Red Sox vs Rays series thread
lawnmowerman
Posts: 19,477 ✭✭✭✭
in Sports Talk
Perkdog and I were talking earlier about the Rays/ Red Sox season series. We knew they were closely matched from what we remembered. I just saw this on Sportscenter and wanted to pass it along. I think we are gonna be in for a really hard fought, competitive ALCS!
Season series
Res Sox..................Rays
8...........wins...........10
7-2....Home W-L......8-1
87.........Runs...........67
18..........HR..............18
Season series
Res Sox..................Rays
8...........wins...........10
7-2....Home W-L......8-1
87.........Runs...........67
18..........HR..............18
0
Comments
Boston needs to take 1 of the first 2 to have a legit shot, IMO.
If Lester and Dice-K go 2-2, then we really need a big performance from Byrd and Beckett.
I don't think Beckett is healthy, so he may get blown out when he pitches, and Francona needs to have a short leash on him.
So Lester and Dice-K are the keys to us winning the series. 4-0 from those two would be ideal.
It would be nice if Upton decides to keep hitting and the good Kazmir shows up.
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Rotation should look something like Dice-K, Beckett, Lester, Byrd (or Wakefield). For some odd reason, there is an off day scheduled between games 4 & 5 in Boston. This will give Dice-K 5 days rest between starts at which point he is much more successful.
Everybody chant: "Lets go Red Sox"
Who on this planet gave the Red Sox a scintilla of hope in the 2004 ALCS after game 3? NOBODY!!, including me. However, we all know the result. Let's look at the data...
Game 1, Yankee Stadium. Yankees win 10-7
Game 2, Yankee Stadium. Yankees win 3-1 At this point it looks pretty bad for Red Sox Nation, remember?
Game 3, Fenway Park. Yankees win 19-8 The most hardened Red Sox fan feels there is no hope.
Game 4, Fenway Park. Boston wins 6-4, scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the 12th. MAJOR comeback.
Game 5, Fenway Park. Boston wins 5-4, scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the 14th. MAJOR, MAJOR comeback.
Game 6, Yankee Stadium. Boston wins 4-2. Like ET, hearts start to pump again and glow red. Could it be?
Game 7, Yankee Stadium. Boston wins 10-3. The greatest comeback in the Universe has just taken place. Bostonians are rabid with glee, Red Sox Nation is alive and well. Yankee fans are jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge in total disbelief.
The Red Sox of course go on to win the WS winning yet another 4 in a row.
Now, how demoralized do you think the Red Sox players were after getting their asses handed to them at home by being crushed 19-8, facing elimination by the dreaded enemy, the Yankees. Point to all this is...anything can and will happen. The suicide squeeze that Scosia gambled on Monday night may well have cost his team the season. What if Tek tripped, or tossed the ball to Youk and he dropped it.
What if is a fine thing, but I say, let's enjoy the games for what they are and what will happen. Therein lies the excitement and joy or disappointment. The Rays are on a roll, but the Red Sox are doing pretty well also. Should be some great baseball given the capabilities of both teams
God bless Dave Roberts!!!
Game 1:
Matsuzaka v. Shields
Game 2:
Beckett v. Kazmir
Game 3:
Lester v. Garza
Game 4:
Wakefield v. Sonnanstine
If Wakefield is going to pitch, I'd rather see him pitch in Tampa Bay where his career ERA is about 1.50 lower than it is in Fenway. Of course, I can't imagine him starting over Dice, Beckett, or Lester so I guess that wouldn't make sense.
<< <i>Interesting. I like the Sox chances in games 2 and 3.
If Wakefield is going to pitch, I'd rather see him pitch in Tampa Bay where his career ERA is about 1.50 lower than it is in Fenway. Of course, I can't imagine him starting over Dice, Beckett, or Lester so I guess that wouldn't make sense. >>
agreed, just made similar comments in the Sox thread
<< <i>Those are cool shirts, but forgive me if it seems a little ironic that Rays fans would be sporting them. I mean, the Rays sold out how many games this year? I'd guess that 1/3 of the fans filling the park for Game 1 will be real fans. The other 2/3 will be made up of Rays bandwagon fans, and Red Sox fans. >>
I actually just found out that the "bandwagon fans" shirts are originally Yankees ones. I guess the Rays fan was just looking for anything anti-Sox?
As for the bandwagon thing...... yeah, a lot of these people weren't here for the first half of the regular season, but most are generally Tampa Bay area residents and sports fans. A lot of the Sox fans that'll be at Game 1 have probably never been to Boston. Different level of bandwagon fan, IMO.
Sports in the Tampa Bay Area on Saturday Oct. 18th:
Noon: Univ. of South Florida vs. Syracuse in Football in Tampa. I'll be there, and so will 60,000 other people.
4:30: Game 5 Rays vs. Sox in St. Pete
7:30: Lightning vs Minnesota Wild in Tampa. The Lightning generally sell out all/most of their games....that's 20,000 people.
All followed by Sunday Nights Bucs vs. Seattle at 8:15
Thanks for screwing us over MLB!
