Mike Timlin shouldn't be on the ALCS roster, let alone in a close game

For a playoff game that lasted five hours and 27 minutes over 11 innings, it might be surprising to hear that one decision made all the difference in the final outcome. With only Paul Byrd and Mike Timlin left in the bullpen heading into the bottom of the 11th, Red Sox manager Terry Francona made the wrong decision: he put Timlin in over Byrd (who hasn't appeared yet in the playoffs).

At that point, I knew it was over (most likely in that inning). I'm not that cynical but after watching Timlin completely lose his stuff the last two seasons, I felt like it was impossible that he'd be able to hold off the ultra-resilient Rays. Lo and behold, he walked three (one intentionally) and B.J. Upton hit a shallow sacrifice fly to right that scored pinch runner Fernando Perez. Tampa Bay won game 2, 9-8, evening the series at one game apiece.

You can't really say the Red Sox deserved to win. A couple players were outstanding and it's not like Tampa was that much better, however the law of averages had to tell you that there was no way Boston would take the first two games at the Trop.

Neither Josh Beckett nor Scott Kazmir were anything like they're capable of showing. In 4.1 innings, Beckett gave up eight earned runs on nine hits with one walk and five strikeouts. Kazmir lasted 4.1 innings, giving up five earned runs on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts. The two supposed aces each allowed three home runs.

The loss for Boston did spoil amazing performances by Jason Bay, Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis. Bay had three hits (including a double and homer), a walk and four RBIs. Youk had three hits (homer), two runs and an RBI. Finally, Pedroia cranked two homers off of Kazmir, a single, four runs, two RBIs and a walk.

Other than that, the Red Sox had some black holes in the lineup. Jacoby Ellsbury was 0-for-6, Mark Kotsay was 0-for-6, Jason Varitek was 0-for-3 before he was lifted for a pinch hitter. Jed Lowrie and David Ortiz didn't get a hit but they both walked three times and Coco Crisp added three hits.

Evan Longoria was the headliner for the Rays. He was 3-for 5 (2 doubles, homer) with three runs and three RBIs. Upton had a homer, two RBIs, two runs, walk and steal. Carlos Pena had two hits, two runs and an RBI while Carl Crawford had two hits and two RBIs.

Bay put Boston up 2-0 in the first with a two-run double which scored Ortiz and Youkilis. Longoria responded in the bottom of the first with a two-run blast off Beckett, scoring himself and Pena.

Pedroia hit his first homer in the third while Upton tied it back up with a moonshot of his own in the bottom of the third. Crawford gave the Rays the lead later in the inning with an RBI single.

The most unforgivable mistake by Beckett was in the fourth when Cliff Floyd hit a solo homer to center, making it 5-3 Rays.

Boston hit three homers in the fifth, retaking the lead at 6-5 and knocking Kazmir out of the game. Pedroia, Youkilis and Bay did the honors.

Hoping to get one more inning out of Beckett, Francona left him in there to start the bottom of the fifth. Pena touched him up for an RBI single, Longoria had an RBI double and Crawford took Beckett out with another RBI single.

Bay cut it to 8-7 in the sixth with an RBI single and Boston tied it in the eighth when Pedroia scored on Dan Wheeler's wild pitch.

Wheeler was the unsung hero of the game for the Rays as he went 3.1 scoreless innings (48 pitches), with four strikeouts. Think the Rays wanted this one?

The fact that David Price, the No. 1 pick in 2007, was the last reliever that Tampa used (he got the win), is funny when you think about who the Red Sox were forced to use. No idea why Francona went to Timlin vs. Byrd who could go multiple innings and has great control (he wouldn't have walked all those hitters).

Both teams used all their best arms out of the bullpen. Delcarmen, Okajima, Masterson and Papelbon for the Sox. Balfour, Howell, Bradford and Miller for Tampa Bay.

The series shifts to Fenway tomorrow afternoon for game 3, followed by games 4 and 5 which will also be in Boston. The Sox need to take at least two out of three. They can't go back to Tampa down 3-2 and forced to win two elimination games at the Trop. Jon Lester goes against Matt Garza in what should be much more a pitcher's duel than game 2.

Jason Bay cures Cancer and AIDS before banging Jessica Biel

You can't ask for much more in a debut. The Red Sox (62-48) outlasted the A's (53-55) last night 2-1 in 12 innings and everyone's new favorite player Jason Bay figured prominently in the win.

Missing a home run by a few feet on the Monster, Bay had a triple in the 12th off A's reliever Alan Embree. J.D. Drew (2 hits, 3 walks) was walked intentionally then rookie Jed Lowrie (2 hits, 2 RBIs) came through with the first walk-off hit of his career.

It was an infield hit up the middle that went over Embree and Lowrie beat shortstop Bobby Crosby's throw to first. Bay scored the winning run in his first game in Boston and also had a few nice plays in left field.

