What We've Known For A While Is Official: Red Sox Are Back In Playoffs For 1st Time Since '09

If the last few humbling seasons have taught us anything, it is that you cannot take winning for granted in MLB, even in a big market like Boston with almost unlimited resources. Baseball playoffs are outstanding and they are so rewarding after sitting through a regular season that is way too long and often very boring. Tonight, the Red Sox (93-61 overall, 51-27 home) clinched a playoff spot with a tidy 3-1 win over the Orioles (81-71 overall, 39-38 away).

Boston is back in the postseason for the first time in four years while they try to get their first playoff win since 2008 (seriously). It is the 21st time in franchise history that they've reached the postseason and tomorrow night they have the chance to capture their first AL East title since 2007.

Easy storylines were falling out of the sky as Boston had 93 losses last season and John Lackey (10-12) pitched a complete game, probably his best ever performance for the Red Sox in his season of redemption. The Red Sox were the first AL team to secure their place in October and they did it only a few hours after the Dodgers won the NL West. Can you imagine a Red Sox-Dodgers World Series? How about Red Sox-Indians ALDS or Red Sox-A's ALCS? It is so enjoyable to know that we can bank on a few more weeks (at least) of quality baseball.

Lackey actually carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning but Adam Jones ended that with a solo moon shot over the Monster. Lackey only allowed one other hit and struck out eight with two walks on 113 pitches.

Orioles pseudo ace Chris Tillman (16-7) had been 3-0 in four starts against Boston this season but predictably, that came to an end as the Red Sox prevented a sweep by Baltimore. He went seven innings but allowed all three runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts and two walks.

Another reason that this game felt like a dream is that it was completed in 2:18, imagine that! Stephen Drew (triple) hit a two-run homer (his 13th of the season) that just scraped over the Monster in the second and Dustin Pedroia (double) followed later in the frame with an RBI single that scored Jackie Bradley Jr. (2 hits, double).

Get out to Fenway tomorrow or Saturday since Boston's magic number to win the AL East is down to one, the weather is supposed to be awesome and it is their last home series of the regular season. Those lovable punching bags from the North-the Blue Jays (70-82 overall, 5th in AL East)-stumble into town for three games. Red-hot Jon Lester (14-8) takes on Esmil Rogers (5-7) tomorrow night (7:10, NESN); Clay Buchholz (11-0) will try to stay unbeaten Saturday night (7:10, NESN) against Mark Buehrle (11-9) and on Sunday afternoon (1:35, NESN) when we're all watching the Patriots play the Buccaneers, Felix Doubront (10-6) gets another start vs. R.A. Dickey (11-9).

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Red Sox Can't Clinch A Playoff Spot (again) but Indians lose, making Boston's Magic Number one

For the second night in a row, the Red Sox had a chance to clinch a playoff spot (somewhere they haven't been in the last four years) but they couldn't do it as the resilient Orioles (81-70 overall, 39-37 away) outscored Boston (92-61 overall, 50-27 home) 5-3 in 12 innings. Baltimore has won six of their last seven series at Fenway and they are 9-6 against the Red Sox this season, the only MLB team with a winning record against MLB's top squad. Boston lost consecutive games for the first time in over a month (August 15 & 16).

The Royals held up their end of the bargain as they beat the Indians 7-2. That leaves Cleveland half a game outside of the Wild Card race and Baltimore is only one game behind Texas (2nd Wild Card). Boston didn't deserve to win as they grounded into four double plays and left nine runners on base. Enough with this charade, I can't imagine how much champagne is sitting on ice in Boston's locker room.

The Red Sox handed Jake Peavy (7 IP, 3 ER, 6 hits, 8 Ks) a 2-0 lead in the first on David Ortiz's two-run homer, his 28th of the season, but he couldn't hold it. Matt Wieters (run, 2 doubles) and Brian Roberts (2 hits, walk run) each had RBI doubles in the fifth as the O's tied it at two. Wieters added a sacrifice fly in the sixth to give Baltimore a 3-2 lead. That turned out to be short-lived as Mr. September Mike Napoli crushed a solo homer to center, his 23rd of the season to knot it at three.

