RAYS GAME RESULTS

09/11/2008 1:44 AM ET

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Rays triumph over Red Sox in extras
Pena's three-run shot breaks tie in 14th, leads to series win
By Bill Chastain / MLB.com

BOSTON -- Thirteen innings had passed and the Rays and Red Sox remained deadlocked.

There appeared to be no end in sight with two outs in the top of the 14th and Mike Timlin pitching for Boston. Then Akinori Iwamura and Rocco Baldelli cobbled together singles to put runners at first and second for Carlos Pena.

Pena took ball one before hitting Timlin's next pitch over the Green Monster in left field for his 28th home run of the season to give the Rays a 4-1 lead en route to a 4-2 win over the Red Sox on Wednesday night at Fenway Park in front of a crowd of 38,114.

"Obviously [Timlin is] a veteran pitcher," said Pena, who called the home run the biggest home run of his career. "... He's had an incredible career. He knows what he's doing out there. I was just trying to make it as simple as possible. You don't want to think too much with a guy like him.

"I was just trying to see the ball and I got a pitch I thought I could handle. Put a good swing on it, got the barrel on the ball. I was actually surprised the ball went out. I was shocked. I was hoping the ball was going to hit the wall. I saw [Red Sox left fielder Jason] Bay's reaction out in left field and I was like 'Oh man, this is good.' ... And when it went out I was excited, I was very excited."

By winning, the Rays earned their first series win in Boston since 1999 while increasing their lead in the American League East to 2 1/2 games over the second-place Red Sox. Tampa Bay has won five of its past six games against Boston.

But the Red Sox did not go quietly in the bottom half of the inning as Troy Percival high-wire act once again made for a suspenseful outcome.

A night after Percival earned his 28th save during an appearance packed with plenty of drama, the Rays closer entered the game in the bottom of the 14th to try and protect a 4-1 Rays lead and he clearly did not have it. Jacoby Ellsbury doubled to lead off the inning before Percival walked Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz to load the bases. Percival then had to leave the game when his back stiffened up. Jason Hammel was brought on to try and escape the jam.

"Honestly, me and [Juan] Salas were up [in the bullpen] trying to get some work in," Hammel said. "And we figured Percy was going to close the door. He ran into a little trouble and I got in there. I just wanted to attack the hitters; that's been my whole mind-set."

Hammel faced Kevin Youkilis first and the Red Sox's cleanup hitter managed a sacrifice fly to right field that drove home Ellsbury, giving Youkilis his 100th RBI of the season and cutting the lead to 4-2.

"He hit it pretty well -- I was just attacking him with a fastball and he got it," said Hammel, who called his outing the top moment of his baseball career. "My mindset in that situation is to just get outs. I was happy he caught it."

Hammel then struck out Jason Bay for the second out before Alex Cora flew out to center field to end the game.

"If that's what September baseball is all about, it's a lot of fun," Hammel said. "... I can't even talk right now. I'm still coming down from cloud nine."

The Rays scored first when Cliff Floyd singled off Josh Beckett to lead off the second and scored when the next hitter, Willy Aybar tripled to right field.

The Red Sox answered in the third when Pedroia doubled home Jed Lowrie to tie the game at 1.

Plenty of goose eggs followed on the scoreboard.

Andy Sonnanstine started for the Rays and pitched well allowing no earned runs on four hits while striking out seven in seven innings worked, but he received a no-decision.

"It's hard to top [Tuesday night's 5-4 win], but we may have," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "To go that many innings, I've always talked about winning an extra-inning game on the road, it's very significant also."

Bill Chastain is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

I can't wait until the Rays come to Detroit


Stupid Schedule

Tigers don't play em at home until last weekend of season

09/20/2008 12:41 AM ET

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Historic call helps Rays pound Twins
Tampa Bay one game away from clinching first playoff berth
By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

ST. PETERSBURG -- Throughout their improbable run, the Rays have talked all season long about taking it one game at a time.

Now, after Friday night's 11-1 win over Minnesota, one game is all they need.

The Rays are teetering on clinching a franchise-first playoff bid, with Friday's victory dwindling the club's magic number for one of the four American League postseason spots to one. What that means is they need to win just one of their remaining two games against the Twins to secure a ticket to October. Or they need one loss by the Yankees and the White Sox this weekend, which would put the Rays in the postseason regardless of the outcome of their next two games.

