The Laser Show

Originally slated to start game one, Josh Beckett has been pushed back to game three at the earliest.  Jon Lester will make the start in game one with Daisuke Matsuzaka taking the mound in game two.  The Angels elected to take the extra day off between games one and two, allowing each team to use only three starters in the series.  Since the Angels appeared to have an advantage at the back of their rotation, it can be safely assumed that they wanted Thursday night off to watch Sarah Palin make a mockery of knowledge and intellect against Joe Biden in the Vice Presidential Debate.

It didn’t take long for the Red Sox to reestablish their authority in the AL East tonight, jumping on Rays’ ace Scott Kazmir for four runs in the first inning.  As the Red Sox expanded their lead to 11-1 in the fourth inning, they effectively turned the first installment of the series for first place into a spring training game.  David Ortiz, Mike Lowell, Jason Bay, Jason Varitek, Kevin Youkilis, and Jacoby Ellsbury all homered in a 13-5 rout.

Tampa managed to turn out only 30,000 fans, still about 10,000 higher than their season average, but quite unremarkable with their ace on the mound, their chief division rival in town, and the first playoff race in franchise history.  In short, it was the biggest home game to date in Rays’ franchise history, yet they only filled 75% of their seats.  Brutal.

The Tampa Bay Rays’ attendance is double what it averages; there is a sea of red shirts, but it isn’t Gay Days at Disney; and thousands of Floridians are pretending to care about baseball.  This can mean only one thing: the Red Sox are in Tampa this week.

Only one game separates the Red Sox and Rays in the AL East, and after last week’s debacle, the Red Sox will be looking for revenge.  The Red Sox had ample opportunity to win all three games in the last series, but late inning misplays - a blown save by Jonathan Papelbon and a poorly produced offensive performance against the back of Tampa’s bullpen in a 14 inning disaster cost the Sox two of the three games.

Boston will send Daisuke Matsuzaka, Josh Beckett, and Tim Wakefield to the mound.  Matsuzaka is third in the league in ERA despite being blind in both eyes.  Beckett has been his ace self again since returning from the DL.  Wakefield does his best work in domes, including a 3.71 ERA and 1.26 WHIP indoors; in Tampa, he has a 2.45 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 114 innings.

Tampa will counter with ace Scott Kazmir, talentless hack Andy Sonnanstine, and number three man Matt Garza.

“I never thought I would walk a jockey.” That was White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen’s assessment of the intentional walk he issued to Boston’s impromptu cleanup hitter Dustin Pedroia in a game on August 30. Pedroia had just wrapped up his second consecutive 4 for 4 game against the White Sox as Boston’s first second baseman to bat cleanup in half a century. The American League’s batting average leader has been a huge catalyst in the Boston Red Sox’s 2008 playoff run and his heroic efforts are garnering unlikely MVP consideration. Read more

As of games played on 9/9:

Dustin Pedroia, 2B: .327, 17 HR, 45 doubles, .870 OPS, 112 runs, 77 RBI, 17/1 SB/CS

Carlos Quentin, LF: .288, 36 HR, 26 doubles, .965 OPS, 96 runs, 100 RBI, 7/3 SB/CS, out for remainder of the season

Justin Morneau, 1B: .311, 23 HR, 41 doubles, .914 OPS, 89 runs, 119 RBI, 0/1 SB/CS

Milton Bradley, OF: .327, 22 HR, 31 doubles, 1.029 OPS, 74 runs, 74 RBI, 4/3 SB/CS

Kevin Youkilis, 1B: .315, 25 HR, 38 doubles, .951 OPS, 84 runs, 99 RBI, 3/5 SB/CS

The Yankees and Rays are in the midst of a three game series at Tropicana Field and with it comes deep, conflicting divides in the hearts of Red Sox fans that rival those of Israelis/Palestinians, liberals/conservatives, and Mac/PC.

On the bright side, each Rays’ loss brings the Red Sox a half game closer to taking back the division lead. If the Yankees lose, it’s one triumphant step closer to their season’s burial. Yet, having to hope for a Yankees’ win is dirty and should bring out feelings of self-loathing in any self-respecting Sox fan. The Rays haven’t done much to endear themselves to Boston either. True Rays’ fans are few and far between, with most game attendees simply being Yankees’ spring training goers, fair-weather fans, and other generally insufferable folks. As of September 4, they will meet four more times in the regular season.

Regardless of the outcomes, I’m sure I speak for all Red Sox fans when I wish the two clubs a series of 18 inning affairs involving a pair of catastrophically burnt out bullpens.