red Sox Finally Beat The Rays

It seems silly to call a game for a team that leads the American League Wild Card by three games with 13 remaining a must-win but I think that's exactly how any objective Boston Red Sox fan viewed tonight's game vs. the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park.

Josh Beckett (13-5) returned after last pitching on September 5 and while he wasn't his usual lights out self against Tampa Bay (83-67), he still did enough to make sure the Red Sox (87-63) won 4-3 in a playoff-like atmosphere (cool temperatures and a crowd that for once was into it from the start).

This was seen as such an important game since the Rays had won six straight against Boston, plus if they swept this weekend series they would be tied with the Red Sox. This win for Boston means that at worst they'll say bye to their AL East foes with a two-game lead with 10 games left in the regular season.

Beckett lasted six innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits with a walk and seven strikeouts. It's hard to gauge which is more vital to the cause long-term but Daniel Bard also returned to his dominant self after a recent particularly rough stretch. He worked around a walk in the eighth and struck out the side with some overpowering fastballs and sliders (plus a changeup which he never throws).

Alfredo Aceves had been the bridge to Bard with a scoreless seventh (two walks, two strikeouts) and Jonathan Papelbon struck out the side in the ninth (12 of 13 pitches for strikes) as he picked up his 30th save of the season. It had almost been a month since his last save opportunity (August 18) and he made this one count as he became the first closer with 30+ saves in the first six seasons of his career.

James Shields (15-11) was off his game for the Rays. He went seven innings but he was tagged for four earned runs on seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts.

Evan Longoria (3 RBIs, 2 hits, 2 walks) hit a two-run homer in the top of the first to give Tampa Bay an early 2-0 advantage.

Boston responded immediately in the bottom of the first as Dustin Pedroia (2 hits, 2 runs, stolen base) knocked in Jacoby Ellsbury with an RBI single and David Ortiz (2 hits, 2 RBIs) likewise drove in Pedroia with an RBI single.

Longoria put the Rays ahead once again with an RBI single in the third, driving in Desmond Jennings (3 hits, 2 runs, 2 stolen bases, walk).

Ortiz tied it in the home half of the third with an RBI double that plated Pedroia.

The go-ahead run was provided by Mike Aviles, who drilled a solo homer (his sixth of the season; first with Boston) off the Sports Authority sign in the fourth.

Jon Lester opposes Jeff Niemann tomorrow afternoon in another juicy pitching matchup. For one night at least, the Red Sox' woes were forgotten as they gained ground on the Rays and the Yankees (3.5 games ahead in the AL East) who lost in Toronto. After completely failing at the Trop last weekend, expect Lester to bounce back and pitch much better this time around.

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Where's Bob Lobel When You Need Him?

Former Boston sportscaster Bob Lobel used to talk about the Red Sox and the panic button whenever the home team lost like two games in a row in September. God only knows where he is right now, probably at the bottom of a bottle and/or in the gutter, but no doubt Lobel is pushing his panic button non-stop.

The Red Sox (85-61) completed a nightmare of a road trip 1-6 with a 9-1 loss this afternoon at Tropicana Field to the Tampa Bay Rays (81-64). By sweeping the three-game set, the Rays climbed to within 3.5 games of the AL wild card behind the Red Sox. Oh and did I mention that they come to Fenway Park next week for four games? Yep.

Jon Lester (15-7) took the hill today and as Boston's ace you would have to think he'd give them a good chance to win. Thanks to their inept offense, he basically had to throw either a no-hitter or shutout to do it and thankfully that was out the window in the first inning.

Tampa Bay scored three runs in their first time up and later added a grand slam by B.J. Upton (4 hits, 3 runs) in the fifth to take it.

Rays starter James Shields (15-10) came up two outs short of his 12th complete game of the season (absurd) but that's about the only way he failed. He went 8.1 innings, allowing one earned run on seven hits with three walks and five strikeouts.

I'm not enough of a contrarian to say he deserves the AL Cy Young (he doesn't) but he should get a decent amount of votes since he's been awesome (2.70 ERA) all season-long.

Marco Scutaro (2 hits) provided the only Red Sox run with a solo homer (his 6th of hte season) in the third. Mike Aviles (2 hits) was his only teammate with multiple hits since Boston managed seven in the latest depressing loss.