Edit: If this were Philadelphia, it could possibly be the greatest day of my life. The way they have it set up, up there, is that all stadiums, and arenas are in one area. Crowds could just shift from venue to venue......but no, this is Florida and because our big cities are laid out like the suburbs, everything is at least a 20 minute drive away! I'm only going to the USF football game due to money problems (why pay $200 to watch a team I paid $8 to watch two weeks ago?) but this will definitely screw up attendance at these games....most likely the Lightning.
Brian
Is it just me, or does anyone else loathe "ralley monkeys" "cow bells" "inflated clappers" ?
Either shout with your mouth or clap with your hands. All this other powder puff stuff is annoying.
Even those "hankies" they wave in Philadelphia are so gay.
You'll never see this corny stuff in New York or Boston.
<< <i>
You'll never see this corny stuff in New York or Boston. >>
Cowbells would become a projectile the second NY or Boston started losing.
<< <i>
Cowbells would become a projectile the second NY or Boston started losing. >>
Only if they came with batteries (a.k.a. Reggie Jackson)
As it is, all of the teams better hope that both series go pretty deep or there are going to be like a week between the Championship Series and the World Series like Colorado faced last year. It was a lot better when the next series would start one day after the first one ended.
Of course, it is better that we have to wait a week for the Series to start and than stay up until 1:00 a.m. every morning to watch the final out.
With all of that said, I am really looking forward to this series and I think it would be very foolish to so easily dismiss Beckett after one sub par start.
I do agree....those cowbells are HORRIBLE and very irritating, but oh well...
<< <i>Nice shirts, but there are a lot of fans that jumped the Rays bandwagon just like fans that joined RSN.
>>
Did you actually read the posts? Those are Yankee shirts that make fun of the bandwagoners. I gave you my feelings on the difference between Rays and Red Sox bandwagoners. In the end, yes they are all bandwagoners, but some are more innocent of the "crime" than others.
<< <i>
With all of that said, I am really looking forward to this series and I think it would be very foolish to so easily dismiss Beckett after one sub par start. >>
Beckett's W/L's and ERA is not Josh like this year. His first start was very unimpressive. Varitek is trying to get him to change his
philosophy on the mound (thus all the meetings), because Josh doesn't have his A game right now.
If Beckett struggles in the 1st two innings (which I think he will), then get Byrd ready in a hurry. I hope I'm wrong.
If Beckett only learned to mix in his pitches more, (as he did last year), then perhaps he could have been an ace. Perhaps his blister
problems early in his career caused him to not throw too many curveballs.
Beckett is not an ACE or #1. He has been a stud in the postseason. Who can forget what he did last year ? He was virtually
unhittable. Who can forget him shutting down the Yankees in Yankee stadium when he was a Marlin ?
So he has surely been an ACE in the playoffs, but he has never been an ACE during the regular season IMO.
<< <i>
<< <i>Nice shirts, but there are a lot of fans that jumped the Rays bandwagon just like fans that joined RSN.
>>
Did you actually read the posts? Those are Yankee shirts that make fun of the bandwagoners. I gave you my feelings on the difference between Rays and Red Sox bandwagoners. In the end, yes they are all bandwagoners, but some are more innocent of the "crime" than others.
Yes I read the posts. They may have originally been Yankee shirts, but now the Rays are using the same slogan. No problem with that....
I actually bought a Rays shirt for one of my sons today. I took both my boys to the very first game at the Trop and he stayed a Rays fan ever since. My youngest son has always been a Sox fan and nothing is going to change that.
<< <i>
Yes I read the posts. They may have originally been Yankee shirts, but now the Rays are using the same slogan. No problem with that....
I actually bought a Rays shirt for one of my sons today. I took both my boys to the very first game at the Trop and he stayed a Rays fan ever since. My youngest son has always been a Sox fan and nothing is going to change that. >>
No, those are actually Yankees shirts, made for the Yanks. The Rays have no such thing. No biggie though, the whole criticism of "bandwagon" fans thing is pretty dumb in my opinion and done ad nauseum. Without the casual fan, the league wouldn't be where it is.
That must be one interesting household (no idea how old they are) if one's a Rays fan and the other's a Sox fan. Just something else to add on to the sibling rivalry I guess.
Well at least Rays and Sox can agree on their dislike of the Yankees.
My sons are 16 & 18. The youngest lives and dies with the Rays and the oldest is pretty much just a casual fan.
They are both looking forward to Saturday night's game though!
Well in NY they do play "Cotton eyed Joe" in the 7th
CHOO-CHOO
I would have like to seen Francona sac bunt Kotsay with runners on 1st and 2nd and no outs, but other from that, very nice performance.
I'm looking forward to Wakefield tomorrow. His last start against the Rays was awesome.
I was happy for Rocco and his little brother though. That was cool of him to bring his kid brother out onto the field and into the dugout as well.
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Go Rays!
Steve
<< <i>The better team won today.
Go Rays!
Steve >>
Really? Do you think?????