Red Sox - 000 010 010 - 2 7 0Matsuzaka took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and the bullpen trio of Hideki Okajima, Justin Masterson and Jonathan Papelbon shut the door on the Rays.
Rays - 000 000 000 - 0 4 0
In the fifth inning against Shields, Jason Bay walked and raced to third on Mark Kotsay's pop fly double down the left field line. Jed Lowrie's fly out to right scored Bay with the night's first run. (The Red Sox had threatened in the first. Dustin Pedroia walked with one out and went to third on Kevin Youkilis's two-out ground-rule double to right, but J.D. Drew struck out.)
Boston made it 2-0 in the eighth when Pedroia singled with one out. He stole second before David Ortiz walked and then he scored on Youkilis's double off the tip of Carl Crawford's glove in shallow left.
Dice walked three Rays in the first, but wiggled out of trouble, retiring retired 16 out of the next 17 batters. He started the seventh by allowing two singles, but with runners at first and third he got a fly ball to short left, a strikeout and a fielder's choice.
Matsuzaka allowed two more singles to start the seventh and was pulled. Jeemer got Carlos Pena to hack on 3-0 and fly out to Drew in right-center. Then Masterson got Evan Longoria to hit into a 6-4-3 DP. Bot set down Tampa in order in the ninth: K, PF5, K.
NLCS: The Philles held off the Dodgers 8-5 to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
***
BR Preview
Daisuke Matsuzaka (Red Sox 23-6 in his starts)
James Shields (Rays 22-11 in his starts)
Red Sox Rays
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF Akinroi Iwamura, 2B
Dustin Pedroia, 2B B.J. Upton, CF
David Ortiz, DH Carlos Pena, 1B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B Evan Longoria, 3B
J.D. Drew, RF Carl Crawford, LF
Jason Bay, LF Cliff Floyd, DH
Mark Kotsay, 1B Dioner Navarro, C
Jed Lowrie, SS Gabe Gross, RF
Jason Varitek, C Jason Bartlett, SS
***
It Is On!
Tampa Bay and Boston met 18 times during the regular season. The Rays won 10 games, the Red Sox eight. Eleven of the 18 games were decided by three runs or fewer, six by one run (the Rays won all six of those), two in extra innings. Home records: Rays 8-1, Red Sox 7-2. ... And they brawled on June 5.
Rays vs. Red Sox in 2008
Winner/Score ParkDice vs Rays
0425 Rays 5-4 (11) Trop
0426 Rays 2-1 Trop
0427 Rays 3-0 Trop
0502 Red Sox 7-3 Fenway
0503 Red Sox 12-4 Fenway
0504 Red Sox 7-3 Fenway
0603 Red Sox 7-4 Fenway
0604 Red Sox 5-1 Fenway
0605 Red Sox 7-1 Fenway
0630 Rays 5-4 Trop
0701 Rays 3-1 Trop
0702 Rays 7-6 Trop
0908 Red Sox 3-0 Fenway
0909 Rays 5-4 Fenway
0910 Rays 4-2 (14) Fenway
0915 Red Sox 13-5 Trop
0916 Rays 2-1 Trop
0917 Rays 10-3 Trop
IP H R BB K BF PITShields vs Red Sox
0602 5 2 1 2 5 22 101 Rays 7-6
0909 5 8 3 4 5 28 102 Rays 5-4
0915 5 3 1 2 7 21 101 Red Sox 13-5
IP H R BB K BF PITSpeaking of numbers, does 9 really equal 8?
0427 9 2 0 1 7 29 99 Rays 3-0
0503 3.2 10 7 2 3 24 98 Red Sox 12-1
0605 1 3 4 0 2 8 27 Red Sox 7-1
0630 6.1 5 2 1 5 24 104 Rays 5-4
The Red Sox added Mike Timlin to the roster for the ALCS. Gil Valezquez -- who was added mid-DS in place of Mike Lowell -- was left off. ... The Rays added pitcher Edwin Jackson and subtracted Eric Hinske.
Joe Maddon, on the evenness of the two teams:
I think you can expect a lot of what you saw during the regular season; I do. There will be a lot of tight games, I think. Both sides have got good starting pitching and bullpens. Offensively, they probably have a little bit more hitting ability overall, but we have that ability to hit in the clutch. ...Fox:
[I]n a seven-game series like this, you truly have to play it one at a time ... it's really magnified at this particular juncture. ...