The Red Sox seemed poised to break out of their recent slump as they loaded the bases with one out in the third but Shields buckled down to get David Ortiz to fly out to left and Josh Reddick fouled out to end their last real threat.

Unlike Boston who has now lost five in a row, the Yankees snapped their four-game losing streak today in Anaheim. They're up 3.5 games in the AL East and for all intents and purposes, Boston can kiss the division goodbye. Now it's all about survival mode.

After a much-needed off-day tomorrow, Toronto comes to Boston for two games, Tampa Bay is here for four games and then Baltimore shows up for three games. It's one of the longest homestands of the season and it couldn't come at a more opportune time.

Tim Wakefield pitches on Tuesday night (only the eighth time he's gone for win No. 200) as the Red Sox try to get this whole mess turned around.

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Red Sox Split Day-Night Doubleheader With Rays, Record First Triple Play In 17 Years

They might not have the same talent level with Carlos Pena, Carl Crawford, Rafael Soriano, Grant Balfour, Joaquin Benoit, etc. all gone but the Tampa Bay Rays are still a tough matchup for the Boston Red Sox.

There are few if any teams in MLB that draft and develop players as well as the Rays so Crawford has already been replaced by Desmond Jennings. Most importantly, they have a deep and young pitching staff: James Shields, David Price, Jeff Niemann, Jeremy Hellickson and Wade Davis.

The Red Sox (74-46) were able to beat the Rays (64-56) 3-1 this afternoon in the first tidy game of a day-night doubleheader but Tampa Bay bounced back to take the nightcap 6-2 at Fenway Park. The Yankees beat the Royals tonight as well meaning New York takes a half game lead for first-place in the AL East.

Boston's win was the direct result of the brilliance of five players: Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester, Daniel Bard, Jonathan Papelbon and Dustin Pedroia. It's rare that a baseball game can be boiled down to that few elements but keep in mind, there were only six hits combined in that one and it only took two hours and 24 minutes.

Shields (11-10) went the distance in the loss, his MLB-best ninth complete game of the season. He allowed three earned runs on three hits with one walk and six strikeouts.

Lester (12-6) went one less inning but he was just a smidge more effective. The lefty went seven innings, allowing one earned run on three hits with a walk and eight strikeouts.

Tampa Bay took a 1-0 lead on the first as Jennings led off the game with a double, stole third and scored on Evan Longoria's ground out.

Boston got all of its runs in the third as Ellsbury drilled a three-run bomb over the Rays bullpen, scoring Josh Reddick and Mike Aviles.

Daniel Bard got a 1-2-3 with two strikeouts for his 28th hold of the season while Jonathan Papelbon continued his incredible stretch of work with a clean ninth for his 28th save of the season.

Pedroia ended the game with authority by snagging a B.J. Upton liner up the middle that seemed destined to be a base hit.

Game two was not so kind to the home team as Niemann (8-4) had one of the most impressive starts by an opposing pitcher that Boston will see all season.

Like Shields, he also threw a complete game (nine innings), allowing two earned runs on three hits with a walk and 10 strikeouts. I don't usually give out Fantasy Baseball tips but pick this guy up, I'm pretty sure he'll be available on most waiver wires.

Erik Bedard (4-8) is still looking for his first win in a Red Sox uniform after three starts. He went six innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on seven hits with no walks and six strikeouts. Tampa Bay got to his pitch count early-in the second-by fouling off the most amount of pitches I can ever remember (29 in his outing) by one pitcher.

Luck was not on his side even though Boston turned its first triple play since 1994 (John Valentin!). The Rays scored twice in the second on a throwing error by Jed Lowrie and a ground out by Matt Joyce.

Jason Varitek's (his eighth of the season) in the third cut it to 2-1 and Sean Rodriguez was the poor sap who grounded into the triple play in the fourth (Lowrie to Pedroia to Gonzalez: 5-4-3). That was only the 30th triple play in franchise history.

You figure that momentum could carry over but Jennings (2 hits) hit a solo homer over the Monster in the fifth and Boston had to play catch up once again. Ellsbury hit another homer (his 22nd) in the sixth but the Rays pushed across three in the eighth against Matt Albers featuring some more sloppy defense by the Red Sox (even if they weren't called errors).

B.J. Upton (3 hits, 2 runs, stolen base) had an RBI single-his first clutch hit in years-while Ben Zobrist (3 hits, 2 runs, 2 stolen bases) "stole home" on another bad throw by Lowrie. Casey Kotchman (2 hits) added an RBI single for even more of a cushion.