Tim Wakefield and Justin Duchscherer dueled for the first six innings. Both ended up with no-decisions but they each deserved better. Duchscherer went six innings, allowing a run on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Wakefield lasted 6.1 innings, giving up four hits, three walks and four strikeouts.

After walking in his first career at bat for the Sox, Bay eventually came around to score the first run of the game on Lowrie's sacrifice fly in the second.

Jack Cust hit a opposite field bomb off Hideki Okajima in the eighth and then the Sox squandered a few great chances to end it before the 12th.

Mike Lowell left in the 12th with a right hip strain. Kevin Youkilis had three hits. Jonathan Papelbon pitched two scoreless innings and Mike Timlin (4-3) worked the 12th for the win.

Oh and the Red Sox won in 13 innings, ho-hum

Normally, when the Red Sox win a game in extra innings, it's pretty exciting stuff. That wasn't really the case last night though as the Sox had the impossible task of playing on the night that the Celtics clinched a trip to the NBA Finals. Plus, it's the end of May, there's over 100 games left in the regular season.

Boston (33-24) won at Fenway south-Camden Yards-5-2 in 13 innings. The Sox scored three in the 13th thanks to Mike Lowell's RBI single which drove in Manny Ramirez with the winning run while the Orioles (26-27) committed three errors in the inning.

Jonathan Papelbon pitched a clean bottom of the 13th with two strikeouts for his 15th save of the season.

Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera gave up two runs in the top of the first. David Ortiz (2 hits, run, RBI) drove in Jacoby Ellsbury (3 hits, run, 3 stolen bases) with a single and Lowell (3 for 5, 2 RBIs, run) plated Ortiz with a sacrifice fly.

Josh Beckett pitched well for the Sox as he went six innings, giving up two runs on four hits with three walks and 10 strikeouts.

Baltimore scored once in the second on Jason Varitek's throwing error then Aubrey Huff tied it in fourth with a solo shot to right.

Six Red Sox relievers combined to go the final seven scoreless innings. Most notable were Hideki Okajima, who went two innings, Craig Hansen who went 1.2 innings and Mike Timlin (3-3), who picked up the win after a scoreless 12th.

Who drinks Miller Lite anyway?

After a rain-out on Friday night, the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers played a day/night doubleheader yesterday at Fenway.

The Red Sox (26-19) snapped their four-game losing streak in style by taking game 1, 5-3 and game 2, 7-6.

Dice-K (7-0) became the second pitcher in the AL (Joe Saunders was the first) to reach seven wins and he's the first to do it while unbeaten.

He went 6.2 innings, giving up two runs (0 earned) on seven hits with two walks and six strikeouts. With two outs in the seventh, Kevin Youkilis (playing third) made an error on Ricky Weeks' hot-shot. Mike Cameron followed that with a two-run bomb.

The other run by the Brewers (20-23) came in the ninth when stud Ryan Braun (3 for 5) hit a rocket over the Monster off Jonathan Papelbon.

Three defensive changes paid huge dividends for the Sox in the ninth as Youk (over at first), Mike Lowell and Alex Cora all many solid plays to end it and give Pap his 12th save of the season.

J.D. Drew had a bases loaded walk in the first to put Boston up 1-0 before David Ortiz (2 hits, 2 runs) hit an opposite-field, three run homer off Jeff Suppan (2-3) in the second to give the Sox a 4-0 lead.

Jason Varitek and Sean Casey each had two hits in the win while Jacoby Ellsbury knocked in Varitek with a RBI double in the eighth.

In the nightcap, the Red Sox once again jumped on the Brewcrew early. Boston led 4-0 after three and 5-0 after five innings.

Mike Lowell accounted for the first four RBIs. He had a two-run double in the first and a two-run homer in the third.

No word if the teams were doing shots or chugging beers in the clubhouse between games as the Brewers committed four errors and the Red Sox had three in the second contest.

Corey Hart (2 hits, stolen base) hit a solo homer off Tim Wakefield in the sixth which started a Milwaukee rally. Ricky Weeks (2 hits) added a two-run single later in the inning to cut it to 5-3.

Mike Rivera's fielder's choice and Craig Counsell's two-run double gave the Brewers a 6-5 lead in the seventh.

David Ortiz had an RBI groundout in the home half of the seventh and Youk (2 hits, run, RBI) finished the scoring with an RBI single that plated Dustin Pedroia (2 runs, hit, stolen base).

Craig Hansen (1-0) was credited with the win despite giving up three runs (all unearned) on two hits.

With Pap unavailable and Okajima nursing a sore wrist, Javier Lopez (eighth) and Mike Timlin (ninth) teamed up to pitch two scoreless innings. It was Timlin's first save of the season.

Boston and Milwaukee wrap up their first interleague series this afternoon.