They're probably saying the same things — it's pretty even based on the familiarity with the two groups, the number of times that we have played against one another, the close games we have played against each another; the fact that we've finally broken through up there a little bit and they got their win down here. It's really a very balanced situation and it's going to come down to the pitching once again. ... It's going to be a grind-it-out kind of series.
Boston and Tampa are young, tough, hungry, and athletic. They're everything the New York Yankees are not.The Rays bullpen has been lights out against the Red Sox in Tampa. In the nine Trop games, the quintet of Grant Balfour, J.P. Howell, Dan Wheeler, Trever Miller, and Chad Bradford has made 18 appearances, pitching 18.2 innings. They have allowed only 11 hits and 7 walks (0.96 WHIP) and one earned run (0.48 ERA), while striking out 15.
Red Sox Blog Watch: Firebrand lists "the five most important moments" between the Rays and Red Sox in 2008 ... Over The Monster reports on the surprise press conference at which a teary-eyed John Henry vowed the Red Sox would "return to its roots" and "start losing again" ... Paul SF previews the series at YFSF and he agrees with me: Sox in 6 ... Survivng Grady presents a special edition of "Ellsbury 'n' Elf" ... Out in CF notes that the rays at the Florida Aquarium are being fed "little Red Sox-shaped snacks".
Globe predictions:
CHB: BOS 7 - LAD 5Michael Silverman, Herald: Red Sox in 7. ... David Pinto, Baseball Musings: "Flipping a coin might be just as good. The Red Sox are my favorite, but with just a 51% chance of winning the series." ... Yahoo ran 10,000 AccuScore simulations of the ALCS: The Red Sox won 53% of them.
Cafardo: BOS 7 - PHI 7
Benjamin*: BOS 7 - LAD 5
Massarotti: TBR 6 - LAD 6
Kilgore: TBR 6 - LAD 7
*: Benjamin was the only Glober to pick the Red Sox over the Angels.
The Hardball Times: Why the Rays will win / Why the Red Sox will win. ... Christina Kahrl has BP's preview: Rays in 6. ... The Globe's Eric Wilbur has collected a lot of media predictions here.
Not sufficiently fired up yet? Well .....
How about now?
679 comments:
1 – 200 of 679 Newer› Newest»It's Rays time now ?
I dont think so. if my memory serves me right, it was "Tribe time " in 2007. We know what happened to them.
-GK
Is that beautiful sky blue Tee calling the Red Sox a Dyansty?
My prediction, for what its worth,
Sox 7 Rays 2 .
WB Granite Giant Glass Player of the Game----Dice-K!!!
I thought "Dynasty" is referring to the MFY.
...
Tribe Time ... Angels Time ... Rays Time ... we know how this movie ends.
For 20+ years, I always figured that when the Red Sox eventually won a World Series, it would be an emotionally draining 7-game war.
But we have not yet really had a series I would put in that category. The two back-to-the-wall ALCS are different somehow.
We have seen (in order):
2004: 3 wins, 3 losses, 8 wins
2005: 3 losses
2007: 4 wins, 3 losses, 7 wins
I think this might be the first real rollercoaster series.
I think I finally figured out the problem with the Trop's turf: it has the same consistency and texture of Youk's beard hair.
Ouch.
Tribe Time ... Angels Time ... Rays Time ... we know how this movie ends.
Rocktober...
2004 was coming back from the dead, then putting on the work boots and bludgeoning the Yankees and Cardinals to death, then bathing in champagne.
2007 was the Domination. Nevermind the three straight losses to Cleveland, which were merely a bump in the road. Then Beckett gets the ball on Game 5 and we never looked back. Instead we've crushed both Cleveland and Colorado back into mediocrity.
I agree that 2008 feels different. Not only could this be the year the ALCS goes back and forth, back and forth... But what about the World Series? Could this be the year we see a World Series game lost? A series that goes five games? Six? *gasp*... Seven?
I'm willing to sit back and watch it all happen.
"Could this be the year we see a World Series game lost? A series that goes five games? Six? *gasp*... Seven?"