A crowd of 28,306 at Tropicana Field saw the American League East leader record its 91st victory this year, and with the win, it maintained a 1 1/2-game distance over second-place Boston. The win -- coupled with Boston's win over Toronto -- puts the Rays' magic number to clinch the division at nine.

But Friday night's win wasn't about Boston and the division, although the Rays have no intention of slinking back and accepting the AL Wild Card spot. And it also wasn't about the outcome of the White Sox, Yankees and Blue Jays games -- as those three losses would have backed the club into the playoffs on Friday night.

Instead, it was about a Rays team that has appeared to have a date with destiny all season long, finally having a say in how it gets there.

"We've been through so much the whole season -- just the fact that we're going to do it ourselves," Dioner Navarro said. "We aren't going to depend on anybody [to lose]. I think this is going to mean a lot for everybody in here."

And although the Rays will chalk Friday night's victory up as just another "W" in their amazing season, it was a telling one. When play was halted in the fourth inning to review Carlos Pena's ball that hit the right-field fence, the Rays sat in the dugout and patiently waited. Pena stood out on second. And together, they all believed.

"The guys were like, 'Hey Carlos, come out -- just try and score,'" Pena said of his teammates. "I'm like, 'No, [the umpires] will come out. And of course they did, and changed the call."

Of course they did. In a season full of highlight-reel performances, it was only fitting that the first time an umpire's call was overturned on instant replay review, the Rays would be on the winning end of it.

After four minutes and 10 seconds of review, Pena's two-out blast off Twins right-hander Boof Bonser was changed from a fan-interference double to a three-run homer. The three runs -- which gave starter Edwin Jackson a nine-run cushion at the time -- came much the same way the Rays' storybook season has: with a little patience and a lot of belief.

"You know how they say you first have to see it in your mind before it can actually happen in reality? We did," Pena said. "And people might think, 'These guys are crazy,' but we believed it like kids. We saw ourselves in the hunt for something later on in the season, and look where we are. We are exactly where we thought we were going to be."

And they did it on Friday with the exact plan that has them in the playoff's driver's seat -- strong starting pitching.

The 25-year-old Jackson responded to the Rays' early offense with a magical performance that ended in a career-high 12th victory. After allowing a pair of runners on board in the game's opening frame, Jackson kept the Twins scoreless through the first five innings, allowing just one run in 7 2/3 innings. At one point, the right-hander retired nine straight batters, and silenced the same Twins bats that busted out for a five-run come-from-behind, ninth-inning win on Thursday night.

"Sometimes you can get a little bit tight, I believe, in a game [following a loss] because you want to come back the next day and do so well," Cliff Floyd said. "I always feel once [Jackson] gets through the first inning, he's good. So giving him a three-run cushion just adds to him relaxing a little more."

Following that three-run first, the Rays put up another trio of scores on starter Nick Blackburn, driving the right-hander from the game after 1 1/3 innings. Those six runs, coupled with Pena's three-run blast and a pair of scores in the sixth, arguably had Jackson in a recliner.

"Defense, offense, everything was working," Jackson said. "At this point, we are trying to play pressure-free."

And with potentially the most important game in franchise history looming, the Rays are taking the time to enjoy the magic in their magic number.

"To be in this position is unbelievable," Floyd said. "That we are even talking about this right now -- it's been a long time coming. And we're looking forward to celebrating."

And a chance to do it on their own terms, in front of a crowd that has waited a decade for a reason to cheer, would be silver lining atop a dream-like season.

"It was different [Friday night], because it was all about us," Rays manager Joe Maddon said of the heavily pro-Rays crowd. "And I really enjoyed that. And I know our guys did, too."

Brittany Ghiroli is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Rays!

Saturday, September 20, 2008
Charting the majors
Detroit News wire services

Rays' Pena beneficiary of first replay reversal

Baseball's instant-replay system produced its first reversal Friday night when the Rays' Carlos Pena had a two-run double changed to a three-run homer during the fourth inning in St. Petersburg, Fla., against Minnesota.

