Every Time Jason Bay Swings, LA Angels Lose Their Wings: ALDS Game Two

Jason Bay and J.D. Drew go yard to help the Red Sox clip the Angels wings in game two of their ALDS match up.

With two outs, and two on, in the top of the first inning Jason Bay stepped into the batters box for his first appearance of the night.  While Anaheim’s 16-game winner Ervin Santana worked the count to two balls and two strikes Red Sox Nation looked on thinking how this would be the perfect time for Bay to crush another over the fence like he did in game one. 

And like Santa Claus can see you when you’re sleeping, Jason Bay can hear you when you’re thinking.  He absolutely tattooed one straight up the middle and into the gravel pit beyond the center field wall.  With the help of a J.D. Drew RBI double, just before Bay’s three run blast, Boston went up 4-0 in the first. 

Anaheim fought back one run at a time, scoring solo runs in the first, fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth innings to tie the game at 5-5 heading into the ninth.  The Sox scored their fifth run after Alex Cora doubled to deep right center, followed by Jacoby Ellsbury bringing Cora home with a double to deep right center of his own.

After Chone Figgins tripled off Masterson’s second pitch of the eighth inning, Terry Francona wasted no time pulling the 23-year old rookie and bringing in Jonathan Papelbon for a six-out save.  But after Figgins scored off a Mark Teixeira sacrifice fly to center field, Boston’s ace closer found himself pitching for the win instead of the save.  Papelbon was able to escape the eighth without allowing any batters to reach, but now the game was tied at 5.

Ortiz was the first up against K-Rod in the top of the ninth, and he put a charge into Boston’s offense when he doubled to deep right.  Coco Crisp replaced Papi as a pinch runner.  Youkalis stepped up to the plate determined to bring Cora home, but grounded out to third.  Then it was J.D. Drew’s turn. 

It was like déjà vu from the first inning.  Sox fans are wondering if they’ll see the J.D. they remember from the middle of the season, while K-Rod worked the count to two balls and two strikes.  Then, just like Bay did in the first, Drew crushed one to deep center giving Boston a 7-5 lead.  Varitek eventually hit into a double play to end the top of the ninth.

Papelbon came back out to finish what he had started in the eighth and got Torii Hunter to ground out to third on his first pitch of the evening.  On a full count Gary Matthews Jr. hit a pop fly towards third base that had Kevin Youkalis reaching into the camera well to get the second out of the inning. 

Then Papelbon made Anaheim’s Howie Kendrick look absolutely foolish with a 95 mph heater for strike 3 and extended Boston’s record to 11 straight postseason wins against Anaheim.

Matsuzaka got five strikeouts over five innings while giving up eight hits and three runs.  Okajima went one inning with two hits, a run, and no strikeouts.  Justin Masterson went one inning with two strikeouts, a hit and a run.  Papelbon earned the win with a two-inning no-hitter.

Ellsbury recorded his third steal of the post season, grabbing second off K-Rod/Napoli.  Ortiz extended his AL division series-hitting streak to 13 games.  He is now tied for second with Bernie Williams, behind Derek Jeter who has 15.

Joe Saunders is set to face Josh Beckett in Game Three of the ALDS at Fenway Park in Boston.  That game is scheduled for Sunday 10-5-08 with first pitch at 7:17 pm eastern.