Rays - 014 000 031 - 9 13 0Lester had a four-pitch first inning (ball, 6-3, 3U, F8) and things looked bright.
Red Sox - 000 000 100 - 1 7 0
But the Rays scored a run in the second on a walk, a single and a groundout. Then the Red Sox had men at second and third with one out and could not score -- though they were relying on Varitek and Cora. Lester was then pounded in the third. Bartlett singled, Iwamura doubled off the Wall, and Upton crushed a three-run dong over everything in left. After Pena struck out looking, Longoria homered to left-center.
Boston could not get anything going against Garza. Pedroia doubled with one out in the first, but was stranded. Then the Sox "stranded a pair" in the second. They had a runner on base in each of the next four innings, but could not move any of them to second. Garza began the seventh at 107 pitches. He seemed gassed as he walked Varitek and allowed a single down the right field line to Cora. Howell came in and gave up a sac fly to Ellsbury, which made the score 5-1. Pedroia then grounded into a 5-4-3 DP to end the inning. The only baserunner for Boston in the final two innings was Drew's two-out single in the eighth.
Byrd relieved Lester in the sixth and pitched the rest of the way. He gave up a three-run home run to Baldelli in the eighth that put the game on ice. Pena pounded a dong to left-center in the ninth as an exclamation point.
The one Boston run in the seventh meant that the Red Sox avoided being shut out at Fenway Park in a post-season game for the first time since Game 5 of the 1918 World Series.
The Rays lead this series 2-1. Game 4 is tomorrow night.
***
BR Preview
Matt Garza (Rays 14-16 in his starts)
Jon Lester (Red Sox 22-11 in his starts)
Red Sox RaysAfter splitting the first two games, the ALCS is now a best-of-5 -- and Boston has both home field advantage and Jon Lester set to pitch two of those possible five games.
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF Akinori 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 Willy Aybar, DH
Mark Kotsay, 1B Dioner Navarro, C
Jason Varitek, C Rocco Baldelli, RF
Alex Cora, SS Jason Bartlett, SS
Lester made three starts against the Rays this season, allowing only two runs in 20 innings (0.90 ERA). 18 hits, six walks, 19 strikeouts. He had a 2.49 ERA in 17 Fenway starts. He was second on the Red Sox staff with a 143 ERA+.
Garza -- in the first full season of his career -- started four games against the Red Sox, allowing 14 runs (11 earned) in 22 innings (4.50). He walked seven, struck out 10 and gave up four dongs. His 118 ERA+ was third best on the Rays staff.
There are rumblings that Alex Cora may get a start today. I'd rather Terry Francona stick to putting the best players in the lineup, thank you very much. But the Assassin loves Einstein, so I hope Flo and Lyndon pick today to come out of their offensive shells.
Corsi Combover has some fine Columbus Day art at SoSH. It's Thanksgiving Day in Canada and we're off with some friends and their dogs. You're on your own as far as links go, but the ProJo blog has press conference transcripts and a bunch of other stuff in one place.
***
NLCS 4: Phillies (2)/Dodgers (1) at 8
383 comments:
1 – 200 of 383 Newer› Newest»Has anyone else noticed how much Garza spits while on the mound? Normally I wouldn't bring it up but it's ridiculous. I'm not kidding, he spits about every 3 seconds. Just a random thought.
Watching Red Sox Classics on NESN... Not only was the game a classic, but so was the banter in the booth. Classic Don and Jerry.
Remy: "Do you ever get eye gunk?"
Don: "Sure, I get eye gunk. Do you ever get eye gunk?"
Remy: "Of course I get eye gunk. When do you get eye gunk?"
Don: "I usually have eye gunk in the morning. Other than that, my eyes are gunk-free."
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
J.D. Drew, RF
Jason Bay, LF
Mark Kotsay, 1B
Jason Varitek, C
Alex Cora, SS
Amalie Benjamin, from her online chat earlier today: "I think we all sort of knew what was going to happen when Francona put Timlin into the game. ... When you're forced to use Timlin, unless you're up by quite a few runs, you've really already lost that game."