Baltimore used six pitchers because they need to win every game they can for the remainder of this season. Rookie Kevin Gausman (2 IP, 5 Ks) looks destined to be a star for the O's. Things got wacky (as they usually do) in extra innings: Boston put the lead runner on in the 10th and 11th but they couldn't score. Chris Davis came through with the game's biggest hit, a two-run single that squeaked through the middle of the infield in the twelfth.

Jim Johnson pitched for the second night in a row but that didn't seem to faze him as he had a scoreless 12th inning for his 47th save of the season. Will Middlebrooks was 3-for-6 with a walk, Shane Victorino was 3-for-5 with a run and Dustin Pedroia went 2 for 6 with a double.

The Orioles go for the sweep tomorrow night (7:10, NESN) with their ace Chris Tillman (16-6) opposing John Lackey (9-12).

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Red Sox Will Have To Wait Another Night To Clinch A Playoff Spot, Oh Well

Tonight, the Red Sox had a chance to clinch their first playoff spot since 2009 but they couldn't do it. Boston (92-60 overall, 50-26 home) lost 3-2 to Baltimore (80-70 overall, 38-37 away) at Fenway Park. It also turned out that they needed an Indians loss as well but they won 5-3 at the Royals so I guess it wasn't meant to be after all.

The Red Sox led 2-0 following Dustin Pedroia's lead off homer in the first then a sacrifice fly by Xander Bogaerts in the fourth inning. Orioles starter Scott Feldman was wild (6 walks) but he only allowed the two runs in five innings before giving way to five relievers who combined to put up four shutout innings. Former scrub Tommy Hunter (6-4) got the last two outs in the eighth to earn the win. Baltimore closer Jim Johnson has been very shaky at times this season but he struck out Bogaerts to end it (for his 46th save), stranding pinch-runner Quintin Berry at second base.

I pray that these are the final days of Ryan Dempster in Boston's rotation in 2013 so enjoy the mediocrity while it lasts. He actually pitched well, going six innings and allowing two earned runs on three hits with five strikeouts and four walks. Brian Roberts' grounder scored former Red Sox great Danny Valencia (two walks) in the fifth and Chris Davis tied it with his 51st homer of the season (a new Orioles record), a solo shot to center in the sixth.

Craig Breslow did an incredible job to work out of a jam (runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs) in the eighth without allowing a run. You knew Koji Uehara's (4-1) mind-boggling stretch would end at some point and I'm happy that it occurred in September rather than October. Valencia led off the ninth with a triple against Uehara to end his streak of 37 straight batters retired. Matt Wieters' sacrifice fly meant Uehara allowed his first run since July 7 (30 2/3 innings and 27 scoreless outings ago) and he was charged with his first loss of the season.

Jake Peavy (11-5) and Wei-Yin Chen (7-7) get to do the honors tomorrow night (7:10, NESN). With tonight's victory, Baltimore pulled to within two games of Texas and Tampa Bay for the AL Wild Cards. In other words, this series means plenty to both teams hence why it felt like a playoff game in the opener.

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Another Wrist Injury Claims A Sneaky Important Patriot-Matthew Slater

I'm not going to wax poetic on the importance of special teams in the NFL, I'll leave that to overzealous coaches and analysts but I can admit that in recent years I've come to appreciate those jobs much more than ever before. On the surface, it seems like any jamoke can play on special teams, how tough can it be? However, when you see someone that is really good at it-like Patriots captain Matthew Slater-you realize the world of difference it can make.

