Boston's angry bats crush Blue Jays for much-needed win, Wakefield's 200th

Dustin Pedroia, right, celebrates his three-run blast with Jacoby Ellsbury, center, and Jared Saltalamacchia, right, as part of a huge Boston win. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

On July 24th against the Seattle Mariners, ageless knuckleballer Tim Wakefield recorded his 199th career win. In his 8th start since, the 45-year-old Boston Red Sox pitcher was still looking for his 200th. Nevermind getting it for their victory-starved right-hander, Boston needed any kind of win they could get against the Toronto Blue Jays, with the Tampa Bay Rays breathing down their neck.

David Ortiz recently said it is time to panic, and Karma bit Big Papi. Saying doesn’t help matters, and as a result the powerful designated hitter was scratched from the lineup with back spasms. There’s a clever joke going around that the injury happened from hyperventilating too much.

In his absence, Boston’s hitters appeared far from panic-stricken. They were calm and collected, going about their business, and playing to their strengths. The result was a lopsided score, and for the first time in a long time Boston was on the positive end.

Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia, sitting atop the lineup as MVP candidates, particularly throttled Toronto. The two had four hits each, and combined to drive in eight runs and score eight times. They put on a clinic, and, as part of their onslaught, they hit back-to-back two-out jacks to turn a 5-4 deficit into a 6-5 lead. It was an advantage the Red Sox have been losing of late, but that was not the case on this night. They played mad and bashed every Blue Jays pitcher John Farrell summoned.

Taking the place of Brandon Morrow, the first reliever, Luis Perez, had a recurring nightmare. The 26-year-old Dominican left-hander faced Boston a week ago, starting the game and allowing eight runs on 10 hits in just 2 1/3 innings. The Red Sox had Perez figured out, but even with the deficit only one Farrell, Boston’s former pitching coach, brought him in. It was the same old story, just on an abbreviated level. Single, single, three-run homer by Pedroia, and another single. His outing was predictably terrible and had concluded, but Boston’s offense was just getting warm.

Wakefield hadn’t pitched great, but well enough to be in line for the win. He has been in this position before, but this time he could relax in the later innings, knowing the very meaningful milestone victory–even with a shaky bullpen–was in his grasp. Everything went as well as possible for his Red Sox.

The continuously inconsistent Carl Crawford hit the ball hard three times. First, he was robbed of homer in right, but then laced a double off the wall and connected for a screaming single into left. He scored three times. Jared Saltalamacchia had four rbi’s. Pedroia broke out of a slump in the aforementioned big way. Ellsbury continued to build the strongest case for MVP of anyone. Marco Scutaro kept tormenting his old team, collecting his 1,000th career hit along the way. The success stories go on and on.

Due to this timely production, Boston scored 18 runs, including 12 in their final three innings. If any team needed a victory, they did. And, capping of their superb evening, Tampa Bay lost to Baltimore. Everything went as planned.

Sports are unpredictable in a funny, painful, and jubilant way. Any team can win on any given night. Slumps can be turned into hot streaks with the flip of a switch, and vice-versa. Media and fans have gone crazy over Boston’s recent slide. I said the team was “crumbling” in my previous article. Arguing they would have a tough time making the playoffs was central to the piece. They still will, but with this impressive shellacking of Toronto some pressure was lifted.

For the past few days, my father and I have spoken about the New York Mets 2007 collapse in relation to the Red Sox current slide. That year, New York lost the seven-game lead they held over Philadelphia on September 12th, on the outside looking in come playoff time. We couldn’t help but think 2011 would eventually be the Red Sox version. The task ahead is a difficult one, but those horrifying thoughts are thrown out of the window for now. Thinking them, however, is part of the roller-coaster ride that is sports.

Everyone was mad entering this contest, but Ortiz appeared to be the only Red Sox player in panic mode. “They’re frustrated,’’ [manager Terry] Francona said on Sunday. “We all are. That’s nothing that a good, nice, clean crisp game won’t help.’’ They finally had that game. Now, can they build off all its splendor?