If it does go seven, I will be there! Took an hour and a half of calling, but I finally got through at 4:30, and only game 7 was left, so I got two separate singles in the grandstand. Of course, if we make the WS, I'm still rooting for a sweep. I'm not gonna root for any losses to make game 7 possible. But good to know if it happens, I'm there. Let's take care of this Rays squad real quick first, though....
Phillies take a 4-1 lead in the second off Billingsley. All after he struck out the first two batters. Four singles and a double.
Oatfuckingmeal:
1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
5. J.D. Drew, RF
6. Jason Bay, LF
7. Mark Kotsay, 1B
8. Jed Lowrie, SS
9. Jason Varitek, C
1. Akinroi Iwamura, 2B
2. B.J. Upton, CF
3. Carlos Pena, 1B
4. Evan Longoria, 3B
5. Carl Crawford, LF
6. Cliff Floyd, DH
7. Dioner Navarro, C
8. Gabe Gross, RF
9. Jason Bartlett, SS
High drama here if you're a Dodgers fan. Bases loaded 0 out jam in the 3rd when you're already down by 2. Ass clinching time.
Sox in 6! Gawd, I would love that!
The fun starts tonight, will we see any white hankies? I sure hope so because you know how we took care of that the last time!!!
Yeah boy!
Ouch.
Ewwww. What, no beat-your-wife-with-a-cowbell promotion?
I highly approve of that lineup for the Red Sox.
It was BRETT MYERS who's had the big hit in this inning! two-run single, he's 2 for 2 with THREE RBI!
LAD - 011
PHI - 042
Only one out in the bottom of the third, and Billingsley is gone.
In-credible.
I knew the Dodgers weren't that good.
Might be a little too easy to jump to the conclusion that the ALCS the real World Series. You never freakin' know.
Kisses.
LAD - 011
PHI - 044
In fairness, though, it's one NL team beating up another NL team.
6 PM - The drinking starts now!
Gotta grill some fish for work this weekend -- switching shifts tomorrow so I can be home for G2, but it means being in at 8AM -- and I'll be sipping an ice cold Asahi in anticipation of Dice's ass-kicking performance tonight.
Kind of off subject but in case you haven't seen Google is doing an anniversary thing where they're letting you click on old archived websites. It's pretty cool.
Might be a little too easy to jump to the conclusion that the ALCS the real World Series.
It has been lately - at least when we play (2003, 2004, 2007).
From a baseball fan's point of view, I wish the World Series would be the World Series again. At the same time I don't want to see the Red Sox lose any of the games, but if they do, they do. Just as long as they win the last one.
The highlights that defined the 2004 and 2007 World Series each were the final pitch of the game.
I put the final ALCS poll results under the lineups in the main post.
240 posts and almost half (111) voted for Sox in 6.
30 total votes for the Rays.
These are search hits for Joy of Sox in 2001.
It's time for the NL franchises not named the Mets to step up with player salaries, the DH rule, etc.
Paragraph from one of the websites:
It is true, there ARE people who choose, for whatever reason, to deny themselves the comfort and the joy of sox. They may have had a bad experience with sox in the past; They may be confused about the wide range of choice available these days and question their soxual orientation; and there are, of course, those who simply have cold feet over the whole matter.
Dodgers are on their fourth pitcher of the third inning.
I wonder if any Red Sox fans voted for the Rays? I wouldn't rip anybody for admitting it, but I am curious.
Being!
Three run dong!
Manny yelled out at Myers.. "If you don't throw 95 don't go there!"
Passed ball strikeout leads to a single and a Manny dong.
LAD - 011 3
PHI - 044
I see a bad man donging
I see more Dodgers on the board
I see Phillies fans a-sweatin'
I see Torre praise the lord
I wonder if any Red Sox fans voted for the Rays? I wouldn't rip anybody for admitting it, but I am curious.
I couldn't bring myself to vote. I think our chances are even of winning this series. I don't know, really, whether to be hopeful or confident or what.
I am excited, though.
And Manny bring the Dodgers back within shouting distance. Wow.
zen, you mean you did not vote at all or could not bring yourself to vote honestly for the d-bags?