Now that's dreamy!
Corsi Combover has some fine Columbus Day art at SoSH.
Although I'd settle for simply beating the Rays. An actual massacre and enslavement won't be necessary.
Globe, with Tito on the lineup:
Francona prefers Cora against power righthanded pitchers. "It seems like it's been more of a fit for Alex. I anticipate Jed being right back in there tomorrow. Sometimes you have different ways of being a good team. Sometimes you don't. We always make sure Jed, when he goes out to take his grounders today, knows that he's not being punished."
Ellsbury (hitless in his last 17 AB, 0-for-11 in the ALCS) is 6 for 13 with a walk against Garza.
Re Ortiz: "He came out yesterday and just peppered that Wall. I thought that was really an intelligent thing to do. When he has the ability to hit that Wall, he has the ability to hit the ball anywhere with power. And he came out and just beat the [manure] out of that wall."
***
Iwamura, 2B
Upton, CF
Pena, 1B
Longoria, 3B
Crawford, LF
Aybar, DH
Navarro, C
Baldelli, RF
Bartlett, SS
Keys to this game
Ellsbury needs to get off the snide. A 2/4 night will set up FY and Papi just right.
Papi needs to take the shift out of play either by hitting it out or peppering the wall.
Lester just needs to be Lester.
Not going to be around much for the thread. I have to get ready to teach and then teach at 7:30. I am hoping for a fast shutout by Lester so I can know the final score before I have to go to class.
Enjoy the game!
thanks, amy.
shots done!
I'll be itching to leave work early to see the end of the game.
Hello all...still smarting a bit over the last game; Tito can't afford to give away games in a 7-game series by bringing in Mike Timlin's Corpse over just about anybody else in the pen. Still, I'm ready to see Lester kick some ass today!
LET'S GET IT THE MOTHAFUCK ON!
Well in a fine tradition, BH is making margaritas tonight, so expect letters to the players and my intelligence to go down the drain accordingly.
The things I do in support of this team.
IT IS ON!!!
Applause.
26 to go
holla
2 easy outs on 3 pitches.
Keep swinging at first pitches pls
hey aren't there usually like 200 comments b4 playoff games even start?
OTT! Nice, Sid.
Holy shit! 4-pitch first inning!
i wonder if garza is wearing his ear plugs today?
maybe people are getting burned out after six months of threads? also, it is 4:42 pm.
lester on pace for a 36-pitch CG!
Now THAT was some good work.
Hey, I added another connector line to my mythical live-meeting chart Saturday, meeting Ofer ("a conformer") in NYC. Nice guy. But you knew that.
I did think, weekday afternoon game--but, holiday! Some people must have it off. (It's Native Peoples Slaughter Day or something...)
Jere- the omnipotent gave you a good thumbs up on the THOM meeting.
To bad it wasn't rewarded with a win.
Evening.
We missed the first innings here waiting for the effing Sabres to conclude their 7-1 win over the Islanders.
Christ on a bike. We get a game at a reasonable hour and our broadcaster is mailing it in.
tu es awesome, monseiur pedroia
FY!!!
I was Truped on that one.
crawford thought it was gone the way he was watching it
FY!!!!
I love how he knows how to play the Monster.
nice. thanks, s1c.
Didn't really have to hear the TBS sound at the bar--but did notice they, by chance I'm SURE, showed about a million highlights of Rays beating Red Sox from the past season, and none the other way.
FY near dong! (Caray started his "wave goodbye" line a tad early, ha)
Umpteenth fuckin' FY double this year.
Last minute of the Islanders game.
That's smoke coming out of my ears.
morgan just called the Wall "the short porch in left"
morgan just called the Wall "the short porch in left"
Was he joking?
At all?
Blargh. What a terrible call.
umpires still calling things using the "coin-flip" method, I see
Last pitch to Ortiz looked like a ball on GDGD.
