Baseball Nation - Rays, Red Sox Remain In Wild Card Tie Entering Final Day

Rays Excite Baseball Fans Everywhere Except There

2011-09-28T06:53:39Z

Monday night in St. Petersburg, Florida, a Major League Baseball team called the Tampa Bay Rays hosted a Major League Baseball team known as the New York Yankees.

The New York Yankees are a team of some renown, having won a number of Major League Baseball's championship tournaments over the last few decades. What's more, a fair number of ex-New Yorkers live in the general vicinity of St. Petersburg, and might be expected to make the modest trek to see their hometown team in the flesh.

The Tampa Bay Rays are of less renown, having once been a perennial laughingstock (but only among the cognoscenti) and still playing in a relatively small region, in terms of population. Still, these particular Rays are a compelling group of young men.

In 2008, these Rays won a huge number of games that nobody expected them to win. After a bit of a letdown, they did that again in 2010. These Rays weren't supposed to win a great number of games in 2011, but after a terrible first week followed by a surge that eventually carried them to first place, the Rays slowly fell out of contention, for either the American League East championship or the American League Wild Card. They seemed well out of the races in late July, and well out of the races in late August. They were just, you know, well out.

As late as the 8th of September, the Rays trailed the first-place New York Yankees by 10½ games and the Wild Card-leading Boston Red Sox by 8 games. At that moment, not even three weeks ago, the Rays had no chance. Well, not no chance. They had Frosty the Snowman's chance in Hell. They had Pee Wee Herman's chance in a cage match with Manny Pacquiao. They had a lab rat's chance against a really hungry python.

That's what the numbers said, anyway. The numbers didn't know the Red Sox would stop winning, and that the Rays would win 11 of their next 18 games.*

* Actually, the numbers would have predicted something close to 11-7, because 11-7 isn't at all out of bounds for a pretty good team, which the Rays were. It's the Red Sox thing that fooled the numbers.

My point being that the Rays entered this season with a three-year history of success. And while their fans' hopes were undoubtedly dashed through much of the summer, the last few weeks have turned a somewhat disappointing season into one of the best stories in the whole wide world of sports; when those New York Yankees arrived in the Tampa Bay Area for this three-game series, the Rays trailed the Wild Card-leading Red Sox by one game.

One measly game. That difference can be made up in three measly hours, and in fact that's exactly what happened Monday night, when the Rays beat the Yankees and the Red Sox lost to the Orioles.

Monday night In St. Petersburg, maybe 18,000 fans were at Tropicana Field to see the Floridian half of that equation.

Tuesday night in St. Petersburg, maybe 20,000 fans were at Tropicana Field to see the Rays retain their share of the Wild Card lead.

I'm torn, when it's between the Red Sox and the Rays. I tend to root for the Red Sox, because I have personal affection for Fenway Park, and also because I have a personal affection for Bill James, who works for the Red Sox. I tend to root for the Rays, because they're a plucky, under-financed operation, and also because I have a personal affection for Jonah Keri, who wrote a book about the Rays.

I want both teams to win, and this week they cannot both win.

All other things being equal, I would probably pull for the Rays. The Red Sox have won World Series; the Rays have not. And of course the Rays are the underdogs, and how can you not pull for the underdogs?

Except I look at those attendance figures, and I wonder how many people actually care about the Tampa Bay Rays. I know that hundreds of thousands of people care passionately about the Red Sox. Yes, they've had their fun in recent years. But from a purely utilitarian standpoint, won't the joy in the universe be significantly greater if the Red Sox win this week? Should the Universe bother to favor a team with so few passionate fans? Should we?

Fortunately, neither the Universe nor the Rays care what we do. If the Red Sox win, I will be pleased for their fans, and for Bill James. If the Rays win, I shall be pleased for their front office, for Jonah Keri, and for their fans.

What few of them might be found.

Orioles Vs. Red Sox: Boston Stays In Wild Card Tie With Win In Baltimore

2011-09-28T02:49:34Z

Tuesday night, the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the New York Yankees and, for a short time, held sole possession of the American League Wild Card. Several minutes later, though, the Boston Red Sox wrapped up an 8-7 road win over the Baltimore Orioles, leaving the Rays and Red Sox tied atop the standings headed into the season's final day.

The Red Sox beat the Orioles with their bats. Which was good for them, because the pitching wasn't very good. Making the most important start of his life, July trade acquisition Erik Bedard lasted only 3⅓ innings, striking out six but walking three and allowing three runs. He threw just 48 of his 84 pitches for strikes, forcing Terry Francona to go to his bullpen ahead of schedule for the one-zillionth time this month.