Myers has a THIRD hit! This time an infield single.
buck saying players still trying to figure out what the strike zone is -- after 4 innings.
mccarver excuses the ump's shitty performance because there have been a lot of different pitchers in the game, old and young guys, and they all throw a lot of different pitches -- it's hard.
so we have a guy struggling to learn on the job in the nlcs, eh tim?
unbelievable.
In the last post Nixion said, not verbatim, Let's fuck these fuckers.
It was the best thing I've read all day, and honestly, it boost my confidence 10 fold.
I'm ready.
Did Odysseus stand idle when suitors tried to lay his wife and steal his crown? No. He cornered them in a domed Tropicana stadium and he slaughtered them (if I remember correctly).
Let the slaughter begin...
I contributed to a roundtable of bloggers about the best infield alignment in this series. Short answers and nothing earth-shattering!
Did Odysseus stand idle when suitors tried to lay his wife and steal his crown? No. He cornered them in a domed Tropicana stadium and he slaughtered them (if I remember correctly).
And The Greatest Hero In American History will be there to assist ...
LAD - 011 30
PHI - 044 0
I really like Casey, but Francona must have caught him in bed with Mrs. Tito, because the Mayor saw no action against the Angels.
Mrs. Tito would be Francona's mom?
(I never liked calling Terry "Tito". If he wasn't named Tito Jr., don't give it to him as a nickname, imho.)
zen, you mean you did not vote at all or could not bring yourself to vote honestly for the d-bags?
I did not vote at all.
D-bags, heh.
I voted for the other guys, because it worked in the ALDS. I voted for the other guys in the ALDS because I'm a schmuck.
Did Odysseus stand idle when suitors tried to lay his wife and steal his crown? No. He cornered them in a domed Tropicana stadium and he slaughtered them (if I remember correctly).
Given all the exaggerated talk about how slowly Dice works by baseball writers lately, I'm not sure the Odysseus angle is the one we want to play. Sure, he slaughtered them (with an assist from rookie Telemachus), but it did take him ten years to get around to it.
Let's start off slow then if we have to. These D-Bags are trying to take our glory. Thortiz will punish them with bolts of lightning and Dustin will with Lasers beams...
That and a FKR win is more likely than any of the subdivided components of a more probable Sox win, so it's the best answer to a goofily phrased poll. Also I'm the kind of asshole who'd rather be proven wrong by winning.
I hear Pedroia sprang forth fully formed from Papi's forehead. True story.
Telemachus sounds like a stathead.
Odysseus also got killed Steve-Irwin-style with a stingray spine, so let's just drop that analogy.
My sources tell me Chip Caray spent the afternoon jacking off to an Evan Longoria highlight reel.
We're going with the delay/radio.
wow - pitch over the plate at the belt and it's "too high"
then fox trax shows it high -- so we now know for a certainty that fox trax shows only the bottom half of the actual strike zone.
1/2 of the zone!
Odysseus also got killed Steve-Irwin-style with a stingray spine, so let's just drop that analogy.
Where do you get this account of his death?
In Dante's Inferno, he stubbornly sails off past the Pillars of Hercules and dies at sea. There's some prophecy that he would die at sea, but...a stingray? Or was that just color?
From the Telegony. In that account, Odysseus's son Telegonus kills him with a stingray-tipped spear made by Hephaestus.
"Steve-Irwin-style" was just color, though.
Anybody who saw that Mercedes C63 AMG commercial... I want that in my life.
I wonder if Willie dances as well as his brother.
From the Telegony. In that account, Odysseus's son Telegonus kills him with a stingray-tipped spear made by Hephaestus.
Ah. I found the Telegony, but didn't realize what the son was using to do Dad in.
Allan you'd be in heaven now... Seinfeld on TBS right before the Red Sox.
"BEAT L.A.!" is becoming a popular chant this past year.
Which episode?
LAD - 011 300 00
PHI - 044 000 0
Torre and Manny are running out of innings.
"The Chinese Restaurant".
To be followed by "The Little Kicks".
"The Chinese Restaurant"
It doesn't get much better than that.
Seinfeld and Kramer were in a movie with one of Kramer's friends who brought a camcorder with him.
"The Little Kicks"
And then it doesn't get much worse than that. 8th season = shite.