Hallelujah!
It's over.
no joke. talking about tiz able to go the other way since he does not have his usual power to rcf and rf.
morgan does not possess a sense of humor. miller tries and sometimes goofs on him - he never gets it.
Buck, instead of saying "I love this," how about saying you'd love it if umpires called the strike zone by the rules?
(Buck was saying how he "loves it" when umps have a bigger strike zone for each pitcher as long as it's consistent)
ahhh, assface.
Aw, fiddlesticks.
Thank goodness, no Argos game today, so we can have radio audio.
Sutcliffe on Holbrook - home plate umpire in Game 2 - "What a great job he did on Saturday".
I guess we don't agree..
he did do a great job for the Rays
Frig. I hate watching Longoria at bat.
K. one on one out
Take a seat, Crawford. Good battle, though, so there's that.
feck
nice catch, bard
Kee-ripes.
Not good early vibes here....
Tek doesn't catch pitch, second and third one out
ground out scores run. that's crappy
PRODUCTIVE OUT!!!!!!!11111
>:O
wish they had been a dp.
chip is no doubt happy in the pants
Okay, that could've been worse.
I CAN HAZ RUNZ PLZ?
Here comes our productive lower order to save the day.
shit - bad enough tek can't hit - now the human computer is crashing on the field
the PB really cost us
Drew walks, Bay gets a single, Kotsay flies out, TEK GIDP.
My premonition.
Tek makes up for the passed ball by knocking in two runs on a double off the wall. After all he is due for a hit.
does the flyout score the run, though?
Way to get on, Bay!
Bay single
jeterian!
Bay single was right.... :-)
Kotsay did something good! Kotsay did something good!
I didn't see that. How can the ghost of Jason Varitek mess this up?
kotsay hustle to second to avoid being the lead out in tek's gidp
Oh fuck. Tek.
Come on you old bastard.
Would've hoped a guy like Ron Darling would know that other shortstops before Jeter did the "jump throw."
Kotsay again with his first pitch hacking--and doubles!
Tek, get one home.
c'mon Tek, a sac fly isn't too much to ask, is it? you can do that, right?
Whoo, I thought that was going to be a catchable pop up.
c'mon Tek!!!
Those words - Alex Cora on deck - make grown men weep.
varitek, you are not good at hitting
Tek K. Drink!
assmuncher
assmuncher
redsock/ L-girl - what time do polls close in cahnahdah tomorrow?
3 hits, no runs. Not good!
Fuck you and your red sox strand two oh boy happines chip.
the LOB parade has begun - great.
Cora. SEEING IS BELIEVING.
TBS, you fucking jerks, just tell the audience that the Rays have been given two free outs. Don't try to justify it. Don't try to tell us that "both teams are mad." And don't show the damn pitch tracker thing if you're gonna act like the strike zone is irrelevant.
the networks are starting their coverage at 8. l is looking it up.
the networks are starting their coverage at 8
Well, that was mostly what I was looking for. Last Cdn. election, C-Span picked up CBC coverage.
figure we can hopefully at least get one d-bag out of power in N. America tomorrow.
9:30 eastern
diff times in diff areas
7 pm pacific
come on lestah
2nd and 3rd no effin outs
This is seriously not good.
Ahh jeez.
Frag
Manny woulda deked him
jon miller implied that mike greenwell was a master at playing the wall.
fuck you chip
Sigh.
over everything. Lester, stop taking lessons from Beckett
wow - morgan all quiet, then says "man" in some amount of dismay!
Hol-eee shit.
Well, Lester can't be perfect every day! He needs some fucking help.
I wouldn't say a four run lead at Fenway in the third would be considered a game "broken open."
Take a seat, Pena. At least the ump's strike zone is terrible for Lester, too.
Oh dear.
Don't think I'll be staying up late tonight.
Christ. Urge to kill...rising.
solo dong for arod south
OHHHHHHH
lookee who is up in the pen.