Pena's drive to right field off Boof Bonser appeared to be touched by a fan before bouncing off the top of the fence. First-base umpire Mike DiMuro signaled fan interference, bringing both managers out of the dugout.

The umpires huddled immediately and decided to look at the video for the third test of the system since Aug. 28.

The crowd erupted in cheers when the umpires returned to the field and crew chief Gerry Davis signaled a home run for the former Tiger. The process took 4 minutes, 10 seconds.

09/27/2008 2:56 AM ET

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Rays crowned AL East champions
Club clinches division after Red Sox lose to Yanks at Fenway
By Bill Chastain / MLB.com

• Rays celebrate AL East title watch

DETROIT -- Anticlimactic, maybe, but take nothing away from the Rays -- the 2008 American League East champions.

After taking a 6-4 loss to the Tigers on Friday night in front of a crowd of 39,617 at Comerica Park, the Rays were crowned division champs early Saturday morning after the Yankees defeated the Red Sox with a lopsided win at Fenway Park.

"[It] would have been nice to have won it on the field," Cliff Floyd said. "But any way you get in, you get in. You don't back in with 96 wins. We're here. Nobody wants to play us in the playoffs."

Few could have expected this outcome, which has seen the team go from worst to first. The highest finish the Rays had prior to this season came in 2004, when they won 70 games during a fourth-place campaign.

Tampa Bay turned in its green uniforms and changed its name from "Devil Rays" to "Rays" prior to the 2008 season. And ultimately, it changed the face of the franchise by being cast in the winner's circle.

The Rays' Division Series playoff opponent will shake out in the final weekend of the season. Winning the AL East assured the Rays they will begin the playoffs at home against the winner of the AL Central -- either the Twins or the White Sox -- while Boston, the Wild Card winner, will head to Anaheim to play the Angels, who will finish with the AL's best record. The Angels chose Wednesday to begin their series against the Red Sox, meaning the Rays will open on Thursday.

The Rays dug themselves into an early hole Friday night when Magglio Ordonez laced a two-run double and Gary Sheffield belted a solo home run in the first inning to put the Tigers up, 3-0.

Ramon Santiago, who hit two home runs against Tampa Bay on Thursday, added a two-run homer in the second off Rays starter Andy Sonnanstine, giving Santiago four home runs on the season while staking the Tigers to a 5-0 lead.

"Very [disappointing]," said Sonnanstine of not being able to nail down the clinching game. "I felt like I let the team down, in a sense, today, and [I'm] just thankful that I'll have another game to pitch at some point in the postseason."

The Rays got on the scoreboard in the third when Jason Bartlett scored on a fielder's choice. They scored again in the fifth on Pena's RBI single to cut the lead to 5-2.

B.J. Upton hit his ninth home run of the season in the seventh off former Rays left-hander Bobby Seay to pull Tampa Bay to within two. The Rays were unable to cash in on a golden opportunity in the eighth, when they loaded the bases with two outs, but Pena's liner to center field couldn't find a hole, ending the threat.

"You know what, that's something I noticed today," Pena said. "We swung the bats pretty well, we really did. We didn't catch the breaks. Not only my ball -- I hit that ball on the screws -- there were a few balls that could have dropped that did not, that was the story. We talk about momentum. When you've got the momentum shift, those balls start dropping. It was shifting toward the end, but we just came up a little short."

Bill Chastain is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

10/12/08 4:51 AM ET
Longoria: It was 'just a matter of time'
Rookie's trick to slump-busting is hard work, believing in self

By Bill Chastain / MLB.com

ST. PETERSBURG -- Evan Longoria snapped out of his mini-slump in a big way on Saturday night.

The Rays rookie slugger entered the game in the midst of a 1-for-16 slump, during which he had not gotten a hit in his previous 13 at-bats. But all of that changed quickly in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series when Longoria stroked a two-run homer in his first at-bat.




Further validating the fact Longoria's slump had run its course were the two doubles that followed in his next two at-bats.

"I always believe in myself," Longoria said. "I always have the thought process that it's just a matter of time before I come out of a slump, and I think that's the way you've got to be. You've got to believe in yourself. And I knew it was just a matter of time and that one at-bat could get things clicking again."