But even though Bedard was mediocre, he departed with a lead. In the top of the third, Jacoby Ellsbury erased an early deficit by clubbing a two-run homer off Zach Britton, putting the Sox on top 2-1. Britton grooved a changeup that Ellsbury blasted to right-center for his 32nd home run of the year.

In the next inning, it was rookie catcher Ryan Lavarnway's turn to play hero. Lavarnway was in the lineup only because Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jason Varitek were both hurt, but Lavarnway came up against Britton with two on and pounded a full-count fastball out to left for his first career homer.

At that point, Boston was up 5-1. In the bottom half, Baltimore got two back on a dinger by Matt Wieters, and they chased Bedard later in the inning with two on and one out, but reliever Alfredo Aceves worked out of the jam.

The scoreboard settled down in the fifth, but in the sixth the Red Sox added a pair of insurance runs when Marco Scutaro pulled a wall-scraping two-run homer to left off Jason Berken. The Orioles got one of those back when Adam Jones led off the bottom of the sixth with a home run, but the Red Sox got that back when Lavarnway knocked his second homer of the game in the top of the eighth. Boston was up 8-4, and with six outs to go, it looked like smooth sailing.

It wasn't smooth sailing. Chris Davis hit an RBI single and Nolan Reimold slashed an RBI triple off the struggling Daniel Bard in the eighth, cutting the deficit in half.

In the ninth, Jonathan Papelbon encountered trouble as he tried to slam the door. Having already allowed a run, Papelbon faced Adam Jones with two outs and the tying run on second, and Jones worked a ten-pitch at bat before grounding out to third to end the game.

Boston exhaled, and the Red Sox remained in a tie with the Rays with the win. It wasn't pretty, and Aceves, Bard and Papelbon were all taxed, but a win is a win and nobody feels fatigue on the final day of the year.

Wednesday, the Red Sox will send Jon Lester to the mound on short rest, opposite Alfredo Simon. It's all down to one day. Sit back and enjoy, unless you're a fan of the Red Sox or Rays, in which case, rock back and forth nervously and bite your nails.

Rays vs. Yankees: Homers And Triple Play Key Tampa Bay's 5-3 Win

2011-09-28T02:06:13Z

Tuesday night in St. Petersburg, the Tampa Bay Rays beat the New York Yankees 5-3 to keep pace with the Boston Red Sox for the American League Wild Card, with just one day left on the schedule.

The Rays jumped to an early lead. Johnny Damon led off the bottom of the second inning with a single into right center. Ben Zobrist followed by depositing a down-and-in fastball from Bartolo Colón just over the right-field fence for a two-run homer.

But just moments later, Rookie of the Year candidate Jeremy Hellickson got touched by Russell Martin for a solo homer that cut the Rays' lead in half, and Hellickson followed up that batting-practice fastball by walking Brett Gardner on four pitches, and eventually escaped a bases-loaded jam by retiring Mark Teixeira on a fly to deep right.

The score was still 2-1 in the fifth when Hellickson got into another jam, and this time he couldn't completely escape. Gardner led off with a base hit, and moved to third on Eduardo Nuñez's single to right. Curtis Granderson grounded into a double play, but Gardner scored the tying run.

In the sixth, yet another jam. After Alex Rodriguez led off with his second walk of the game, Teixeira drove a double into the right-field corner, Rodriguez stopping at third. That got Jake McGee working in the bullpen, but too late as Nick Swisher drove a fastball off the center-field wall for an RBI double. Jorge Posada was walked intentionally to load the bases, but Hellickson -- after a visit from pitching coach Kevin Hickey -- remained in the game.

Which worked out really, really, really well when Russ Martin grounded Hellickson's first pitch right toward third base, where Evan Longoria collected the baseball and started the third triple play in Rays history. Still, the Yankees had taken a 3-2 lead and things were getting late.

Not too late, though. In the bottom of the seventh, ex-Rays closer Rafael Soriano took the mound for the Yankees.

B.J. Upton walked, and stole second.

Longoria walked.

All-Star Matt Joyce -- another big and surprising reason for the Rays' success this season -- drove Soriano's second pitch, a 93-mile-an-hour fastball, over the right-field fence to give his club a 5-3 lead.