Byrd warming up... about 40 hours too late!
miller: "sox fans are not that far removed from 86 years of pain and suffering. ... doubts may be creeping in."
yes, he said that
shit - jon miller giving the sox 2008 eulogy.....
then finally says well this game is far from over after all.
Of course the Longoria dinger was caught by the one goddamn Rays fan in the Monster seats.
All right, guys...Lester's picked you up all year. Return the favor!
We need a clean up crew in the TBS booth.
If that doesn't send a message to this lot, nothing will. Time Jacoby. Time David.
"yes, he said that"
I tried to tell ya, man, it's everywhere. That Extra Bases guy said the same crap during the ALDS, about how the old familiar doubt is creeping back.
lester pc: 4-21-29 = 54
sigh
54 pitches after 3, yowza. Remember that sweet 4-pitch first inning? seems so long ago now, sigh.
" Of course the Longoria dinger was caught by the one goddamn Rays fan in the Monster seats."
Correction: Yankee fan.
We need a clean up crew in the TBS booth.
i was going to say i hope he is being careful with his aim because i don't think the fans below the tbs booth would like to be drippled on, but i thought it was in bad taste (so to speak)
what pisses me off is the ump is calling pitches off the plate, so why throw strikes. geez fucking christ.
Any sliver of doubt I might have had about the Red Sox was obliterated when they came back from 3-1 down last year to beat the Indians.
The only feeling I have right now is complete and utter aggravation.
Most painful inning of the year?
Maybe. Although when we lost the lead to Texas after scoring 10 in the first (right?), that was pretty bad, too.
I'm takin' a deep breath and telling myself, "It's baseball. It's baseball. It giveth and it taketh away."
"what pisses me off is the ump is calling pitches off the plate, so why throw strikes. geez fucking christ."
right, and instead of announcers telling the youth of the world that that's wrong, they say "I love that." Direct quote.
time to clog those bases.
The saddest thing about that fly out is that that's the best contact he's had all series.
Jacoby breaks back on a ball that's in, and Caray says, "he broke back..." but still gets it. Baldelli does the same thing and he calls it "surrounding the ball" as if he purposely took the wrong path to the ball.
It is amazing how when things go wrong, the pundit (Sutcliffe in this case) acts as though how he knew what was wrong all along (he has a hole in his swing).
FY says fuck the funeral.
time for big Papi, to be well, big Papi.
At least FY's found his swing again.
FY still hitting balls that almost go through the Wall
Looking at gdgd, this isn't a large strike zone, it is an inconsistent one.
FY enhances his rep.
Sutcliffe now saying Papi is not seeing the ball properly....
after morgan says lester will be next to impossible to score on, now he says he is surprised. so now he says that you have to get garza early or not at all......
joe, you are usually wrong, shut up
Having Dale Arnold calling that inning on the radio was none too fun, either. Ended up switching to music on my way home.
Dale says Garza only made 1 throw to check a runner at 1st all year, and made errors on throws to first both times on the only 2 balls he fielded.
dong now pls
Thank you extended camera bay.
Martinez claiming he catches it without the well being there.
Because he just looked so confident going after that one....
what the FRIG
Because he just looked so confident going after that one....
Very Jeterian.
OMG - miller just says no one is better at going back to get popups than bartlett.
oooooooo snap, jeter!
Hey, everyone. Just wanted to say: I'm watching, but not feeling very talkative right now. FUCK, Lester, what the hell?
That's the second time in the series Eva has done the "wave everyone else off" move and NOT caught the ball. It's like singing Na Na Na Hey Hey Hey Goodbye and then losing. Fuckin ARod imitator with the cockiness of Jeter. He's the worst of both worlds.
Argh. This ain't looking too good.
morgan says that was a yook swing because when the ball went over the plate, his bat was still going forward.
not how FAR he swung it, but where if it was moving forward at any point in his swing when the ball went by.
this might be the dumbest thing he's ever said.
Lester's getting tagged like Beckett was. The fact that Lester's not hurt really, really worries me.
