Rays Crush Red Sox 13-4, 1 Win Away From World Series
Wednesday, October 15th, 2008 | MLB, Sports
The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Boston Red Sox 13-4 in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series – the Rays 3rd win in a row over the Red Sox. The Rays used the long ball again to set the tone for an early 5-0 after only 3 innings. Carlos Pena and Evan Longoris hit home runs in the 1st inning off Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield and Willie Aybar added a 2-run home run off of Wakefield in the 3rd inning. Wakefield ended up pitching only 2 2/3 innings – yielding 5 earned runs on 6 hits and 2 walks – and took the loss. Red Sox reliever Manny Delcarmen couldn’t keep the game close for the Red Sox in middle relief – he gave up 5 earned runs on 2 hits and 3 walks all in the 6th inning. By that point, the Rays had extended their lead to 11-1 and cruised onto the 13-4 win. Rays starter Andy Sonnanstine pitched effectively – giving up only 3 earned runs and 6 hits in 7 1/3 innings of work. Sonnanstine walked 1 and struck out 2. Red Sox slugger David Ortiz got his 1st hit and only 2nd run scored of the ALCS – a triple in the 7th inning. Red Sox Catcher Kevin Cash replaced Jason Varitek in the lineup and he hit a solo home run in the 3rd inning. For the Rays, Left Fielder Carl Crawford went 5 for 5 with 2 RBI’s and 3 runs scored, while Designated Hitter Willie Aybar went 4 for 5 with 5 RBI’s and 1 run scored.
For the 2nd straight year, the Red Sox find themselves in a 3 games to 1 in the ALCS. Last year, the Red Sox trailed the Cleveland Indians 3-1 in the ALCS, before Josh Beckett pitched a gem in Game 5 of the ALCS in Cleveland, forcing the series back to Fenway Park where the Red Sox won the last 2 games of the series to advance to thier 2nd World Series in 4 years. This year, the Red Sox hope Daisuke Matsuzaka can spin some magic in Game 5 of the ALCS at Fenway Park. A win would send the series back to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg where the Red Sox would use Josh Beckett in Game 6 and Jon Lester in Game 7. The Rays will counter with James Shields on Thursday October 16th.
