It is the Rays' Year

The Tampa Bay Rays have been the best team in baseball all season (forget the Angels' impressive record, the AL West was a joke) so it seems only fitting that they're moving on to face the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series. The Rays clinched the trip with a nail-biting 3-1 win over the Boston Red Sox in game 7 of the ALCS at the Trop last night.

As a Sox fan, I'm obviously disappointed and went into the game thinking Boston would find a way to win since that's what they've done in recent big games but it wasn't to be. They lost to a better team, I don't hesitate to admit that. I'm sure a majority of simple-minded fanboys from New England and beyond won't be able to deal with this blow for a while but when you lose and there's nothing to gripe about, you have to let it go.

Matt Garza outdueled Jon Lester and Tampa Bays bullpen held the lead. Garza got off to a shaky start as he gave up a solo home run to Dustin Pedroia in the first but he settled down after that. In the biggest start of his career, Garza went seven innings, giving up just the one run on two hits with three walks and nine strikeouts.

Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon got all Tony LaRussa on everybody by using four relievers to get six outs but it worked. The headliner was stud David Price, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, who recorded the last four outs and the save. Price walked one and struck out three, leaving little doubt that the hard-throwing lefty will soon be one of the top pitchers in the AL and probably baseball.

In seven innings of work, Lester gave up three runs on six hits with eight strikeouts. Lester was good but he had to be perfect in this game since the Sox lineup couldn't give him anything.

The Rays tied it in the fourth when Evan Longoria knocked in Carlos Pena with an RBI double.

Tampa Bay would take the lead for good in the fifth as Rocco Baldelli singled home Willy Aybar.

Aybar provided the play of the game as he hit a solo homer in the seventh off Lester that gave Tampa a 3-1 lead.

Boston had five walks but they couldn't deliver the big hits as they left 18 men on base. Hideki Okajima gave the Sox another clean inning, a 1-2-3 eighth.

Price came into the game with two outs in the eighth and struck out J.D. Drew looking with the bases loaded. He walked Jason Bay to lead off the ninth but stuck out Mark Kotsay and Jason Varitek (no pinch hitter?). Jed Lowrie came up for Alex Cora and hit a hard grounder to second baseman Akinori Iwamura that took a sharp hop but Iwamura gloved it and stepped on second for the third and final out.

It's all too easy to be bummed out since the Red Sox fell short so close to another World Series appearance, where they would have had the chance to get two titles in a row. In all honesty, it shouldn't have gotten to that point. Tampa Bay dominated the first 4+ games in the series, the Sox had an amazing comeback then won game 6. Boston had too many injuries and guys in slumps to overcome a young, talented, hungry team like the Rays.

There's many questions to answer in the offseason but the Red Sox have nothing to hang their heads about. They went as far as this flawed team could take them.

World Series prediction: Rays in 6.

Counting on (another) Miracle

The Tampa Bay Rays aren't just beating the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS, they're setting records in the process and embarrassing the defending World Series champs. The Rays became the first team to score 9+ runs in three consecutive playoff games yesterday as they cruised to a 13-4 win in game 4 at Fenway. Tampa Bay takes a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.

It didn't take long to see that Tim Wakefield didn't have anything for the Sox. Carlos Pena (3 runs, 2 walks) hit a two-run homer in the first and Evan Longoria (2 runs, 2 RBIs, walk) followed that with a solo shot.

Willy Aybar had a career night (4 for 5, 5 RBIs) and he blasted a two-run homer in the third, giving Tampa Bay a 5-0 lead.

Boston got a solo homer from Kevin Cash in the bottom of the inning but that was it.

In 2.1 innings, Wakefield was charged with five runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

Once again, the Rays got an solid start from its pitcher. Andy Sonnanstine went 7.1 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits with a walk and two strikeouts.

Tampa put it away with a run in the fifth and five in the sixth. Carl Crawford was 5 for 5 with 3 runs, 2 RBIs and two steals.

Kevin Youkilis had an RBI groundout in the seventh but the Rays scored twice more in the eighth. The Sox finally found a Rays pitcher they can handle as Dustin Pedroia and Youkilis had an RBI single and double respectively off of Edwin Jackson in mop-up duty in the eighth.