Longoria's home run was his third of the postseason, which is tied for the second-highest total by a rookie. Others to accomplish the feat were Atlanta's Chipper Jones (1995) and Andruw Jones (1996), the Cardinals' Willie McGee (1982), and the Yankees' Charlie Keller (1939).

The flavor of the game didn't hurt Longoria's cause either.

"It was one of those days where the hitters were on and the pitchers were having trouble getting guys out," Longoria said. "It was back and forth the whole game. And we knew if we had a one-run lead or they had a one-run lead, it wasn't going to be enough. We had to keep the pressure on and we did a good job of it all day."

During his brief slump, Longoria continued to use a drill in which tennis balls with black and red numbers are shot at him at speeds of up to 130 mph.

"I've been doing it all year," Longoria said. "It's just for vision and tracking and being able to recognize pitches. I think it's a great tool, it allows me to see the ball better and slow the game down. For me, it does the trick."

Longoria never looked panicked during his four-game slumber, but he did seem pleased with how he performed Saturday night.

"It just goes back to being able to produce when it counts and when the pressure's on and the spotlight is on you," Longoria said. "Fortunately, I was able to be presented with those moments again with guys on base and was able to come through again today."

Bill Chastain is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Big Win for the Rays last night

10/14/08 12:30 AM ET
ALCS may swing for good with Game 4
Commanding lead in Rays' view; Wakefield brings experience

By Tom Singer / MLB.com

BOSTON -- They've keyed the cathedral. Stuck wads of bubble gum under the altar. Used The Wall as a dartboard. Chased the worshipers out onto Yawkey Way, grumbling, with lots of game left.

Now that they've gotten the hang of getting their way at Fenway Park, the Tampa Bay Rays will go for the hurt against the Boston Red Sox in Tuesday's American League Championship Series Game 4.

It is a little premature to go for the kill. But the Rays can seriously damage the Red Sox's designs on a second successive World Series title by building on their 2-1 ALCS lead with Andy Sonnanstine, who will oppose knuckleballer Tim Wakefield at 8:07 p.m. ET.

Tampa Bay's 9-1 thrashing in Monday's Game 3 seriously rocked Boston back on its heels. On one October night, the Rays held the Fenway Park upper hand after as many innings (eight) as they had during the entirety of regular-season play.

In the Red Sox's clubhouse, there is an unassigned locker under the label "Lost And Found." As of Monday night, it was empty. Still looking.

Similarly, next to David Ortiz's locker hung a "Boston Red Sox" decal, upside down.

Indeed, the defending World Series champs' world has been inverted. Though doomsayers must proceed with caution: Wasn't it only a year ago that the Red Sox climbed over the Indians out of a 3-1 ALCS hole?

"We've been here before," Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia said.

But not with the Rays. To a man, the Red Sox were confident that their postseason pedigree would pull rank and class on the October apprentices. They thought it, even if they couldn't say it.

And here are the Red Sox, having to circle the wagons.

Yes, it's a little dicey for them. Speaking of which ... if the Red Sox are to hand a tied-again series on Thursday to Game 5 starter Dice-K -- Daisuke Matsuzaka -- Wakefield will have to rebound from his season-long amnesia against the Rays.

Previously a 19-3 ruler of Tampa Bay, Wakefield fluttered to an 0-2 record this season against the Rays, lasting only 15 1/3 innings in three starts.

So if it were an actual country, Red Sox Nation could qualify for some foreign aid from the administration: Sonnanstine did not allow Boston an earned run in 13 innings during the regular season.

Both of the 25-year-old righty's starts against the Red Sox came in the vise of September, including a Sept. 10 masterpiece here in which he hung up seven zeroes in a game that the Rays won in 14 innings.

"That helps me a lot -- knowing that I can come in here and do well against the Sox," Sonnanstine said. "So I know in my mind that it can be done. I think it was pretty essential for my confidence."

While recent success against Wakefield also gives the Rays' lineup that can-do feeling, they realize that here you're dealing with one of the most unpredictable things in baseball.

"When the knuckleball is on, it doesn't matter how much you've gotten to see him," said Rays manager Joe Maddon. "Nobody gets him on any given day."