That's why news of Slater's broken wrist is another tough blow for the Patriots (2-0) who have been ravaged with injuries already this season (Rob Gronkowski, Shane Vereen, Danny Amendola). Like Vereen, Slater is expected to miss four to six weeks. I guess we'll have to see how they stash him on the roster since Vereen was put on IR with that new designation to return after eight weeks. I'm not sure if you can use that on more than one player.

Regardless, mercy! On the one hand, New England has really benefited from their early schedule by playing the Sisters of the Poor (Bills and Jets) and now the Bucs (0-2) who are Team Turmoil come to Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon (1, FOX). However we've seen what the injuries to the Vereen and Amendola left Tom Brady to "work" with vs. the Jets last Thursday.

The son of NFL Hall of Famer offensive lineman Jackie Slater, Matthew has made the Pro Bowl twice for special teams with the Pats and he's an underrated leader on the team because he often has to work with more different players than most (since special teams guys are on the bottom of the roster so there is constant shuffling).

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Red Sox Sweep Yankees To Finish 13-6 vs. New York This Season; Magic Number Down To 4

The Red Sox have become a wagon in 2013 and the Yankees didn't stand a chance this weekend or most of the other times they met this season. Boston (92-59 overall, 50-25 home) won 9-2 over New York (79-71 overall, 35-40 away) tonight at Fenway Park and truthfully, it didn't even feel that close. The Red Sox swept the three-game series (outscoring them 22-7) from the Yankees and finished 13-6 vs. New York, their best record against them since 1973.

Mariano Rivera's cute retirement tour was well done with plenty of unique Fenway/Red Sox related items but Boston did all they could in these past three games to make sure that he'll never face them again. The Red Sox are a season-high 33 games over .500 with the best record in MLB. Their magic number to clinch the AL East is only four.

Clay Buchholz (11-0) went six innings, allowing one run (0 earned) on two hits with three strikeouts and four walks. OBP machine Daniel Nava went 4 for 5 with two doubles, a run and RBI. Mike Napoli set the tone with a two-run blast in the first inning off the back wall over the camera in center field, his 22nd homer of the season. David Ortiz was 2 for 4 with two RBIs, a run and walk. Dustin Pedroia (2 walks, 2 runs) had a two-run double and Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 3 with double, two runs and a walk.

Ivan Nova (8-5) was New York's best pitcher for a long stretch this season but he has been hit hard lately. In 4+ innings, he allowed five runs (4 earned) on six hits with four walks.

The regular season ends two weeks from today; Boston has six more games left on their final homestand of the regular season. They host the Orioles (79-70 overall, 3rd in AL East) beginning on Tuesday (7:10, NESN) at Fenway. After tomorrow's day off, the Red Sox send Ryan Dempster (8-9) to the mound on Tuesday vs. Scott Feldman (12-10). Wednesday (7:10, NESN) gives us Jake Peavy (11-5) against Wei-Yin Chen (7-7) and Thursday (7:10, NESN) wraps up with John Lackey (9-12) vs. Chris Tillman (16-6).

UPDATE 9/17: With Pawtucket's season over, the Red Sox added three more players to their already bloated roster: Steven Wright, Brock Holt and Brayan Villareal.

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Don't Look Now But The Red Sox Are The Best Team in MLB

On paper, one of the only things the Red Sox seem to lack this season is a true ace. Don't tell that to Jon Lester (14-9) though who has been pitching like one for the his last eight starts: he's held opponents to three earned runs or less in each successive outing. This afternoon, he did the impossible-keeping a Red Sox-Yankees game well under three hours (2:43) as Boston (91-59 overall, 49-25 home) beat New York (79-70 overall, 35-39 away) 5-1 at Fenway Park.

Truth be told, this wasn't exactly a vintage Yankee lineup as Alfonso Soriano was a late scratch with a thumb injury, Mark Reynolds batted second and the steroid riddled corpse of A-Rod batted cleanup. Regardless, Lester was brilliant: he went eight innings and allowed one earned run on three hits with five strikeouts and two walks.

