Well, that's that by Jared Carrabis
The Red Sox lose game, series, playoff hopes to Rays


The Red Sox' 2008 season ended in Tampa Bay with Jed Lowrie at the plate; I think you get what I’m saying.

On a night where the Red Sox needed John Lackey to come up big, he did everything but. With the season hanging in the balance, the man that the Red Sox dished out $82.5 million for could not hold up his end of the bargain.

A series that started out with so much promise after Victor Martinez powered the Red Sox to a victory in the opener, ended in utter disappointment on Sunday night when the Boston offense couldn’t bail out yet another garbage start by Lackey.

This was a make-or-break series for Boston’s playoff chances, and after losing the series after taking one of three from the Rays, although not mathematically eliminated, the Red Sox may have realistically eliminated themselves from October on Sunday.

If Boston were in any other division in baseball, their chances of making a comeback would be more than realistic. Hell, if they were in any other division, they’d be in first place, but they’re in the American League East, and sometimes things don’t go as planned.

I’m sure I’ll take some flack for saying their chances of making the playoffs are not unrealistic, but let’s take a look at what will have to happen in order for that to happen.

Both the Rays and Yankees have 32 games remaining on their regular season schedules. If both teams atop the A.L. East win half of their games, just half, the Rays and Yankees will have 96-win seasons. I repeat, if the Rays and Yankees go 16-16 from here on out, they will both have won 96 games.

For the Red Sox, who only have 31 games remaining, to even tie the Rays and Yankees, they would have to win 22 of their last 31 games – an unlikely feat, considering the Red Sox have not had a month with more than 18 wins all season.

The Red Sox close out their 2010 season with six games against Baltimore, a team that they’re 6-6 against this season, seven games against the White Sox, who they have not yet played this season, three more games against the Rays, who they are 5-10 against, three against Oakland (3-3), three against Seattle (4-3), three against Toronto (11-4), and six against the Yankees (5-7).

The Red Sox will be faced with the daunting task of making up 6.5 games in 31 games. The only problem is that the Red Sox haven't been less than 4.5 games back since July 6 when they were 3.5 back -- 46 games ago.

Had the Red Sox swept the Rays, they would be looking at a 3.5 game deficit to reach a playoff spot, but it didn't work out that way.

There is nothing for Red Sox fans to hang their heads about, as not much could have been, or should have been, expected after losing the likes of Jacoby Ellsbury, Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia for the rest of the season.

It seems that the Red Sox will be stuck in limbo for the rest of the season. What I mean by that is that this team’s pitching is too good for them to ever fall nine or ten games back and have an embarrassing finish to the season. However, the Red Sox haven’t won more than four straight games since they won six straight back in June 15-20.

Since then, they’ve won four straight once, three straight three times, and back-to-back games five times. That is certainly good enough to keep you where you are, but the Red Sox are not where they need to be.

The SoxSpace pregame report listed Carl Crawford as the player to watch out for on the Rays, and boy was that a good call. Crawford entered the game a .452 hitter against Lackey in 42 at-bats with a homer, three doubles, a triple and 7 RBI. It was Crawford who hit the game-tying homer off of Lackey in the sixth inning, as the Rays went on to add two more runs to defeat the Red Sox.

Lackey was tagged for five runs, all earned, on nine hits through six and-a-third innings. He walked three and struck out seven in his 107-pitch outing.

James Shields, who leads the league in home runs allowed, was not touched for a long ball by the Red Sox on Sunday. Shields scattered seven hits in his outing, allowing three earned runs, walking one and striking out eight.

In the make-or-break series of the season, the Red Sox hit .257 as a team, and were just 4-for-19 with runners in scoring position (.211). I don’t care how good your pitching is. Those offensive numbers aren’t good enough to win you ballgames.

Some fans reached their point of realization that the season was over when Kevin Youkilis had season-ending surgery, some fans had theirs when Pedroia hit the disabled list for a second time; I had mine tonight.

It's not a good feeling, but given the circumstances with all the injuries, being in the best division in baseball, it's easier to swallow knowing that they went down fighting.



Final score: Red Sox 3, Rays 5
WP: James Shields (13-11)
LP: John Lackey (12-8)
SV: Rafael Soriano (39)
HR: Carlos Pena (25), Carl Crawford (15)

Game notes: In 27 starts this season, John Lackey has allowed eight hits or more in 16 of those starts. It’s also the ninth time he’s allowed at least five earned runs, and the eleventh time he’s allowed at least four earned. Darnell McDonald recorded his seventh outfield assist from centerfield on Sunday, becoming the first Red Sox centerfielder to record that many outfield assists since Coco Crisp in 2007.

Eye on the scoreboard: The Yankees managed to hold onto a one-run win in the south side of Chicago, and with the Red Sox’ loss to the Rays, Boston falls 6.5 games behind both clubs atop the AL East. Needless to say, trailing 6.5 games with 31 games to go is never a good position to be in.

Tweet of the Night: @JonCouture: Already noted this week that Jed Lowrie made last out of 2008 ALCS. This one feels like the end of a ride, too. #RedSox #Rays

-Jared Carrabis

Published on August 30, 2010

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