The View from Landsdowne Street: Garza Stops Another Red Sox Happy Ending

Everything was working against the Tampa Bay Rays heading into Game Seven. The momentum, the pitching matchup, and history were all working on the side of the Red Sox, so it would have been easy to predict another Red Sox fabulous finish.

Unfortunately, Matt Garza had other ideas.

The Rays proved that inexperience really doesn't matter when all the marbles are put into one basket. All that matters is an over-powering start, great relief pitching, and timely hitting. That, and some help from the inept end of the Red Sox order.

It's hard to blame Terry Francona. I guess he could have taken Jon Lester out before the Willy Aybar home run, but that didn't matter. You certainly can't blame Lester. He only allowed three runs over seven innings while striking out eight batters.

You can blame the Red Sox hitters, especially the bottom third, as they once again managed to leave double-digit runners on base (16). The Red Sox's bottom three hitters (Mark Kotsay, Jason Varitek, and Alex Cora) were once again the main culprits, as they went 0-for-11, including leaving two runners on base with only one out when Kotsay flied out to right field and Varitek struck out to end the threat.

The Rays were doubted all throughout the season, and I was one of those doubters. When they hit the All-Star break as one of the best teams in baseball, I was one of the first to say, "Well, they will fade!"

Then, when they were ahead of the Red Sox in September with a chance to win the division, I was once again quick to say, "There is no way this young team doesn't choke".

Then, last night, I was ultimately confident as well. We had our best starter on the mound, and every little bit of momentum as well as the years 2004 and 2007 still fresh in everyone in New England's mind.

But the Rays were just the better team, leaving the Red Sox with a lot of questions for the offseason and a lot of free time on their hands starting...right now.

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