David Ortiz missed both games and will reportedly be in a boot for the next few days, but not go on the disabled list with a bruised heel.

The rubber match is tomorrow afternoon, yes another day game (today was a rain makeup date). John Lackey goes against David Price. The Red Sox could benefit from the win since they would take the series from the Rays and more importantly, head out on the long road trip (eight games) with renewed confidence.

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Shields shuts out Red Sox, snaps nine-game win streak

Well it was bound to happen at some point. As sure as nobody will ever care about the Tampa Bay Rays in Florida and they'll never build a decent fan base in the land of medicare and blue hair, the Boston Red Sox weren't going to win all their remaining games in 2011.

"Big Game" James Shields (6-4) finally lived up to his preposterous nickname with a 4-0 shutout (his third of the season) over the Red Sox (39-27) in the series opener last night at Tropicana Field.

Shields allowed five hits with three walks and five strikeouts as the Rays (36-31) backed his outstanding start with some timely hitting off Boston starter Tim Wakefield (3-2).

In what was likely his last start (for now) with Andrew Miller getting called up from Pawtucket, Wakefield acquitted himself well. He went seven innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits with five walks and two strikeouts.

Adrian Gonzalez had three hits but the rest of the Red Sox, including Carl Crawford who was 0 for 3 in his return to the Trop, couldn't put anything together at the plate.

Justin Ruggiano gave the Rays a 1-0 lead in the fifth as he jumped on a high knuckleball from Wakefield.

Two passed balls in the sixth by Jarrod Saltalamacchia gifted a run to Tampa Bay.

Former Red Sox great Casey Kotchman made it 3-0 with an RBI single in the eighth and John Jaso added another RBI single for the final Tampa Bay run in the frame.

Not that anyone in New England will be watching, save for until the puck drops (in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals: Bruins vs. Canucks) and between periods, but the baseball game tonight should be a good one with Josh Beckett taking on Rays youngster Jeremy Hellickson.

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To go nowhere it's all about run prevention

It hasn't taken long to figure out why nobody was excited about the 2010 Red Sox season: by not adding a bit bat in the middle of the lineup (to replace Jason Bay), it was clear that this flawed team from last season would only take a step back.

The Sox brass talked all about run prevention which has already backfired as they make errors left and right and on top of that, they can't score any runs making defense rather pointless.

It's hard to remember a much more depressing result in April but yesterday has to be the front-runner as Tampa Bay won two games in one night at Fenway Park.

First, they wrapped up the suspended game from the night before with a 3-1 win in 12 innings. Pat Burrell hit a two-run homer off Manny Delcarmen in the 12th.

That was bad enough but it came after the laughable sequence of not being able to score one run (to win it in the 11th) with the bases loaded and nobody out. David Ortiz hit a groundball that forced J.D. Drew at the plate before Adrian Beltre grounded into a double play.

Tampa Bay (8-3) won their fifth straight (5-0 on the road) and sent Boston (4-7) to its third straight loss with a 6-5 victory late last night.

With the rain, miserable temperatures and delay from the first game, it was a rare scene at Fenway: empty seats everywhere. The only enjoyment in last night's game was listening to a couple hardy drunks yelling at the Red Sox. Yup, it's come to that already.

The Rays scored four runs in the first off Clay Buchholz. The first was solely Mike Cameron's fault as he dropped a routine fly ball by Carlos Pena. From there, Buchholz was rattled and gave up a three-run double to Burrell.

Marco Scutaro got the Red Sox on the board with a solo homer-his first with Boston-in the fifth inning. After a John Jaso RBI double and Evan Longoria's solo shot, Tampa Bay was up 6-1. James Shields (1-0) was cruising but ran into trouble in the seventh.

Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis, the only Boston hitters you can count on at the moment, made it interesting with a pair of two-run homers over the Monster.

Ramon Ramirez finally did something positive, throwing two scoreless innings but Dan Wheeler (eighth) and Rafael Soriano (fourth save, second of the night) didn't allow the tying run from Boston.

Tampa Bay goes for the sweep this afternoon as Matt Garza takes on Jon Lester.

All is right in the world on Opening Day

The economy is a nightmare and the weather around here is typical New England early spring misery but all that can be overlooked for a few hours when the Boston Red Sox are playing games that matter.