As they have recently, the Rays will again take a right-wing approach to Wakefield. Subscribing to the theory that same-side hitters get a better read on the knuckleball, Tampa Bay's switch-hitters plan to face Wakefield from the right side.

An interesting notion, but one not supported by the facts. Wakefield's recent history reveals him to be considerably more successful at retiring right-handed hitters (.218 opponents' average in 2008) than lefties (.243).

Among the Rays, Cliff Floyd (1-for-11) and Carlos Pena (4-for-30) indeed have had trouble with the right-hander. Yet other left-handed hitters, such as Akinori Iwamura and Carl Crawford, have handled him superbly.

One of the Red Sox's venerable senior citizens, Wakefield is a sentimental favorite to be the man to start a new winning streak for their rotation. Until Jon Lester misfired in Monday's game, Boston starters had won nine consecutive postseason decisions.

None of those, you can be certain, came with the Red Sox's lineup pushing across only run.

Just as Maddon tried to discount the Rays' four-homer outburst by underlining Matt Garza's pitching as the bona fide story of Game 3, his counterpart could have pointed to a bone-dry offense as Boston's true culprit, not Lester's pitching.

Terry Francona doesn't have many pieces at his disposal for juggling. The Rays are more of an all-for-one team, with Gabe Gross, Rocco Baldelli, Willy Aybar and even Fernando Perez serving as key replacement cogs.

Even when Francona goes to Coco Crisp, that only nudges Jacoby Ellsbury (0-for-14 in the ALCS) from center to right. And is Francona supposed to sit David Ortiz (homerless in his past 41 at-bats) while waiting for his bat to heat up?

"We're one of the best offenses in baseball -- we've shown that all year," Pedroia said. "I don't see why we [would] hit the panic button and start doing things out of the ordinary. We just have to swing the bats better, that's it. I don't necessarily think changing anything [is the answer]."

Changing the personnel, Pedroia meant. Because changing the production is essential, or it might become too late to change the Rays' perception.

Tom Singer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

GO RAYS!

gs78 wrote:

GO RAYS!

Let's have another game like last night!!!!

Anyone watching? Rays be kickin' some Sox right now!!!

Close it out Rays! Bye, Bye Boston!

Darn Boston, they have come back to tie the game 7-7 in the 9th inning

I don't believe this shit;


I was at the Red Wings Game tonight

Someone told me the Rays were up 5-0

Then 7-0

Come home

and then Fucking Red Sox tie it up

They come back and win this series

It has to be rigged

Red Sox win 8-7

Fucking Bullshit

I ain't even gonna watch the WS if the Red Sox are in it


It will be another WS Sweep

Why not just give the Red Sox the title

Oh Wait


This probably are

Bud Selig and Madison Avenue want a Red Sox World Series


Screw them

I can't believe it. I went to bed and it was 7-0 in the 7th, and I wake up this morning and Red Sox won? What happened?

Oh well, Now I can watch the Rays celebrate after they win at home.

mrsrabelo wrote:

I can't believe it. I went to bed and it was 7-0 in the 7th, and I wake up this morning and Red Sox won? What happened?

Oh well, Now I can watch the Rays celebrate after they win at home.

Or watch the Red Sox celebrate after Game 7


If that happens; I gonna boycott the WS

A Phillies-Rays series probably goes 7 games; Either team could win

Red Sox-Phillies WS

Means another Red Sox Sweep

Boring!

10/17/2008 2:10 AM ET

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Rays unable to finish off Red Sox
ALCS heading back to St. Pete after seven-run lead slips away
By Bill Chastain / MLB.com

BOSTON -- Just like that, a seven-run Rays lead and a trip to the World Series disappeared as the Red Sox's bats heated up in the late innings for an 8-7 come-from-behind win over Tampa Bay in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series on Thursday.

The Rays were nine outs away from nailing down a trip to the Fall Classic, but they couldn't get it done. Now the ALCS will shift back to Tropicana Field for Game 6 on Saturday night with Tampa Bay leading 3-2 in the series with two chances to win its first pennant.

With the score tied, 7-7, Kevin Youkilis reached in the ninth inning on a two-out infield single and went to second on Evan Longoria's wild throw to first base. J.P. Howell then intentionally walked Jason Bay before J.D. Drew singled over right fielder Gabe Gross' head to give the Red Sox the walk-off win and complete the largest comeback in LCS history.

