G150: Red Sox 13, Rays 5

Red Sox - 400 711 000 - 13 11  0
Rays    - 001 002 200 -  5  7  0

Six home runs for the Red Sox -- including three in the fourth inning -- help Boston rout Kazmir (3-6-9-4-2, 72) in one of the worst starts of his career.

It also moved the Red Sox into a virtual tie for first place in the AL East.

            W   L   PCT    GB
Rays       88  60  .595   ---
Red Sox    89  61  .593   ---
Blue Jays  80  70  .533   9.0
Yankees    80  70  .533   9.0
Orioles    66  82  .446  22.0

Kazmir was in trouble as soon as he took the mound. He walked Coco Crisp on four pitches. He walked Dustin Pedroia on four pitches. David Ortiz crushed a 1-1 pitch for a three-run homer. After Kevin Youkilis lined to left, Mike Lowell (who told the media before the game he has been playing with a partially torn labrum in his right hip) bashed a dong to left.

Red Dot got through the next two frames, but he was pulled after failing to retiring any of the first five batters in the fourth. Jason Bay hit a first-pitch home run to center (that got stuck in one of the catwalks and never came down), Jed Lowrie walked, Jason Varitek homered (giving him the most career HRs hit by a Red Sox catcher, with 158), Jacoby Ellsbury singled, and Crisp doubled.

At this point, Mitch Talbot came out of the pen for his major league debut. Pedroia singled in a run, Ortiz's fielder's choice scored another, and Youkilis hit a tater to deep left. 11-1 in the middle of the fourth! ... Ellsbury homered in the fifth and back-to-back doubles from Ortiz and Youkilis finished the Red Sox scoring.

Again, the entire starting lineup chipped in:

Crisp:    2B, 3 BB, 2 RS
Pedroia:  1B, 2 BB, RBI, RS
Ortiz:    HR, 2B, 4 RBI, 3 RS
Youkilis: HR, 2B, 3 RBI, RS
Lowell:   HR, RBI, RS
Bay:      HR, RBI, RS
Lowrie:   3 BB, RS
Varitek:  HR, RS, 2 RBI
Ellsbury: HR, 1B, RBI, 2 RS

Dice left after five innings (5-3-1-2-7, 101). Chris Smith allowed four runs in his two innings (two-run home runs from Justin Ruggiano and Dan Johnson) and Mike Timlin and David Pauley each tossed a scoreless frame.

The Yankees beat the White Sox 4-2 and Cleveland beat the Twins 3-1.

Boston is now tied for 1st place in the East (actually .002 behind the Rays) and 7 GA in the wild card. The Red Sox have 12 games remaining in the regular season.

***

Daisuke Matsuzaka (2.97, 153 ERA+) / Scott Kazmir (2.99, 145 ERA+)

1 GB with 13 left to play. The existence of the wild card saps a lot of the excitement from this series -- imagine if it was win the division or go home -- but it should still be very tense and entertaining.

Boston has to win at least two of these three games -- in a park where they are 0-6 this year -- to be in a position to win the division. A 2-1 record would leave the Red Sox tied for first place with 10 games left. Going 1-2 would leave them 2 GB -- not a great position, considering the Rays' last eight games are against the lowly Orioles and Tigers. And a Tampa Bay sweep would all but eliminate the Red Sox from the East race, 4 GB with 10 to go.

Last Tuesday, Kazmir (6-5-2-3-4, 108) faced Dice (5-8-3-4-5, 102) at Fenway. Tampa won the game 5-4.

Reamining Schedule

         BOS      TBR
0915   @ TBR    v Bos
0916   @ TBR    v Bos
0917   @ TBR    v Bos
0918            v Min
0919   @ Tor    v Min
0920   @ Tor    v Min
0921   @ Tor    v Min
0922   v Cle    @ Bal
0923   v Cle    @ Bal (2)
0924   v Cle    @ Bal
0925   v Cle    @ Det
0926   v NYY    @ Det
0927   v NYY    @ Det
0928   v NYY    @ Det

The second game of Tampa Bay's doubleheader next Tuesday against Baltimore is a makeup of an April 2 rainout.

***

White Sox/Yankees at 7
Twins/Cleveland at 7

East
Rays       88  59   ---   Magic #
Red Sox    88  61   1.0     14
Blue Jays  80  70   9.5      5
Yankees    79  70  11.0      5
Orioles    66  82  22.5      E
 
Wild Card
Red Sox    88  61   ---   Magic #
Twins      82  67   6.0      8
Blue Jays  80  70   8.5      5
Yankees    79  70   9.0      5
  
White Sox  82  65   5.0     10
Lead AL Central