A day later than expected, due to a rainout, the Sox (1-0) opened up the 2009 season with a textbook 5-3 win over the defending AL Champions, your Tampa Bay Rays (0-1).

Josh Beckett (1-0) was the biggest star yesterday as he looked like the lights out Beckett of 2007. He went seven innings, allowing just one run on two hits with three walks and 10 strikeouts.

James Shields (0-1) was not nearly as stellar for the Rays. He lasted only five innings, giving up five runs on nine hits with three walks and two strikeouts.

The hype going into this season is that the Red Sox have one of if not the top pitching staff in baseball. A top three of Beckett, Jon Lester and Dice-K is pretty hard to argue with.

Conversely, the Sox lineup is much more of a question mark as players like Jacoby Ellsbury have to take the next step in their progression while automatic outs like Jed Lowrie and Jason Varitek have to improve, however slightly.

2008 American League MVP Dustin Pedroia is a sure thing and he exemplified that by hitting a homer over the Monster in his first at bat of the season.

Carl Crawford's sacrifice fly in the third tied it but Boston scored three in the bottom of the inning to take the lead for good.

J.D. Drew grounded out for an RBI, Jason Bay had an RBI single and Mike Lowell (back from hip surgery) capped it off with an RBI double.

The most surprising part of the came occurred in the sixth when Varitek wrapped a home run around Pesky's Pole in right. For one day, the Captain didn't look like a zombie at the plate.

Evan Longoria hit a two-run single in the eighth off Justin Masterson (allowing Hideki Okajima's two runners he left on) to score but Jonathan Papelbon came on for a 1-2-3 save in the ninth.

Scott Kazmir takes on Lester tonight.

Red Sox force Game 7 in ALCS

I thought the Tampa Bay Rays were different. After being the better team for games 1-5 (until the final seven outs of game 5), the Rays appear to have unraveled as the Red Sox took game 6 at the Trop, 4-2.

Yet another Boston Red Sox playoff comeback that seemed so unlikely, now seems almost inevitable. How much can one crazy rally change?

Josh Beckett was the Sox' biggest question mark heading into game 6 and he submitted a fine performance given the circumstances (and his probable injury). He went five innings, giving up two runs on four hits with a walk and three strikeouts.

For Tampa, Big Game James Shields failed to live up to his name as he gave up four (three earned) runs on nine hits in 5.2 innings, with three walks and three strikeouts.

TBS had a power outage so the first 21 minutes of the game were blacked out (really). That means the national audience missed Babe Ruth, I mean B.J. Upton's solo homer off Beckett in the first.

Boston responded as Kevin Youkilis hit a matching solo blast in the second off Shields. Youkilis put the Sox up 2-1 in the third with an RBI groundout that scored Dustin Pedroia.

The Rays tied it up with another long ball, from the most unlikely of sources: Jason Bartlett (his second of the season) hooked one down the left field line.

Maybe even more improbable than that was when Sox catcher Jason Varitek recorded his first hit in the sixth: a solo homer to right center off Shields. David Ortiz made it 4-2 with an RBI single to right which beat the shift.

Coco Crisp once again was great in the leadoff spot with three hits, a walk and a run.

From there, Boston got outstanding work from its bullpen. Hideki Okajima (who hasn't given up a run in the playoffs) went two scoreless innings, Justin Masterson (how good is he?) pitched a scorless eighth before handing it over to Mr. Automatic, Jonathan Papelbon. The 1-2-3 ninth from Pap gave him the save and more importantly forced a winner-takes-all game 7 tonight at the Trop.

It'll be Jon Lester against Matt Garza. You have to feel like the Sox have all the momentum in the world plus Lester will almost certainly have a better start than he did in game 3 (five runs). Just sayin'.

The Rays ride the Dice-K roller coaster, puke Problem Child 2 style

When Red Sox manager Terry Francona announced that Daisuke Matsuzaka would be the ALCS game 1 starter, many Red Sox fans questioned the move. Why not start Jon Lester or Josh Beckett? I'll admit, that I didn't have much confidence in the Dice-Man going into tonight but he proved me and many of my fellow Masshole brethren wrong by spinning a gem.

Boston shutout Tampa Bay, 2-0 as Dice-K threw seven scoreless innings. In true Dice-K fashion, he never made it look easy yet he was spectacular. He walked the bases loaded in the first but got out of the jam. He had a no-hitter through six innings before Carl Crawford singled to lead off the seventh. In 7+ innings, Matsuzaka gave up four hits, walked four and struck out nine.