And that's how it ended. McGee pitched a scoreless seventh for the Rays, Brandon Gomes a perfect eighth, and ex-Yankee Kyle Farnsworth pitched a perfect ninth for his 25th (and most important) save of the season.

Wednesday, Tampa Bay's David Price will take the mound against the Yankees' powerful lineup, and be opposed by a host of New York relief pitchers -- none of whom are good enough to make the postseason roster -- as Joe Girardi prepares his club for Friday's Division Series opener. Which means the Rays figure to be big favorites.

Game notes: All of the Yankees' regulars started, with the exception of Derek Jeter. Instead, Nuñez batted leadoff and played shortstop, and he went 2 for 4. With his second-inning single, Johnny Damon collected his 2,722nd hit, breaking a tie with Lou Gehrig for 57th on the all-time list. Roughly 22,000 fans saw Damon's hit, as the Rays' attendance was absolutely embarrassing for the second night in a row.

Rays Turn Critical Triple Play, Stay Close

2011-09-28T01:10:14Z

The Rays were in trouble. Already trailing 3-2, starter Jeremy Hellickson was laboring. With Yankees on second and third base and nobody out, Hellickson issued an intentional walk to Jorge Posada.

With Jake McGee warming up in the bullpen, it seemed that Hellickson's night might be over.

But when someone popped out of the Rays' dugout, it wasn't Joe Maddon to remove his rookie starting pitcher. Instead it was pitching coach Kevin Hickey, with a spot of advice. We think their conversation probably went ... something ... like ... this:

Hickey: What do you think, Hellie?

Hellickson: I could strike Russell Martin out.

Hickey: You could. But I don't know if one out's enough.

Hellickson: How about a ground-ball double play? To shortstop, maybe?

Hickey: Yeah, but then Teixeira will score from third and we'll be down two runs.

Hellickson: Well, what about a triple play?

Hickey: Go get 'em, Tiger.

Then this happened:

That, folks, is the third triple play in Tampa Bay's franchise history. Even with a slight bobble, Evan Longoria was able to start the 5-4-3 to get the Rays out of trouble and keep the game as close as possible.

Rays' Kotchman Hospitalized With Chest Tightness

2011-09-27T23:22:42Z

Tuesday night in St. Petersburg, the Tampa Bay Rays hosted the New York Yankees in what was (so far) the Rays' most important game of the season. Win, and they're assured of playing beyond Wednesday, either in a Thursday playoff against the Red Sox or Friday in the first game of a Division Series.

Casey Kotchman, one of the biggest and most surprising reasons for the Rays' success this season, was slated (as usual) to start at first base. Until this:

Rays first baseman Casey Kotchman was taken to an area hospital as a precaution after experiencing tightness in his chest prior to Tuesday night's game against the Yankees, the team reports.

Kotchman, who was slated to play first base in Tuesday's game, was taken out of the Rays clubhouse on a stretcher and will undergo precautionary tests.

In Kotchman's absence, Sean Rodriguez shifted to first base from shortstop, with Reid Brignac taking over at short.

Update: Happy endings all around, as Kotchman was released from the hospital, all tests negative, and the Rays beat the Yankees without him. Still, Kotchman's status for Wednesday's series finale is unknown.

Yankees Vs. Rays, AL Wild Card Race Preview: Time, TV Schedule, Starting Pitchers And More

2011-09-27T20:45:47Z

There might not be a more perfect pitcher than Jeremy Hellickson to take the mound for the Tampa Bay Rays as they fight for their postseason lives against the New York Yankees on Tuesday. The Rookie of the Year candidate has been outstanding for the Rays down the stretch.

Since entering the month trailing the Boston Red Sox by nine games in the Wild Card race, the Rays have gone 15-10 to pull even in the race with just two games left to play. Hellickson, too, has picked up his play as the season has worn on. He has gone 2-0 in four September starts, including a no-decision in his last start in which he held the Yankees to two runs over seven innings at Yankee Stadium.

He'll be opposed by Bartolo Colon, who has faded significantly down the stretch. Colon has allowed 11 runs over his past two starts and has allowed four or more runs in five of his past seven starts. Still, Yankees manager Joe Girardi promises that he'll be playing to win these games, even though their playoff spot is all locked up.

Pitchers
Yankees: Bartolo Colon (8-10, 4.02 ERA)
Rays: Jeremy Hellickson (13-10, 2.90 ERA)

Game time: Tuesday, 7:10 p.m.

