Red Sox 4, Rays 2

Well, I'll be! They still got it in them, don't they? The mighty Boston Red Sox went all the way down south to the swampy backwaters of Tampa Bay, Florida to face the first-place Rays and they won the first game of the series. Friendly reminder to give a little bit of context: last June, before their historic turnaround, the Sox got swept in three games down in Tampa, but in July, during their epic, 15-game winning streak, the Sox swept a four-game series against the Rays in Fenway. Now, back in the dismal swamp that is west-central Florida, which Sox team are they now?

They're opening game winners - we know at least that much. Last night, Ranger Suarez pitched a gem of a game - one run in 5⅔ innings with five strikeouts. Roman Anthony homered in the first and scored two more runs with a single in the second. Jahmai Jones made it 4-1, Boston, with a homer in the third. Reliever Erik Miller got in some trouble in the ninth inning and gave up a run to the Rays, but ultimately pitched his way out of the jam with a strikeout and a ground out.

The win was an inadvertent gift to the Yankees, who won last night and are now four games back from Tampa Bay in the AL East. Not to look too far ahead, but should the Sox sweep the Rays in this series and New York sweeps Arizona this weekend, the Yankees will find themselves one game back from the Rays as they start a four-game series in Tampa Bay next week. Not to look too far ahead, but should the Yankees take over first place in the AL East, the Sox would then play three games in Tampa Bay in the Wild Card series rather than three in New York. I like the Sox' chances on the Bay more than in the Bronx.

The White Sox lost last night, so with eight games remaining, the Sox are now six games ahead of Chicago in the Wild Card standings.

Payton Tolle (9-6, 3.02) starts this afternoon (4:10). The Sox are 11-1 in Tolle's last twelve starts. He missed a start against Tampa Bay during the July sweep in Fenway and got roughed up for four runs during the June fiasco in Tampa. He'll be out for revenge today. The Rays will start former Mets pitcher Freddy Peralta (9-11, 4.67), who gave up a two-run homer to Andruw Monasterio in New York on July 11. 

 

The Red Sox seem to rise to the occasion and generally play their best baseball against first-place teams and other teams well over .500. Let's hope that trend leads to a sweep of the Rays this weekend!