Old Versus New
Few truly believed the Boston Red Sox were capable of burying their past and winning a World Series title until Terry Francona’s 2004 squad staged one of baseball’s greatest postseason comebacks to win the franchise’s first championship in 86 years.
The Tampa Bay Rays don’t have the rocky playoff resume to overcome, but in six short months, they’ve nevertheless managed to shatter a longtime losing image.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global have made Tampa Bay -110 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has been set at 8 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 52% of bets for this game have been placed on Tampa Bay -110 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
Four wins away from the Fall Classic, the Rays and the defending champion Red Sox will challenge for AL supremacy starting Friday night at Tropicana Field, where the division rivals tangle in Game 1 of the AL championship series.
Boston has been a perennial playoff power since reeling off eight straight wins in the 2004 postseason, erasing a 3-0 deficit to the New York Yankees in the ALCS and eventually winning its first World Series since 1918. The Red Sox also entered this year as reigning champions, overcoming a 3-1 series deficit to Cleveland in last season’s ALCS and winning seven straight, capped by a World Series sweep of Colorado.
That Boston is again on the cusp of representing the AL is no great surprise, but its opponent is more than a bit stunning. The Rays came into 2008 with nothing but a decade of losing to their credit. They’d never won more than 70 games in a season and compiled the worst cumulative record in baseball since 1998, their first year of existence.
Now, after a 97-win season, baseball’s best home record and an AL East title that involved staring down the Red Sox head-to-head most of the season, Tampa Bay has good reason to be confident.
"We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves,” left fielder Carl Crawford said, "but we definitely feel good about our chances.”
The Rays went 57-24 at Tropicana Field – known for its catwalks, artificial turf and empty seats than hosting winning baseball prior to this season. Tampa Bay kept rolling at home in the division series, winning both games against the White Sox before earning a split in Chicago, and with it, a victory in its first-ever playoff series.
"It means everything. We’ve been at the bottom of the barrel for so long,” center fielder B.J. Upton said after homering twice in Monday’s series-clinching 6-2 win. "I think there was a point in time where people didn’t even know who we were.”
The Red Sox are certainly aware – for the past 10 years, Tampa Bay had served as Boston’s personal punching bag. The Rays and Red Sox have had a history of brawls – benches have cleared six times since 2000, including an incident at Fenway Park in June that resulted in eight suspensions – and Boston entered this season with a 111-58 all-time record versus Tampa Bay.
This season, though, the Rays went 6-0 in one-run games and won the season series 10-8.
"We had the one incident this year. That to me also is ancient history,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said.
"The rivalry is being built because we’re good. This year truly is building into a legitimate rivalry, whereas in the past I think it was more fabricated."
One can argue the playoff rivalry between the Red Sox and their division series opponent – the Los Angeles Angels – has been fabricated after they disposed of the Angels for the third time since 2004. The only difference from the previous two division series was the Red Sox needed four games instead of three to eliminate Los Angeles, advancing to the ALCS with a walk-off single from rookie Jed Lowrie in a 3-2 win on Monday.
Jon Lester started Game 4 of that series for the Red Sox, and with the team wanting to get the ailing Josh Beckett more rest – he’ll start Game 2 on Saturday – Daisuke Matsuzaka will be Boston’s starter to open this series.
He went five innings and allowed three runs in Game 2 in Los Angeles, not factoring in the decision in Boston’s 7-5 win.
Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-0, 5.40 ERA) pitched well against the Rays this season, going 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA. The right-hander, though, lasted only five innings in each of his three outings, striking out 17 but walking 11.
"As far as any one of our starters that gets the ball, I have confidence in all of them," catcher Jason Varitek told Boston’s official Web site. "They’ve been part of this team winning all year."
Though Matsuzaka struggled with his control all season, he was often unhittable. Opponents hit just .211 off Matsuzaka, the worst average against any starter in baseball.
"We’re going to have to wait him out and see how he’s throwing,” Rays third baseman Evan Longoria said. "Walks are so important, and if he’s going to come out and do what he normally does, he usually walks a ton of guys and throws a lot of pitches early. If we can get him on the ropes early, we’ve really got to take advantage of that.”
Longoria will certainly play a key role in determining whether the Rays advance to the World Series. The rookie was arguably the team’s most valuable player despite missing 40 games with a fractured wrist, hitting .272 with 27 homers and 85 RBIs.
Longoria had two homers and three hits in his first playoff game, but went 1-for-12 the rest of the division series.
James Shields (1-0, 4.26), who ignited June’s brawl after hitting Coco Crisp with a pitch, will get the ball in the opener for Tampa Bay. Shields pitched 6 1-3 innings and allowed three runs in a 6-4 win in Game 1 over the White Sox.
Shields was great against the Red Sox in St. Petersburg in the regular season, going 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA, but woeful in two starts at Fenway. He lost both, posting a 21.21 ERA in just 4 2-3 innings.
"I just have to go out there and pitch my game. I’m one not to change anything,” said Shields, who matched a Rays record with 14 regular-season wins. "I’ve had a lot of success this year doing what I do."
His biggest nemesis has been slugger David Ortiz. Boston’s designated hitter is 7-for-14 with four doubles, two homers and six RBIs lifetime against Shields.
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