TV/Radio
Yankees: YES Network, WCBS 880, WADA 1280
Rays: Sun Sports HD, WDAE 620, WGEST 680

Angels' Playoff Run Ends With 4-3 Loss To Rangers

2011-09-27T14:03:50Z

Until Sunday, it appeared that the AL wild card race might involve a three-team playoff, something that's never happened in the history of major league baseball. All the Los Angeles Angels needed to do was to protect a three-run lead in the ninth inning, at home, against a mostly bad Oakland Athletics team.

You know what happened, and mentioning the name "Jordan Walden" among Angels fans could cause... well, I don't think I'll go any farther. The resulting loss to Oakland put the Angels three games behind the Red Sox with three games remaining.

Still, there was the miracle possibility -- if the Angels could sweep the Rangers and the Red Sox could get swept, while the Rays lost two of three to the Yankees, there would be a three-way tie for the wild card.

The Red Sox did their part, losing to the Orioles, and the Rays won the one game they could have under this scenario, all completed before the West Coast-starting Angels finished their game against Texas. Could they keep it going for one more day?

Unfortunately for Angels fans, no, they could not. The Angels went behind after just two batters, on a single, a passed ball, another hit and a throwing error. Texas increased the lead to 3-0; after the Angels closed to within 3-2 in the sixth, Texas scored an insurance run in the eighth.

That gave the Angels one last chance, down by two runs in the bottom of the ninth. Erick Aybar led off with a single, and after a passed ball sent him to second base, Peter Bourjos singled him in to make it 4-3. The tying run was on base with two out, but Howie Kendrick struck out to end the game and the Angels' playoff hopes.

The loss ensured that the AL wild card will come from the East, either the Red Sox or Rays, who are now tied for the position. That means that team, who would normally play the team with the best record in the league, cannot do so because the best record belongs to the Yankees, and current rules state that a wild card cannot play a team in its division in the first round.

The No. 2 seed currently belongs to the Rangers; they would play the wild card if they stay ahead of the No. 3 Tigers, who Texas leads by one game. If Texas and Detroit wind up with the same record, the No. 2 seed goes to the Tigers, who won the regular season series from Texas 6-3.

But if things stay the way they are now, the AL playoffs would begin Friday with the Tigers visiting Yankee Stadium, and either the Red Sox or Rays traveling to Texas. In the meantime, the Rays and Red Sox soldier on... perhaps, even a day beyond the regular season's end on Wednesday, if they remain tied.

Red Sox Making History, But Not The Kind They'd Want

2011-09-27T12:10:04Z

We've never seen anything like this before.

You might think we have.

We have not.

The Wild Cards have been around since 1995 -- ancient history, to some of you -- but never in 17 seasons of Wild Card action has a team blown a 10-game lead in the Wild Card standings.

Until this season.

According to researcher Frank Vaccaro, the 2011 Boston Red Sox are the first team in the Wild Card era to blow a 10-game lead; on the morning of August 17, the Red Sox (and the Yankees) led the Tampa Bay Rays by 10 games.

On the morning of September 27, the Yankees lead the Red Sox by eight games and the Red Sox lead the Rays by zero games.

Nobody's ever blown a 10-game lead before; nobody's blown a nine- or eight-game lead, either. As I said, we've never seen anything like this before.

Mind you, the collapse didn't begin on the 17th of August. On the 1st of September, the Red Sox were actually in first place, 1½ games ahead of the Yankees and (still) nine ahead of the Rays. On the 1st of September, though, is when everything started going to hell. The Sox lost that day to the Yankees, 4-2, and really haven't stopped losing since; their record in September -- counting Monday night's loss to the Orioles -- is 6-19. Which of course is sort of supernaturally terrible.

The ultimate fate of the Red Sox is, at this point, utterly unknowable. They seem to have the easier schedule, facing the bottom-feeding Orioles while the Rays take on the Yankees. But the Red Sox are on the road and the Rays are at home, plus the Yankees have nothing to play for except their dislike of the Red Sox. At this point, you might as well flip a coin because Bill James's shit doesn't work with two days left in the season. You just pays your money and takes your chances. We're not supposed to be here, but we are and regardless of how you feel about the teams involved, this is why we watch. Meanwhile, the Red Sox are either going to become just another postseason team or they're going to add to their considerable legend.

********

As Vaccaro also points out, the Braves once held a 9½-game lead over the Cardinals for the Wild Card in the other league. The Braves haven't quite blown that lead yet, but if they do they'll take second place behind the Red Sox in this dubious category.

All this in one season.