"He stayed on it good, he showed discipline, man," said Howell of the 3-1 changeup Drew hit for the winner. "It was a pretty good piece of hitting. He drove it and it had backspin over [Gross'] head."

When Drew's hit landed, the six innings of flawless Rays baseball that started the game were effectively erased.

"Yeah, we outplayed them for six, but we play nine here," Howell said. "We've got to throw this one out of the window. They checked us, and they showed us why they're here. With their backs against the wall, they didn't quit."

Holding what appeared to be a commanding 7-0 lead after six innings, the Rays went to a bullpen that had been solid throughout the postseason. In 24 2/3 postseason innings, the Rays' bullpen had allowed just four runs. Unfortunately for the Rays, that total doubled Thursday night.

Grant Balfour started the seventh inning, and the hard-throwing right-hander surrendered an RBI single to Dustin Pedroia and a three-run homer to David Ortiz that cut the Rays' lead to 7-4.

Despite having three left-handers in the bullpen, Rays manager Joe Maddon did not consider lifting Balfour in favor of one of the trio to face Ortiz.

"No, we've been doing that all year," Maddon said. "Grant has been very good in that situation. Actually, he just got him tonight. If you had been watching us all season, that's the situation where Grant has really done well. He's been kind of like that middle closer guy and I felt pretty good about it. Papi just got him."

Dan Wheeler issued a leadoff walk to Bay in the eighth before giving up a two-run homer to Drew. Coco Crisp added an RBI single during a 10-pitch at-bat to tie the game, 7-7.

GAME 6: JUST THE FACTS

Tropicana Field, Saturday, 8:07 p.m. ET

Red Sox starter: RHP Josh Beckett

2008: 12-10, 4.03 ERA

2008 on the road: 7-5, 2.85 ERA

2008 vs. Rays: 2-1, 2.06 ERA (five starts)

Career vs. Rays: 5-3, 3.11 ERA (10 starts)

2008 ALCS vs. Rays: 0-0, 16.62 ERA (one start)

2008 postseason: 0-0, 11.57 ERA

Career postseason: 6-2, 2.85 ERA

Rays starter: RHP James Shields

2008: 14-8, 3.56 ERA

2008 at home: 9-2, 2.59 ERA

2008 vs. Red Sox: 2-2, 5.85 ERA (four starts)

Career vs. Red Sox: 2-4, 5.23 ERA (eight starts)

2008 ALCS vs. Red Sox: 0-1, 2.45 ERA (one start)

2008 postseason: 1-1, 3.29 ERA

Career postseason: 1-1, 3.29 ERA

Rays lead series, 3-2. This is the 12th time since the advent of the best-of-seven ALCS in 1985 that one team has held a 3-2 series advantage. Of the previous 11 times, the team with the 3-2 series lead has gone on to win the series seven times.

Game 1: Red Sox 2, Rays 0

Game 2: Rays 9, Red Sox 8 (11 innings)

Game 3: Rays 9, Red Sox 1

Game 4: Rays 13, Red Sox 4

Game 5: Red Sox 8, Rays 7

Did You Know? Tampa Bay suffered its first defeat of the season when establishing a lead of five or more runs. The Rays are now 38-1 in such games this year.

They're a great lineup over there," Wheeler said. "Just boil it down to we weren't able to execute and they were. It came a lot at once. That's the thing, they're very capable of doing that. You know, we come back on Saturday, if the same situation arises, I've got 100-percent confidence in all of us to go back out there and get the job done."

Maddon couldn't get too upset with his bullpen.

"Nobody feels worse than the guys out of our bullpen right now," Maddon said. "Nobody feels worse. They've done a tremendous job all year.

"I thought we played a great game. They just came back and beat us tonight. That happens sometimes. We're going to go home, take tomorrow off and come back, and [James] Shields will pitch in Game No. 6. But you can't dwell on it. Again, we'll lose for a half-hour or so and then we'll move on. We have another game to play."

Scott Kazmir started for the Rays and silenced the critics who thought Maddon had made a tactical error by switching starting pitchers from Shields to Kazmir. The Rays left-hander pitched six scoreless innings and allowed just two hits.