He ended up throwing 115 pitches and Francona made the curious decision to leave him in to start the eighth (instead of a reliever?) but was bailed out by Justin Masterson who got slumping rookie Evan Longoria to ground into an inning ending double play.

The Red Sox scored a run in the fifth as Jed Lowrie's sacrifice fly brought home Jason Bay. Kevin Youkilis (3 hits) added the key insurance RBI in the eighth as his shot to left was dropped by Crawford. Dustin Pedroia (run, hit, walk, stolen base) scored on Youkilis' double.

Tampa Bay starter James Shields was good. He lasted 7.1 innings, giving up two earned runs on six hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Jonathan Papelbon got a 1-2-3 ninth inning with two strikeouts for the save. He's now set a major league record by going 20-2/3 scoreless postseason innings to start his career.

Back to Francona's gutsy call on Dice-K that paid off. By starting Dice-K in game 1, Francona was stacking the deck (on normal rest) by pitching Josh Beckett in game 2 and Jon Lester back at Fenway in game 3. In essence, this was a game the Rays had to have since you'd have to bet that Beckett will only improve on his start vs. the Angels and Lester has been the most dominant starter in the playoffs this season.

I wouldn't call Saturday night a must-win for the Rays since they've defied so many expectations this season but it's mighty close. If they lose and/or if Beckett shakes off some of the rest, they're done. Lester in game 3 is almost a given. Scott Kazmir (who's struggled for most of the second half and in his start against the White Sox last week) gets the ball for Tampa at the Trop.

Getting Drunk off the Rays Kool-Aid

How long will it take people to realize that the Tampa Bay Rays are legit? Maybe one of the reasons that casual fans hold onto false beliefs for so long is because baseball has such a marathon of a season.

I can't tell you how many times recently, guys have told me, "the Yankees will make a run and Tampa will come back to earth." This is based on the last few seasons when the Yankees had slow starts but the Bombers heat up with the summer weather. Ain't happening this season folks. The Yanks still have no pitching (starting or middle relief) and their once-potent offense is starting to show the wrinkles of its age.

The Orioles? A .500 team, nothing more or less. Toronto? Great pitching, pathetic hitting so ditto about .500. Boston is a cut above those three teams but for the first time in its history, Tampa Bay is right next to the Red Sox. Make no mistake, the Rays have a very good shot at making the playoffs. I might be wrong but you'd have to be a Luddite not to see the progress being made in Retirement Country.

Last night was the beginning of probably the most important series in Tampa Bay's history and the Rays delivered with a 5-4 over the Red Sox in a game that they would have lost in any previous season.

Down 5-2 going into the ninth, Boston (50-35) scored twice and had the tying run on third when Julio Lugo (a symbol of Tampa Bay's shitty past) lined out to short to end it.

With one out in the ninth, Tampa Bay (50-32) had two terrible instances of bad luck as Brandon Moss's pop-up to right hit a catwalk and fell for an RBI double. Jason Varitek cut it to 5-4 in the next at-bat as he hit a sacrifice fly which scored Kevin Youkilis. As he tried to cover third on the throw, Rays closer Troy Percival appeared to tweak his hamstring (an injury that put him on the DL earlier in the season). No problem. Young lefty J.P. Howell came in to retire Lugo and record his second save of the season.

The Rays always had control of this game as B.J. Upton led off the home half of the first with a home run off Red Sox starter Justin Masterson.

Masterson has been good but he might have made his last start for the Sox for a while as Clay Buchholz has regained his control in Pawtucket. Last night, Masterson (4-2) lasted six innings, giving up four runs on five hits with five walks and five strikeouts.

Tampa Bay starter James Shields improved to 6-5 after 6.1 solid innings of work. He allowed two runs on five hits with one walk and five strikeouts.

Boston tied it in the fourth when the scorching Mike Lowell (3 for 4, run, RBI) knocked in Dustin Pedroia with an RBI single.

The Rays responded with two in the fourth as Gabe Gross hit a two-run bomb. Tampa Bay padded its lead with another run in the fifth on Carlos Pena's RBI double.

J.D. Drew hit a solo shot in the sixth, keeping it within striking distance for the Sox (4-2 Rays).

The one last run Tampa Bay added in the seventh proved to be the difference. Jonny Gomes grounded into a fielder's choice with the bases loaded.

