After beating the Angels, the Red Sox have established that they are certainly capable of beating any team in the postseason. Now they face the Tampa Bay Rays, the team that devastated the Red Sox in three-straight series’ after the All-Star break, keeping them in second place in the A.L. East. If the Sox want to take the ALCS, they are going to have to pull out all the stops.
Pitching will be HUGE in the ALCS. Jon Lester has been dominant this season, and Daisuke has done more that enough to make up for his sleeper debut season in ’07, but let's face it: Josh Beckett will not be the playoff monster he's been in the past. Unless he pulls a “bloody sock,” he will be hittable in Game Two.
In contrast, the Rays seem to have no holes at all. Kazmir, Shields, Garza, and Sonnanstine provide a solid rotation. The Rays’ numbers weren’t perfect against the Sox this season, but they certainly produced wins. It's not a matter of talent but of depth. Each man in the rotation has an ERA under 4.0, excluding Sonnanstine’s 4.38 ERA. These starters are capable of eating up a lot of innings.
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Then there’s that bullpen. If it weren’t for guys like Dan Wheeler, Grant Balfour, J.P. Howell, and Chad Bradford, Tampa might have sunk with Troy Percival’s back injury. Their performance has been crucial to Tampa’s season.
Boston still has a lot going for them. Epstein hit it big when he picked up Mark Kotsay. His numbers at the plate have been subpar, but his versatility as a fielder has had a tremendous impact. He’s shown great athleticism at first, allowing Gold-Glover Youkilis to handle third base in Mike Lowell’s absence. If J.D. Drew continues to be healthy in right field, the Sox will continue to be solid defensively.
Speaking of Drew, he sure made up for the flak he took from the press while he sat on the bench all September. His ninth inning homer in Game Two made sure that Frankie Rodriquez wouldn’t be dancing on any mound this October. Drew, Bay, Ellsbury, Lowrie, and Pedroia have all had big hits this postseason. They will need to be consistent in the upcoming series if they plan to succeed.
The Rays can put up runs, too. They didn’t have a problem with it this season against Boston, and judging by their performance against Chicago, the postseason hasn’t changed that. “Offensively, they have gotten contributions from everybody,” said Terry Francona in a press conference on Wednesday. “They have a good thing going. Our job will be to derail that.”
Derailing the Rays will be easier said than done. If there is one team that can send the Red Sox home early, it’s Tampa Bay. Whatever the Sox put out on the field, the Rays can match it. They have a lot of heart and a talented, confident manager in Joe Maddon. On top of all this, the Trop is no longer a home away from home for the Red Sox. Tampa is a hard place to win at on the road.
The Sox have heart too, though. With Jon Lester as their ace—and he most certainly is their ace this October—the Red Sox ride a huge wave of momentum into Tampa Bay Friday night.
I said it already: There is no team in baseball that the Sox can’t beat.
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3 months ago
Great article. I can't wait to read your next one.
3 months ago
Max-
This is exactly what I wanted to read from you..Excellent job.
3 months ago
Good article. I liked the stats you threw in, a few were new to me. I expect a long series and hope to see some good baseball from both sides.
3 months ago
You are right; pitching will be huge, and it will be very fun to watch. Should be the most entertaining series of the postseason so far, and I'm really excited!
I beg to differ with you, though, on your choice of winner. Go Rays!
from 3 months ago
I seriously think that if Beckett isn't healthy, then its over for the Sox. Its 4 great starters against Boston's 2 powerhouse pitchers, a hurt Beckett, and Wakefield, who's 0-2 this season against the Rays. so, I think that the Sox can win but the Rays have so many advantages.
I'm scared for my boys.
3 months ago
Tampa in 7, bottomline. All stats and numbers from the regular season get thrown out when the play-offs come around
3 months ago
Red Sox are good this season, but they still are going have to face "Angels Baseball" in the ALCS, only it's going to be the Joe Maddon version instead of the Mike Scioscia version.
Boston has finally meet its match.
Rays in 6!
Great First article for BR! Keep up the great work!
from 3 months ago
Why would the Joe Maddon version of "Angels Baseball" be any more difficult to beat than the Scoscia version? Boston has absolutely owned teams playing that style of ball in the playoffs recently, most obviously the Angels. Boston may have met their match, unfortunately, but it has nothing to do with "Angels Baseball." Don't live vicariously through the Rays, Mark. Your season is done.
3 months ago
FRONT PAGE on your first article Max! You're killing it already man.
3 months ago
Max, this is awesome.
3 months ago
No, but seriously. I thought you were just messing around but you've got some real potential here. Good luck buddy.
3 months ago
"Then there’s that bullpen. If it weren’t for guys like Dan Wheeler, Grant Balfour, J.P. Howell, and Chad Bradford, Tampa might have sunk with Troy Percival’s back injury. Their performance has been crucial to Tampa’s season."
As the world's only hardcore Chad Bradford fan, this paragraph was much appreciated.
3 months ago
I can't wait to watch this new rivalry blossom. New, meaningful bad blood in baseball, mmmmm......
Great article man, keep it up.
3 months ago
Great article man, but I really don't think anything anybody says will matter. The Red Sox lost 7 of 8 to the Angels but still managed to win in the playoffs. The post season is a whole different matter. You can forget about all those stats.
Great first article. Welcome to BR.
from 3 months ago
I said that if they did win, it would be because of their ability to win in the postseason against big odds. I never discounted the post season factor at all.
I still pick them to win, but Tampa is still the only team that has a shot at beating them.
3 months ago
Good article, but postseason is a different animal altogether. If the Sox had a healthy Beckett all season, then they would have won the division (12-10 this year, 20-7 last year). Good point on Kotsay. They picked him up after the trade deadline in a waiver wire deal and had to give up no prospects, just money to Atlanta.
2 months ago
Awesome article. I want to see the Rays do it though, it will be good for baseball. Nobody can argue that.
2 months ago
A very good article about two very good teams. While Boston has created a dynasty atmosphere, I won't say that they are bulletproof. In the post season, any one team can beat another on any given day. I think we will know by the third inning whether or not the Rays' youthful fervor and hype can derail the Sox swagger of confidence. Last year, the Rockies showed all of us just how far a team can go on its youthful spirit.
The difference between the Angels and the Rays will have to be execution. The Angels made errors that separate the better from the best. C'mon, when a team lets a fly ball drop between three players in a low scoring game, they are not World Series serious. A championship team knows how to cash in on a leadoff double in a tied game; the Angels did not.
I am pulling for the Rays, but I want to see Dice-K shine and have Boston show that their team was always bigger than Manny Ramirez and his infantile attitude.
Yet, I seem to remember, Goliath was a big, bad seasoned veteran of battle who owned the Israelite army and was thought to be invincible...until a young boy named David showed up with a sling and a stone!
2 months ago
then theres lastyear's Superbowl...
ehhhhhh....
2 months ago
Good job Max. I agree the Sox have proven they are the team to beat. But they will have their hands full with these Rays, they are quite a story. But the Sox have experienced winners all throughout their organization. Keep it up!
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