Need some positive thinking? The last two times the Red Sox have faced a 3-1 deficit in the playoffs (2004 ALCS and 2007 ALCS), they've comeback and swept the World Series. When you think about it, it's not like we could have expected those results when they were facing elimination. Still, the Rays couldn't have any more momentum at this point. Everything is going their way for good reason. Boston can't hit, isn't getting starting pitching and the bullpen is a mess.

Dice-K will face Scott Kazmir tomorrow night at Fenway in game 5. The Sox need a spark, something to get them going and send this series back to the Trop. Otherwise, it's going to be a long offseason as the team is forced to reflect on its collapse against the Rays.

um yeah, we're probably not going to win the AL East after all

Time is running out on the Red Sox and their hopes of winning the AL East; the math is becoming more and more stacked against them. With the Rays' 10-3 win over Boston last night, Tampa Bay (90-60) takes a two-game lead in the AL East.

Boston (89-63) has played two more games and is three games back in the loss column. So you might as well start printing those Tampa Bay Rays 2008 AL East Champion t-shirts while also booking flights to Disneyland, the Sox are likely going to face the Angels in the first round of the playoffs.

The positive from last night's loss for Boston was that David Ortiz seemed to find his power stroke. Papi blasted a two-run homer in the first off Rays starter Matt Garza and added a solo shot in the fourth off Garza.

Other than that, it was all Rays as Tim Wakefield (9-11) and a bunch of scrub Red Sox relievers had nothing. Willy Aybar (two-run; 3 RBIs, 3 hits, 2 runs), Gabe Gross (solo) and Fernando Perez all had homers off Wakefield.

Wakefield was knocked around for six earned runs on six hits in 2.1 innings.

The Red Sox have today off and will look to regroup north of the border as they begin a three-game series in Toronto tomorrow night.

which hurts more: a ninth-inning comeback or an extra innings marathon loss?

If the Tampa Bay Rays defy the odds and somehow win the 2008 World Series, the last two nights at Fenway Park will no doubt figure prominently in the official championship DVD narrated by Dick Vitale.

After stunning Jonathan Papelbon and the Red Sox in the ninth on Tuesday night, Tampa Bay (87-57) hung around last night and eventually won 4-2 thanks to Carlos Pena's three-run homer off Mike Timlin in the top of the 14th.

With the win, the Rays move back to 2.5 games ahead of Boston (85-60). The teams only have three more games left in the regular season, beginning Monday at the Trop (where the Red Sox are 0-6 this season).

Josh Beckett looked good once again on a low pitch count (84 pitches in 6 innings, are you taking notes Dice-K?). He allowed one run on six hits with two walks and seven strikeouts.

One of the worst aspects of the loss was 7.1 innings of scoreless relief by four Boston relievers was thrown out the window after Timlin's work. Hideki Okajima (1 inning), Justin Masterson (2 innings), Manny Delcarmen (2 innings) and even Javier Lopez (2.1 innings-which has to be a career-high) allowed only three hits and three walks over their combined seven innings.

Timlin's had two outs in the 14th before giving up a 3-0 hit to Akinori Iwamura and another single to Rocco Baldelli before Pena hit his 28th homer of the season. Timlin's (4-4) ERA is now 6.09. He shouldn't be on the postseason roster, there I said it. If you're only let in the game in the 14th (despite not working in days) that should let you know how much confidence Terry Francona and the rest of his staff have in you.

Tampa Bay starter Andy Sonnanstine pitched seven innings, giving up one unearned run on four hits with seven strikeouts.

Willy Aybar (2 hits, 1 RBI, walk) tripled home Cliff Floyd in the second to put Tampa up 1-0. Boston responded in the third when Dustin Pedroia (2 hits, RBI, walk) hit an RBI double which scored Jed Lowrie.

It looked like the Red Sox might pull off a ridiculous comeback of its own in the 14th when Troy Percival couldn't get anyone out (I'm sure he's hurt again) and left with the bases loaded. Jason Hammell came in and got Kevin Youkilis to fly out to right which scored Jacoby Ellsbury. Jason Bay (0 for 7, 3 strikeouts) struck out and Alex Cora popped out to end the game.

Toronto-the hottest team in the American League-comes to Boston tomorrow with four games in three days (doubleheader on Saturday). The Sox have had plenty of trouble with the Blue Jays this season so they'll have their hands full.