Meanwhile, back at the Bank, it's last licks for the Dodgers.
Lidge walks Manny to start what looks like will be an interesting 9th.
Ethier strikes out...
Manny took second on defensive indifference? GDGD doesn't say.
Phil, yes.
Loney walks...
Matt Kemp is the tying run, coming to the plate.
Kemp strikes out...
It's up to Nomar.
Garsh-a-parra
I fear Lidge more than I feared K-Rod.
Nomar looks overmatched.
Three straight sliders way way off the plate and Nomar fished every time.
Phillies win.
wow -- weak ass shit from nosmarts
I don't care how pretty Heidi Watney is... I don't care to watch interviews with baseball fans.
TC and Remy making fun of St. Pete and how there's no downtown there. Remy: "There are shuffleboard parlors everywhere." TC: "Everything closes at five."
how would remy know? he never leaves the hotel.
Cities in Florida tend to be very spread out, like mini versions of Los Angeles. So even apart from the habits of all the Methuselahs hanging around, their downtowns don't tend to rock it.
LETS FUCKING GO MOTHERFUCKLERS!
FUCK DUH RAYS!
intros - half full of sox fans, sounds like.
fuhduhrayz
TBS showing player intros.
LETS MAKE SURE WE KICK EM WHERE IT COUNTS TONIGHT
must remember to relax and not live and die on each dice pitch -- must ... remember ... will see walks ... must ...
Intros are a long way away from Fenway's organ intros.
How many of these front running assholes will be there next year when the Rays implode? That is the biggest reason I hate them. they do not know how to be fans yet. They grew up too quick.
nice weenie pyro show there class organization rays!
I fucking hate the Rays. I hate them. Not as much as the Angels, but I hate them. Phillies Sox would be cool. Dodgers suck even with their new jesus.
GO SOX!!!!!!!
not in a threading mood, but thought i'd throw in that highly intelligent comment
How many of these front running assholes will be there next year when the Rays implode?
6.
Well to be fair they would light the roof on fire with more fireworks
What the fuck does 9 makes 8 mean?
I'd like to know what is the key to this series for the Red Sox? Or better yet, who is the key? One guy. I want to hear one name from everyone. One guy, if he's on, the Red Sox have an excellent chance of winning. If he's off, it's ass clinching time and your chances go down considerably.
Midget
Ortiz will suck I have conceded that.
9=8 means 9 guys contributing every night = one of 8 playoff spots.
why cant quality bands with quality songs get the "anthem" of the playoffs, instead of bon jovi?
one guy? beckett?
So they had a shot at the NLDS? That is retarded.
having a tough time finding baseball on radio -- just a bunch of fucking football.
Let's go! I can barely wait another minute.
Beckett is my guy also.
Beckett may pitch once. Pedroia plays in all 4 games of this sweep.
SHOTS have been shot.
let's go 10-for-10.
Jackie D is watching tonight at my house too.
Thank god the top notch crew is announcing tonight.
I would rather fuck a pot of boiling water then hear them.
MANNY is not with this team. He is a non-factor for the Boston Red Sox. Get the fuck over it already.
Allan, shots at work? Or are you home tonight?
Andy, that image is way too painful.
Craig Sager wearing Easter lavender.
You want it I got it. That is why I love this town. That doesnt even make sense.
Ok, NO. Time to show these Rays "fans" how it's done.
Bon Jovi should announce the game with songs.
Home.
I did not feel well today.
...
Tim: Help, where is the game on Canadian radio?
I want to kill all of TBS.
Allan, I hope a win tonight makes you feel better....
Didn't Tim say 590 or something at some point or another?
Unfortunately a win tonight will only make him sicker. Tomorrow's game is at 8.
I had a drink with dinner so those TBS guys better watch out (or I won't care at all and block them out). I just want BASEBALL to start. ENough with the yakity yak.
HERE WE GO!!!!
I also dislike the Rays coach.
toornto argos football on 590.
we got tbs rolling now.
...
let's fuck up BIG GAME SHIELDS right here
This is fucking weird.
tbs mix is nice. a little more crowd and all announcers will be unhearable.
Castig: "We can tell right away that this is now a partial crowd. There are no Red Sox fans drowning out the Rays fans."