"Kaz was very good tonight," Maddon said. "You feel pretty good about a seven-run lead at that point of the game with Grant and Danny coming into it. It just didn't want to happen. There goes Papi and there goes Drew. I mean, that just can happen at any time."

The Rays' offense got busy early Thursday night.

B.J. Upton put the Rays up, 2-0, in the first inning when he homered on a 1-1 pitch from Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka. The blast gave Upton three for the ALCS and six for the postseason.

Carlos Pena hit a two-run homer off Matsuzaka in the third, and Longoria followed with a solo shot over the Green Monster to put the Rays up, 5-0.

Longoria's home run gave the Rays 13 homers for the series, which broke the ALCS record of 12 set by the Red Sox in 2003.

Upton doubled home two more in the seventh to put the Rays up 7-0, which looked like enough of a cushion for victory.

"We played a great game, scored seven runs," Upton said. "They stayed in it, they didn't give up. And they came back to win."

Throughout the season, the Rays' credo has been to take losses hard for the first half hour after the game, then forget about it.

"By the time we get on the plane, we'll forget about it," Upton said. "Guys will be talking and joking around. We still have two games to play and they have to come to us."

However, the frustration of being so close to the World Series on Thursday night and not being able to finish it off was real.

"Yeah, you could smell it," Upton said. "But they're a veteran team. They've been here year after year. They've done it once and obviously they knew they weren't out of it. It's a seven-game series. They played all 27 outs. And that's the outcome."

Bill Chastain is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Sox!!!

Boo Sox, Yea Rays!

bobrob2004 wrote:

Red Sox win 8-7

Now they have to play game 7, I'll be too nervous to sit there and watch it all

Red Sox gonna win the whole thing


The shit is fixed

Red Sox, Rays roll a 7 in epic ALCS
Tampa Bay looking to put away resilient defending champs
By Tom Singer / MLB.com


ST. PETERSBURG -- In hindsight, it was preposterous to expect the Rays to forget in 44 hours a game that will be remembered forever.
So the Red Sox's 8-7 bullrush on Thursday -- merely baseball's biggest postseason comeback since 1929 -- begot their 4-2 win Saturday night, which now has begotten a Game 7. First pitch is slated for 8:07 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on TBS.

Do the Rays still think the Boston Red Sox can be gotten?

"It's not going to be easy," said Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon. "They are the defending world champs. We had a chance to put them away and didn't, so now we've got to do it the hard way.

"We've got one more shot. We can truly teach ourselves a lesson. We can do something [tonight] that will make an imprint on us for a long time."

Namely, break that spell the Red Sox have cast on all the postseason teams they have had on the run.

Cliff Floyd guaranteed it, pulling a Joe Namath.

"They're the World Series champs. You've got to take it from them," said Tampa Bay's personable DH. "They know how to win. They stay poised in tough situations.

"That said, it's going to happen [tonight]."

Taking on the Red Sox in a Game 7 may seem like getting into a hot-dog eating contest with Takeru Kobayashi, or getting into a swimming pool with Michael Phelps.

Tampa Bay right-hander Matt Garza, such a money pitcher in Game 3 in Fenway Park, has the tall order of doing it again against Jon Lester.

Having the left-hander start series-clinching games is tradition-rich Boston's newest tradition. Lester started Game 7 of the 2007 ALCS against Cleveland, Game 4 of the 2007 World Series against Colorado, and Game 4 of the 2008 Division Series against the Angels.


GAME 7: JUST THE FACTS
Tropicana Field, Sunday, 8:07 p.m. ET
Red Sox starter: LHP Jon Lester
2008: 16-6, 3.21 ERA
2008 on road: 5-5, 4.09 ERA
2008 vs. Rays: 3-1, 2.10 ERA (four starts)
Career vs. Rays: 4-1, 3.72 ERA (eight starts)
2008 ALCS vs. Rays: 0-1, 6.35 ERA (one start)
2008 postseason: 1-1, 1.83 ERA
Career postseason: 2-1, 1.86 ERA

