Red sox vs. Phillies

Friday night’s game was supposed to be a Red Sox loss: they just finished a three-game sweep of the Yankees at home and were starting a roadtrip without a day off. The Phillies are leading their division, leading in all sorts of statistics, and playing at home against a team designed for designated hitting. The more likely outcome should have been a loss. But no, they went thirteen innings to win, 5-2, even after allowing a momentum-crushing game-tieing home-run in the bottom of the ninth. Sox pitcher John Lester was excellent with a six-straight strike-out run and allowing only two hits in seven innings of work. He didn’t even earn the win, however.

Last night’s game was a strange one. The Sox got 5 runs in the first using three Philly errors (this from a team with only 19 errors in total so far this year). Then it rained for an hour and thirty-five minutes. After the Phils got 4 runs back, the Sox proceeded to dismantle the Philly pitching in several hunks. Sox pitcher Matsuzaka continued his mediocre performance and was lifted after four innings in what I consider a brilliant but unusual move by manager Francona. The final score was 11-6 and they played only the regulation nine innings.

The Red Sox have now played 11 consecutive games against major league baseball division leaders and have won 9 of them (Detroit (3-0), Texas (1-2), Yankees (3-0), Philadelphia (2-0)).

Joe the 2nd baseman wins MVP

It is with some surprise and pleasure to see that the 2008 American League Most Valuable Player award went to Red Sox secondbaseman, Dustin Pedroia.  There is no better tribute to working hard and maintaining discipline and commitment to doing your best than giving this award to him.  The Tampa Bay Rays’ Longoria was the traditional and expected winner; he deserves the award just as much as Pedroia.  The sportswriters and other voters have to be commended for a thoughtful choice.

Red Sox Nation’s alternate universe

Sometime after 10pm EDT last Thursday evening, the earth must have drifted into an alternate universe. The switch or flip wasn’t immediately noticed.  In Boston, a tinkling may have been felt sometime in the bottom of the seventh inning when a couple singles produced a run; for citizens of Red Sox Nation, with their team down now only 7-1, it suddenly may have dawned on them that something must have changed when David Ortiz’ quick swipe sent a baseball into the right field stands.  

This is a universe where Red Sox players have a mystical upper hand and opponents turn into Little Leaguers still learning the game. The universe is familiar but comes and goes; sure-handed opponents stop catching difficult grounders; throws go off target; outfield flies become unpredictable and difficult to track; their bats become ineffective or Red Sox players show up everywhere they hit the ball.  

How does one explain the lackluster and inconsistent performance of the Red Sox middle relievers during a long season and the no-hit, no-run string during this past week? How does the well-meaning, hard-working but automatic-out catcher Varitek become the game-winning hit in Game-6 last night? How does one explain sure-handed Tampa fielders Longorian and Bartlett committing crucially damaging errors in the late innings of the past two games?

For this year, one can blame Tampa’s manager for mis-steps, the inexperience of the Rays’ players, or the tough, backs-to-the-wall Red Sox team spirit; I think it’s an alternate universe called Red Sox Universe, where Red Sox Nation expands into a universal phenomena we don’t understand and I hope it stays for one more week.

Down to last three innings, Sox postpone defeat

After watching some of the third and fourth games of the 2008 ACLS, it was very painful and sad to sit down for Game 5 last evening and watch a lead-off single and Bam! another BJ Upton home run put the Sox in a 2-0 hole with nobody out.  I stopped watching after the second inning and went back later to find them down 5-0; it was the beginning of the 7th inning and Francona then brought Papelbon in!  Our premiere closer was being brought in to mop up a losing cause in the 7th?  I thought Francona and the Sox had given up.  This was reinforced when Papelbon gave up a 2-run double to the BJ Upton RBI machine. Sox behind, 7-0. Click!

So, when we checked the game a little while later, mostly by accident as one surfs the channels, we were intrigued by the new score of 7-4.  We continued to watch with mouths opened and frequent scratching of the heads as the pitching, hitting, and defense seemed to wake up.  Seven runs down, three innings to go, and the Rays seemed to be facing a mysterious force; ground balls became harder to handle, their pitches resulted in either balls or fouls or run contributing hits.

We watched the rest of this amazing game right to the new morning hour.

The champagne brought into theTampa Bay locker room half way into the game had to be packed up and put on the plane to Tampa. Very sad.

Gm 2 ACLS: Beckett stayed too long

The Red Sox lost game no. 2 of the 2008 ACLS when ace pitcher Josh Beckett attempted his second start in the playoffs after a problematic oblique injury in September.  Francona suggested he was going to be o.k. for last night’s game after his lackluster performance against the Angels last week.  He gave up 8 runs and this included 2 runs in the sixth inning when he should not have been returned to the mound after a lousy 5 innings behind him.

For the Sox as a whole, the 11th inning loss does not change the dynamic: the Rays should win this series based on talent across the board.  This does not mean the Sox are doomed.  If most of the players play to or above their averages, the Sox can win.  It is now a five-game series with three games in Boston.