Although there are Red Sox fans there, obviously.
Castig pronounced Evan Longoria's name Ivan.
FYBB
Man on base!
Oh man, Allan, you just gave me the best idea ever. We should get to mix to our own tastes. Just a little two channel mixer, so when you couldn't stand the announcers anymore you could just turn up the crowd, so you'd still have that ambiance noise, or if you need the yak-yaks so you can focus on threading or something, you can turn them up! It would be fierce!
What's that say on Papi's helmet?
meh.
Tagging up? That's pretty ballsy.
Sarah, your show over?
I liked FY tagging. I knew he wasn't going anywhere, but you make him throw hard to the infield. Maybe it gets boxed around or something.
Hot Corner doesn't have the pitch effects or the strike zone box on the backstop view tonight. Weird, after the ALDS games. At least they have a camera on the Sox dugout.
FAIR!! GR double.
Youk.
Damn, ground rules double.
Would've been a GR double at Fenway too.
I love this lineup though. Youk reaches base and you still have Drew and Bay coming up.
Shit.
Well, at least we made him throw a lot of pitches.
Bleh.
well, drat.
Yeah, Amy, we closed the show last Sunday. I ended up going to the bar to watch on Monday, so I wasn't here then either.
25 pitches for Shields. No runs, but get that pitch count up - that's okay to me.
Evening all...the Youk GR double made me wince (since he tagged the shit out of that and it just hit in an inopportune spot), and Drew's K made me wince harder. Still, at least we know Shields can be gotten to. Let's hope it's sooner than later.
I wish this guy wouldnt say Dice KAY
Oh, man, that is SO annoying. A leadoff walk.
A few more innings like that, and Shields isn't going to last any longer than Dice.
Ah Christ, the Dice Experience is in full effect one batter in. Now where did I put my heart pills?
there goes the no-walker.
Hey Buck, is Dice-K related to Michael Kay?
i see the look on dice's face: "yeah i walked a guy, so fuckin what? i'll get 3 outs."
buck has the rays up 3-0 already.
Radio guys were on Japanese TV. Dale: "Should we say something nice about Dice?"
Dice looks like he rushes things when he pitches from the stretch. Seems like he's so out of whack from the stretch. It just doesn't look right.
Never has.
Sheesh.
dfuckingp, pls
Backwards K
There it is. This fucking ump pauses so long it annoys the crap out of me.
McClelland is slower with the strike calls than Matsusaka is with his pitches.
Jesus, what is HIS pitch count?
amy - dice at 61.
Hey Dice, where are you going?
Oh, I'm just walking the ballpark...
Argghhh. STOP WALKING THEM.
Throw strikes, asshole.
DK B DK.
Fuck me.
Allan, I am not that drunk.
dice right at home - dicks on the pond
This is going to be a long night.
And by long night, I mean time wise. We're going to be up very late again.
damn, it is going to be a looong night.
Thanks.
And he gets out of it....
Yay!
Just another 27-pitch inning without a hit.
Through 1...
Shields: 25/13
Matsuzaka: 27/12
0-14 v dice with bases full. only 14? i swear we saw 70-80.
dice: 27
shields: 25
gah. I'm going to get an ulcer.
good evening all.
the long view:
dice throws a scoreless first inning!
nice.
We are not running up the pitch count with those two at bats.
And now Shields got two outs in what, 3 pitches? Fan-fucking-tastic.
If you're going to walk the bases loaded, at least throw the ball softer so you don't burn yourself out.
Or just plunk three guys with 55 mph pitches.
We follow up by making two outs in four pitches. Gonna be one of those, eh.
Dice really is pretty remarkable. Though he could probably keep Xanax in business single handedly.
That was way too fast. I am not yet ready for another DiceK nail biter inning.
Why do I not think the bottom of this inning will be as short as the top?
Any chance one of these foul balls will carom off one of the catwalks into the announcers' booth?
Ow. Just bit into a tiny piece of pepper leftover in my mouth. Hate when that happens.
caray far more excited when shields strands two runners in the 1st (and when he gets the sox 1-2-3 in the 2nd) than when dice gets out of a bases loaded situation. it's little things like this than show bias.
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