With Playoffs Virtually Assured, Red Sox Aim for Division Title

The Red Sox split this week with the Rays and Blue Jays, but that was good enough to get them into the playoffs (they have clinched at least a tie with the Yankees) and still within 1.5 games of the Rays for the AL East title.  The Red Sox will wrap up the 2008 regular season with a seven game homestand against the Indians and Yankees.

Was it just me or did anyone else think the Yankees would be playing spoiler while the Sox battled the Rays for the East?  Just kidding, I did not see this either.  How good was the East this season: four of the five teams well above .500.  2009 should shape up as a very grueling road to the playoffs, but there is one week left of this season and then October baseball for the hometown team.

Red Sox at Rays

The Rays took two of three in Tampa to win the season series 10-8, which is about a four to five game swing from where I though it would end up.  The Red Sox have historically beat up the Rays, regardless of venue and trips to Tampa were virtual home games for the Red Sox.

This series was nothing like any in these team’s past.  The park was full…of Rays fans!  The Tampa nine feeds off their fans, sporting a better record as more fans come to the ballpark.

The one game the Red Sox got was the opener behind a solid Daisuke Matsuzaka, who got plenty of run support since the Red Sox uncharacteristically hit Scott Kazmir hard.  Kazmir allowed nine runs in only three innings and he allowed four home runs: David Ortiz, Mike Lowell, Jason Bay, and Jason Varitek.  Dice-K departed with a comfortable 13-1 margin, turning the game over to Chris Smith who ran into a little trouble, allowing four runs in his two innings of work, but the Red Sox cruised to the 13-5 victory.

How many times do you see a team blow out another one night and lose a close, low scoring game the next day?  Well, that is exactly what happened with Game 2.  The Red Sox blew a fantastic Josh Beckett effort as he went eight innings and struck out seven.  He allowed only one run, a home run to recent Red Sox killer, Carlos Pena.

Andy Sonnanstine gave the Rays six innings, allowing only one unearned run and the bullpen held the tie into the ninth.  Beckett gave way to Justin Masterson, who got into trouble right away and the Rays took the game with a Dioner Navarro bases loaded single with one out.

Things started off well in the final game as David Ortiz hit in two-run homer in the first, but the game quickly unraveled from there as Tim Wakefield did not have his control.  The Rays answered with three in the first, two in the second, and three more in the third, knocking out Wakefield. It took Devern Hansack, Javier Lopez, and finally David Aardsma just to get through the third inning.

The Red Sox were unable to get back into the game at all and their chance to pull even with the Rays in the division slipped away.  Big Papi hit a second home run of the game in the fifth knocking out Rays starter Matt Garza and preventing him from getting the win.  Most managers would have let their starter finish the fifth to qualify for a win with a sizeable lead, however Joe Maddon would not allow the Red Sox to put Garza in any more trouble and get back into the game.

The Red Sox may end up kicking themselves for dropping the middle game, but it has been a trend this season as the Red Sox are only 19-22 in one run games, whereas the Rays are an MLB best 28-17 in those situations, which is a testament to their bullpen.  While the series was a blow to the division title hopes, the Red Sox maintained a comfortable Wild Card lead and appeared in very little danger of missing the playoffs.

Red Sox at Blue Jays

The Sox and Jays played three tightly contested games, opening with a 4-3 Red Sox victory.  Paul Byrd and A.J. Burnett left a 3-3 game to their bullpens.  The Sox relief staff was nearly perfect through three innings, allowing only one walk and a hit.  The Red Sox scratched a run across in the eighth and made it stand up with Jonathan Papelbon earning the save.

The staff aces, Jon Lester and Roy Halladay, locked up in the pivotal second game.  The Blue Jays got five runs across in the first two innings, but Lester settled in after that, not allowing any more to score in his seven innings. The Red Sox answered with three in the third, highlighted by a Jason Bay home run, but could not score any more off the ace and dropped the game.

Unlike the Tampa Bay series, the Red Sox bounced back from the loss to take the finale thanks to a great effort from Dice-K, who pushed his record to 18-2.  He struck out six, walked only two, and allowed two hits in seven innings before putting the game in the hands of Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon, who saved this game as well.  The Red Sox got all they would need with a Dustin Pedroia sacrifice fly in the first, but Big Papi added another home run for insurance.

The Blue Jays were a thorn in the Red Sox side all season, but the Red Sox finished strong by winning this series on the road.  More importantaly, Tampa was handling Minnesota to help drop the Red Sox magic number.

Red Sox vs. Indians

The Cleveland ballclub that is coming to Fenway this week is the one that most expected at the beginning of the year, the one that was expected to vie for the Central Division crown and make a deep playoff run.

Injuries, inconsistent pitching, and the mid-season trade of CC Sabathia contributed to the expectations miss.  However, the team is getting healthy and Cliff Lee has all but locked up the Cy Young award and they are rolling, coming off sweeps of the Twins and Tigers.

Josh Beckett faces off with winless Zach Jackson, owner of a 6.35 ERA and 1.50 WHIP, who was part of the Sabathia deal.  Wakefield has followed every poor outing this season with a good one and he will need to do the same this time as he draws the aforementioned Cliff Lee.

Paul Byrd draws the struggling Fausto Carmona, who is trying to regain the form he showed last season.  In the final game of the four game set, Jon Lester tangles with Jeremy Sowers.  The Red Sox offense comes alive during homestands and with the Indians’ poor pitching staff, the Sox should score plenty and win the series.

Red Sox vs. Yankees

The Red Sox will close out the 2008 regular season with a visit from the Yankees, who have nothing to play for except to spoil a potential Red Sox division title, the first time in years that a Red Sox-Yankees series is not relevant.

Dice-K and rookie Alfredo Aceves kick off the series with a Beckett-Andy Pettitte showdown scheduled for the second game.

The final day of the regular season would seem to have veterans Tim Wakefield and Mike Mussina, however a number of things could change in this series depending on the state of the American League East.

Tags: Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, View from the Monster

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