Red Sox up 1-0 in the ALDS
The Rays may have strung together an impressive 3 consecutive road wins to get into the postseason and a chance to play the Red Sox in the ALDS, but they would have needed a 4th consecutive road win to be holding a series lead morning. But thanks to a silly string of events in Game 1, all momentum has been shifted to the bearded fellows I root for, which is a huge sigh of relief considering there was a lot of talk about how the last 4 days off were negative in terms of momentum to the Sox staying hot at the plate.
Although Lester came out hot out of the gate last night, striking out the side in the 1st, the Rays hit 2 solo home run to quiet the Fenway faithful, and really make us wonder if we could best the Rays Lefty. Pedrioa got the inning started with a single, and then Ortiz hit, what i thought was a 2-run blast, but should have been out one with a runner on first, but instead turned into an error by Wil Myers who waved off Jennings but decided to let it fall behind him for a ground rule double. 2 Runners in scoring position, no out. BIG TURNING POINT.
Myers Mistake
Then after Gomes double off the monster to tie it at 2, Drew hit a dribbler and was called safe at 1st, nice hustle.. questionable call, but tie should go to the runner. Good heads up play by Gomes to score from 2nd from an infield hit.
Drew Safe
That proved to be the winning run. As the Rays did not score again, but the Red Sox took the momentum and put up 12 on the board.
This win was huge because we were all questioning whether Lackey was the right match up for Price in game 2. If we were to win game one, then Lackey seems appropriate because he’s a gamer and pitched a great complete game against the Rays during the regular season, and happens to have better splits at home then on the Road. BUT if you needed someone to go toe to toe with Price, <to even the series at 1> I’d say that Buchholz gives you the best option, because he has the lowest ERA, but maybe lower endurance considering he’s only a few games removed from the DL.
But the sox won, and now we get to give Lackey the opportunity to prove why we spent the big bucks on him several off-seasons ago. And Just like JD Drew hit a $70 million dollar grand slam in ’07 against the Indians in Game 7 of the ALCS… Lackey has an chance to make this the $82.5 million postseason, starting with winning game 2 of the ALDS.. hopefully leading to 2 more important wins.
Who knows.. I hate to write off that this the only important postseason of his contract, but you cant take anything for granted..
and if we do become perennial winners.. we can reevaluate then.
<Funny thing: I was just browsing Boston.com and they have an article that says the same thing I felt about Lackey>
A victory Saturday against the Rays would do for Lackey what that grand slam in Game 6 of the 2007 ALCS did for J.D. Drew. It would provide at least one counter for all those punchlines about his fruitless long-term, big-money deal with team.
Also.. just consider who’s contracts we’ll pick up.. if the Sox have a ‘Successful’ postseason.
Salty, Drew, Napoli, Ellsbury… all within possibility of returning.
Otherwise, Bradley Jr, Carp, Butler… it your turn.
Go Sox!
Jules Toraby 