The rain may have picked up the W on Friday night, but the Sox gobbled up the Rays in a whirlwhind 3-game sweep with three outstanding performances by Sox starters against a team that had the Sox' number for most of the season. Now said team appears to be in a free-fall after the trade of Scott Kazmir and the injury to Carlos Pena. Sox pitching held the Rays to a mere two runs over the entire series (one game was cut short by rain, but still...). Saturday night, Beckett spun 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball while the Sox teed off on Rays rookie Wade Davis and assorted relievers. He threw only 5 1/3 because that's all the game they got in before the tarp was rolled out and the game was eventually called.
High noon today, Clay Buchholz took the mound and promptly engaged in a pitching duel with Sox nemesis Matt "Gargamel" Garza. The hometown team struck first with an RBI double by V-Mart, scoring Pedey, who also doubled. The Rays tied it in the top of the 7th and almost plated the go-ahead run, but Gabe Gross was nailed at the plate by V-Mart. Since Buch left the game after the inning and the score was still tied when Oki took the mound in the 8th, he did not pick up the W, but I'm sure he's happy with his performance and with the team's win. Oki, who had been scuffling lately, returned to form by retiring the side in order. Then, in the bottom of the 8th, Papi stroked a pinch-hit double in the place of Nick Green and Pedey took Garza deep to make the score 3-1. Pap sealed the deal and the Sox clinched a series win.
Game two had Lester on the hill and he was lights-out, pitching 8 shutout innings of 2-hit ball. Unfortunately, due to blackout restrictions where I live, I couldn't see the game on TV and had to settle for following it online. Not. The. Same. The runs were scored on an RBI groundout by Lowell, a 2-RBI single by Tek and a Bay dinger (#32 on the season). Despite the crazy weather and all the waiting through rain delays, the Sox had a victorious weekend and kept the pressure on the Rangers, gaining at least a game on their Wild Card lead.
I like seeing the Red Sox play some small ball to manufacture runs. When up against tough pitchers like Garza and Shields, playing for the big inning isn't always the best way to go. With Gonzo coming from the NL and having experience laying down sac bunts, the Sox add more dimension to their offensive attack and that can only help as they fight for a spot in the playoffs.
The Sox get a well-deserved break tomorrow, their last off-day of the season, and then here come the Angels. Tuesday will be very interesting, with Dice-K making his first start in nearly three months. If he can even give us 5-6 innings of quality pitching (3 runs or less), that would be a big boost for the team. Right now, Beckett, Lester, and Buchholz look like as good of a 1-2-3 as any team has. If Matsuzaka can pitch well enough to be a solid #4, it will take some pressure off of Wake, who has to pitch through pain that severely limits his ability to field his position.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!
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