CC Sabathia (13-13) has morphed into just another guy which is shocking when you consider the absurd amount of innings he used to throw every season and his ahem less than stellar conditioning. In six innings, the Red Sox touched him up for six earned runs on nine hits with five strikeouts and four walks. New York certainly won't regret the bloated contract they gave him.

Boston got to work early as they scored all five of their runs by the fifth inning. Will Middlebrooks drove in Mike Napoli (2 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks) in the second for the first Red Sox run and a 1-0 advantage. David Ortiz knocked in Dustin Pedroia with an RBI double in the third and Jonny Gomes (double, 2 walks) singled in Ortiz.

Robinson Cano provided the only Yankee run with a ground out in the fourth but New York was held to just three hits and two walks. Curtis Granderson doubled, tripled and scored the run. Shane Victorino (2 for 3, double, stolen base) made it 4-1 with an RBI single in the home half of the fourth then Daniel Nava wrapped it up with a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

You knew it was Boston's day when Franklin Morales had a 1-2-3 9th inning on 12 pitches. The Yankees must have planned late lunches on Newbury Street or something with the lack of fight that they exhibited in such a must-win for them.

The Red Sox already clinched another series victory but they can sweep the Yankees tomorrow night (8:05, ESPN) as unbeaten Clay Buchholz (10-0) takes on Ivan Nova (8-4). Who am I kidding, we'll all be watching 49ers-Seahawks on Sunday Night Football. Boston has planned a pregame ceremony for Yankees closer Mariano Rivera but what better way to send him into retirement than stomping on their ill-fated postseason dreams? PS I bet you hadn't heard that he was retiring.

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Red Sox Become 1st Team To 90 Wins After 8-4 Triumph Over Yankees

We are still a couple weeks away from the postseason but I'm already struggling to find new ways to state that the Red Sox are having an incredible regular season and I hope you're enjoying it half as much as them. Each game brings new heroes and highlights plus bushy beards to tug on. Tonight Boston (90-59 overall, AL-best 45-28 at home) beat the Yankees (79-69 overall, 35-38 away) 8-4 in their series opener at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox are 11-6 against the Yankees with two games left in the regular season. It looked like it was going to be a blowout in the first inning as Boston piled up four runs on Hiroki Kuroda (11-11). A run scored on Mike Carp's ground out, Daniel Nava (2 hits, run) drove in a run with an RBI single and Stephen Drew doubled off the wall which scored two teammates.

Boston starter John Lackey allowed a solo homer to light-hitting Brendan Ryan (2 hits, 2 runs) in the third inning then Lyle Overbay's sacrifice fly in the sixth cut it to 3-2. Robinson Cano (4 for 4 with 3 doubles, run) tied it for the Yankees in the seventh with a two-run double.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia stepped up big time with the deciding play: a grand slam to right center field in the seventh inning. That proved to be the difference, his third career grand slam and 13th homer of the season.

Junichi Tazawa offered a glimpse of what he had been earlier in 2013: a 1-2-3 eighth inning on 10 pitches (9 strikes!). It wasn't a save situation, ugh, but closer supreme Koji Uehara still appeared and recorded his own 1-2-3 ninth inning on 9 pitches (8 strikes) which included a strikeout. I've never seen a Red sox closer or pitcher for that matter on this type of roll, it's amazing.

Dustin Pedroia (2 for 5 with run) continued to bat leadoff with Jacoby Ellsbury out indefinitely. In a matchup that feels like it's happened a bunch of times this season, tomorrow afternoon (1:05, NESN) Jon Lester (13-8) takes on C.C. Sabathia (13-12). Every game is life or death for New York because they are only two games behind Tampa Bay for the second AL Wild Card spot. The Red Sox might not be in it but the chase for the wild card is intense: Cleveland is half a game up on the Yankees, Baltimore is half a game behind New York and the Royals are 3.5 behind the Rays. Got it?

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