Tim Wakefield (who always pitches great indoors, especially at the Trop) takes the ball for the Sox tonight against the Rays' Matt Garza. It's a big week for the Red Sox as they have three at the Trop, followed by three in the Bronx.

What else can happen in one game at Fenway?

Let's be honest, baseball for the most part is a pretty boring sport. Sure there are thrilling moments (usually found in the playoffs) but 162 regular season games are filled with dull inning after dull inning. I love baseball but when you watch it after seeing football or basketball, it pales in comparison for excitement per minute.

Once in a while however, the stars align in a normal regular season game and a bunch of wacky things happen all at once. Last night's 7-1 Red Sox win over the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway was one of those occasions. There was a brawl between the two teams, fighting between teammates in a dugout, a guy had five RBIs and another player got hurt making a diving catch.

You wish that some of last night could be bottled up and spread over the next few months as there will be countless snoozefests in the dog days of summer but I digress.

Boston (38-25) quickly led 3-0 in the bottom of the first after Manny Ramirez crushed a three-run bomb over everything in left.

Jonny Gomes' RBI single in the second made it 3-1 Red Sox before things got heated.

It all started in the bottom of the second when Rays (35-25) starter James Shields (4-4) hit Coco Crisp on the leg. It was retaliation from Crisp taking out Akinuri Iwamura with a dirty slide the night before. Coco took exception and ran at Shields. Coco ducked a Shields haymaker and only partially landed a shot of his own before getting tackled by Dioner Navarro. Gomes and Carl Crawford proceeded to take cheap shots at Crisp while he was pinned on the ground.

Seeing some emotion out of Crisp was a good thing. Besides highlight reel catches, the guy has been a real disappointment in Boston. Maybe, this will get him going this year. As far as baseball fights go, this was a solid one. Lots of people involved and some punches thrown, not the usual stand around and look tough showdowns.

Coco, Shields and Gomes were all ejected from the game. Dustin Pedroia made it 4-1 Boston later in the inning with a sacrifice fly that scored rookie Chris Carter.

Manny put it away with a two-run single in the fourth, following a J.D. Drew bases-loaded walk.

A strange scene in the bottom of the fourth when Manny and Kevin Youkilis started pushing each other in the dugout. Apparently, Youk took exception to Manny not getting out there faster during the fight. The team tried to play it down after the game but only time will tell if it's an issue moving forward.

As much coverage as the fighting received the bigger news for the Sox is the health of Jacoby Ellsbury. He made a great diving catch but twisted his wrist awkwardly. X-Rays were negative but Boston will be extremely cautious with its new golden boy.

Lester (4-3) picked up the win, his first at Fenway since the no-hitter. He went 6.1 innings, giving up one run on eight hits with five strikeouts.

The hyped matchup of Tampa Bay and Boston failed to live up the hype as the Sox once again swept the Rays at Fenway. The Red Sox have now won 13 in a row at home and they have the pathetic Seattle Mariners stumbling into town tonight.

These Aren't Your Grandpa's Rays

Yesterday's 3-0 loss to the Rays constituted a lost weekend for the Boston Red Sox.

They've now lost five in a row and are percentage points behind both Baltimore and Tampa Bay for first place in the new-look AL East. The Rays (14-11) have won six straight.

Boston (15-12) wasted a great outing from Josh Beckett (2-2), who pitched seven innings, giving up four hits, two runs (1 earned), one walk and 13 strikeouts.

On the other side, James Shields (3-1) was just a little better. He pitched a complete game on 99 pitches: allowing two hits and striking out seven.

In the third, Jason Bartlett reached base on a Beckett error then came around to score when J.D. Drew relayed his throw from RF into the ground.

Tampa Bay doubled the lead when rookie sensation Evan Longoria hit a solo homer in the seventh.

The final straw was when Carl Crawford hit an RBI double off Manny Delcarmen to put the Rays up 3-0 in the eighth. The slumping Sox weren't likely to come back from down 2-0 but 3-0 was more than enough to clinch it.

David Ortiz was out again and Mike Lowell finished up his rehab with Pawtucket. With Sean Casey on the DL, the Sox have run into some injury problems early in the season. There's no need to panic since they'll be fine (shortly) but it is not fun watching your team lose five in a row.

After the off-day today, Toronto comes to Fenway tomorrow for three games.