So the sukkah's built, but the Sox are losing. Meh.
Nice pick by Youk there.
i have an idea.
let's score a couple of runs.
come on boston
several dongs this inning please
Nothing like opening up a package of cheese you just bought yesterday and discovering it's moldy...
Kind of like opening up your J.D. Drew to find out he's moldy.
Not feeling this game right now, guys.
when they showed the moon and Caray said "that's how big the ball looks to the Rays tonight," he should've said "that's how wide Garza's strike zone has been tonight."
Youk!!!
hahahaha fucking fuckers. fucking prickwads. Upton's a fuckin idiot. Do they care to continue sucking his ass and saying "it's not dogging it, he's just graceful"?
TBS just finished marveling at how graceful Upton is on the baseball field.
Real graceful.
TBS just finished marveling at how graceful Upton is on the baseball field.
Real graceful.
That had nothing to do with grace. That was just plain dumb.
at the same time, morgan was saying that when he runs, he "glides ... like a track star"
go shoot blanks into your rolled up ARod poster Eva
The Red Sox need to rip the Pelican's huge nose off next inning.
Caray: "Did the Rays run themselves out of a chance to score and will that cost them?"
Yes.
I will participate in the lights out challenge if they turn off the microphones in the TBS booth.
walks please
I'm thinking it's my duty to wear an anti-TBS shirt to the game tomorrow, wait around the walkways, and right as one of their roving cameras passes me, open up my jacket to reveal it.
Producer on TBS said to Caray in his ear: "Quick, say something nice about Fenway Park. We're getting swamped with hate mail here."
Caray: "Is that enough?"
Producer: "Yeah. America's Most Beloved Ballpark is fine. As you were."
Caray: "I can handle that."
I have never seen a pitcher so consistently fall behind in the count over six innings and not pay for it one bit.
Also the spitting thing is disgusting and really needs to stop.
I hate Garza and his pelican face.
Sorry, five innings. I'm too angry to count properly.
There goes the no-walker!
2 out walk
Martinez: "We all know what the captain means to the Red sox"
Rally killer? Never gets a man on third with one out in? Almost obvious strikeout victim?
Casey for DH?
I'm still fuming quite a bit about Cora being in there. Bay and Lowrie have been an excellent combination this postseason.
Hi all. Mother fuck.
The Rays gush fest continues...
was that a 4-pitch walk to Baldelli, who he owns?
Now here comes Byrd?
I dono, Jere. TBS was too busy talking about the Rays to call the game.
Holy fuck! It's Paul Byrd!
yeah - 4 pitches
morgan says the red sox have to win at least 1 game at fenway so they do not have to go back to tampa down by 3 games.
then he said it again.
morgan says the red sox have to win at least 1 game at fenway so they do not have to go back to tampa down by 3 games.
He must be confusing Tampa with Fort Myers in February 09.
Yeah, because clearly Fenway is a tough place for the Red Sox to win a game.
We better get to this Garz-er for a few runs this inning. Start it off with some Yook action, followed by Drew, Bay and Kotsay.
Jeez I almost reluctently went to a bar right after work to catch this game but heard the score on the radio and rethought it. If we get a few runs I'll re-rethink...
Five runs...3 1/3 innings...well shit - as previously mentioned, we're the fucking Red Sox. We can get it done.
The Red Sox don't need to prove anything. Ron Darling thinks the Red Sox feel like they have more to prove now that Manny is gone. To show everyone that they're still a good team without Manny.
Ish - yeah, just because they played .667 ball after manny means they suck.
Buck: "I think it's important for the pitching coach to know his personnel."
Pelican can go ahead and throw one to the backstop because Varitek and Cora are up next.
Clean up the TBS booth again...
morgan, when bay was hitting: "if you are navarro, right now you are trying to figure out how to get some these hitters out."
fuck.
Does this Garza asshole have some sort of saliva disorder?
All he does is spit. It's quite irritating and repulsing.
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