Rays starter: RHP Matt Garza
2008: 11-9, 3.70 ERA
2008 at home: 7-3, 2.89 ERA
2008 vs. Red Sox: 2-1, 3.86 ERA (five starts)
Career vs. Red Sox: 4-1, 3.49 ERA (seven starts)
2008 ALCS vs. Red Sox: 1-0, 1.50 ERA (one start)
2008 postseason: 1-1, 4.50 ERA
Career postseason: 1-1, 4.50 ERA

Series tied, 3-3. The Red Sox are the eighth team in history to force a seventh game in the LCS after facing a 3-1 series deficit. Six of the previous seven clubs have won Game 7, including the Red Sox in 2004 and '07.
Game 1: Red Sox 2, Rays 0
Game 2: Rays 9, Red Sox 8 (11 innings)
Game 3: Rays 9, Red Sox 1
Game 4: Rays 13, Red Sox 4
Game 5: Red Sox 8, Rays 7
Game 6: Red Sox 4, Rays 2

Did you know? The Red Sox have won nine straight elimination games in the ALCS, dating back to their comeback from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Yankees in 2004. Boston has won 13 of its last 15 postseason elimination games overall.

"It'll definitely be a lot of fun and a lot of excitement," said Lester, who was uncharacteristically knocked around for eight hits, including two homers, and four runs in 5 2/3 innings of that 9-1 Game 3 loss. "I don't think I have to change my game plan. I think I pitched pretty well, with the exception of a couple pitches [hit for homers by B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria].

"Unfortunately, those pitches hurt me pretty bad. But hopefully I can go out and execute pitches again and stay away from the big innings."

That is a Lester specialty: He has worked 230 innings this year, including the postseason, and has allowed multiple runs in only 21 of them. He limits the damage by specializing in retiring leadoff hitters, who have an on-base percentage of .277 against him, meaning he starts three out of every four innings with an out.

"We haven't been here before," said Longoria, "and that'll be part of the excitement for us. We've got a big opportunity to make history, and all the guys will show up excited about winning a game."

The Red Sox have been here so often, they've virtually diluted what once was considered a miracle. Tonight's Game 7 will be the fourth they have forced in postseason series they once trailed three games to one.

They are 3-for-3 in conversions.

"Any way you can gain an advantage, you're going to try," said Boston manager Terry Francona, realizing that experience in such situations is the best advantage. "It's probably pretty appropriate. We come down to the last game, and whoever plays better gets to move on."

Appropriate? Tonight's game will be the year's 25th between the teams. The Rays lead 13-11, and the Red Sox have a slight edge in runs scored (114-107).

For most of this ALCS, the Rays were the 1927 Yankees. Now the Rays just hope to turn into the 1992 Braves -- the only team in LCS history to let a 3-1 series lead dissolve into a 3-3 tie, and recover to finish the job.

The Red Sox used the karma card to begin their comeback, by having Curt Schilling make the ceremonial first pitch prior to Game 5. Maybe the Rays should now go to counter karma: Sid Bream, who slid home with the winning run in the aforementioned NLCS, would have no trouble getting here on time from Cranberry, Pa., where he lives to haunt Pirates fans.

The Rays' resolve in playing a tight Game 6 -- they had the potential tying run at bat as late as the eighth inning -- spoke well to their hopes for a Game 7 comeback.

In the three prior Game 6s of their storybook comebacks -- in the ALCS of 1986 against the Angels, 2004 against the Yankees and 2007 against the Indians -- the Red Sox blew out their foes by a cumulative 26-8.

"It's going to be fun," Longoria said. "In my opinion, there'll be less pressure on anyone. We'll throw it out there and have fun.

"I think there was more pressure when we were up 3-to-1. There was pressure on us to end it. Elimination games are always pressure-packed. You feel you have to win them, and in that situation you start to press.

"Now it's back to 0-0, and we'll come out and play the way we've been playing all year."

The Rays have courted a reputation for resiliency all year. They dipped into second place on the last day before the All-Star Game break. They had their division lead shrink to a fraction with an early-September loss in Boston.

They rebounded both times.

But they'd never before hit this kind of wall.

"We'll wake up thinking, 'Win today,' that's all. It could be our last game. We know that; that's reality," said Tampa Bay reliever Grant Balfour. "But we're tied 3-3, and it doesn't matter how we got here."

Tom Singer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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