Red Sox on brink of elimination

10/14/2008 11:15 PM ET

Box >

Red Sox on brink of elimination
Rays continue to play long ball, take 3-1 lead in ALCS
By Ian Browne / MLB.com

BOSTON -- The position is a familiar one, but not an enviable one. Here the Red Sox are again, on the brink of elimination after Game 4 of the American League Championship Series.

Sure, the Red Sox were in this same position their past two times in the ALCS -- 2004 and '07 -- and heroically lived to tell about it. But they were hoping to avoid the high-wire act this time around.

But now, they have no choice. This after Tim Wakefield's knuckleball betrayed him to the point that he didn't make it through the third inning. And this after the Boston bats again came out cold, which is the temperature they've been stuck at since the sixth inning of Game 2. It added up to a thoroughly humbling 13-4 defeat on Tuesday night, marking the second straight day the Red Sox have been stomped on at Fenway Park. The Rays won Game 3, 9-1.

Trailing, 3-1, in the best-of-seven series, Boston's only path to the World Series would be to win Game 5 at Fenway Park on Thursday and then take Games 6 and 7 at Tropicana Field on Saturday and Sunday.

After winning Game 1 behind a dazzling pitching performance by Daisuke Matsuzaka, it's hard to believe the Red Sox would be stuck in this position. Then again, they beat the Indians in Game 1 behind an equally impressive performance by Josh Beckett last year before losing the next three. Beckett started the road to recovery a year ago by firing a gem in Game 5, and now it will be up to Matsuzaka to do the same.

As for this game, Wakefield did the exact thing he was hoping to avoid, which was pin his team in an early hole. With one on and one out in the first, Carlos Pena hit a towering two-run homer to left. Evan Longoria followed with a Green Monster shot of his own, making it 3-0 before the Red Sox even took a swing against Rays starter Andy Sonnanstine.

Though Wakefield settled down briefly for a 1-2-3 second, the Rays jumped right back on him in the third. With two outs, Wakefield was close to a 1-2-3 inning when Carl Crawford hit a roller between the mound and the first-base line. Wakefield dove face-first to get the ball, but his shovel throw to first was not in time. Willy Aybar followed by nailing a two-run shot over the Monster Seats and onto Lansdowne Street to make it 5-0. Dioner Navarro followed with a hard single off the wall in left, and that was all for Wakefield.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona called on Justin Masterson, who is usually deployed in the mid-to-late innings. After the righty got the final out of the third, Kevin Cash got Boston on the board by leading off the bottom of the inning with a solo homer over the Monster.

Cash became the first Red Sox player to hit a homer in his first postseason at-bat since Todd Walker in Game 1 of the AL Division Series vs. the A's in 2003.

Other than that, the offense, which had a new look with J.D. Drew leading off and Jacoby Ellsbury on the bench, couldn't get anything established.

Masterson settled things down for the Red Sox, giving up one run over 2 1/3 innings, walking one and striking out four. However, the offense couldn't get Boston any closer and it all fell apart after Masterson's exit. Manny Delcarmen was hammered for five runs in a back-breaking sixth inning, and the Red Sox were in a gaping 11-1 hole.

Only after they were down 10 runs did the offense begin to show some spark against Sonnanstine. In the bottom of the seventh, David Ortiz snapped his 0-for-12 drought in the ALCS with a triple to right. Kevin Youkilis drove him in with a fielder's-choice grounder.

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

Red Sox Down

But not out!


Rays need to finish the job in Game 5

Go Sox!

Hahahaha Goooooo Rayyyys
Sawx are done lol no manny and no lowell and beckett sucks..they are done..sorry sawx supporters..but they are done..and they deserve to be done..then the rays deserve to be done in the ws for acting cocky and smug when its their first time in the playoffs

looks like dodgers are out of it sooo goooo phillieeeesssssss

It ain't over yet.


Rays need to win Game 5

They can't let the Red Sox get back in the series

Same goes for the Phillies


Though I predict we gonna see a Game 6 in both series;



GO RAYS!

GO DODGERS

there goose is cooked lol

their

Everytime I see this I read 'Red Sox on brink of extinction' I just had to share :haha:

mrsrabelo wrote:

Everytime I see this I read 'Red Sox on brink of extinction' I just had to share :haha:

don't we wish

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

mrsrabelo wrote:

Everytime I see this I read 'Red Sox on brink of extinction' I just had to share :haha:

don't we wish

The organization can go bye-bye but send Papelbon and Jacoby my way.

mrsrabelo wrote:

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

mrsrabelo wrote:

Everytime I see this I read 'Red Sox on brink of extinction' I just had to share :haha:

don't we wish

The organization can go bye-bye but send Papelbon and Jacoby my way.

Dodgers are done


It will be the Phillies vs Tampa Bay or Boston in the WS