Patriots Day means a lot of thing in Boston: The real start of spring, the Boston Marathon, excessive drinking, and this year it means the Tampa Bay Rays face off against the Red Sox in four straight games at Fenway. (more)
The Boston Red Sox will play in their last home series of the season this Tuesday and Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Red Sox are officially a losing team for the first time since 1997 at 68-82. Something else to consider, however: The Sox averaged 91.8 wins throughout the past 14 seasons. (more)
When Boston Red Sox’s center fielder stepped to the plate Monday night in St. Petersburg, Florida, his team was down by a run. So far the team had looked hopeless and lifeless against the Tampa Bay Rays. (more)
Tampa Bay, coming off a 1-5 road trip to Baltimore and New York, fell short to the Red Sox this past Monday night. Jacoby Ellsbury homered and drove in three runs and Aaron Cook stopped his five-game losing streak. The Rays dropped 5 1/2 games behind the Yankees and 5 games behind the Orioles. In the last seven games, the Rays have scored just 21 runs. (more)
James Shields let up a scattered six hits and just one run through seven innings of work, racking up six strikeouts to lead his Tampa Bay Rays past the New York Yankees 2-1 last night at Tropicana Field. CC Sabathia pitched all eight innings for the Yankees, allowing two runs on five hits with eight strikeouts. (more)
Third baseman Michael Young blasted a three-run homer to center field for the Texas Rangers to coast past the Tampa Bay Rays 6-0 in Game 2 of the ALDS yesterday at Tropicana Field. The run production began in the third inning when Matt Teanor reached home on a James Shields throwing error. Ian Kinsler then sent a solo shot to left for the early 2-0 advantage, leaving Young to step up and put the game out of reach. It’s always nice to contribute and nice to play well,” said Young. “We’re competitors, we want to do our jobs well. But at the end of the day, the ‘W’ is what every team is searching for.”
CJ Wilson was stellar on the hill, allowing just two hits through six innings of work with seven strikeouts. Darren O’Day and Darren Oliver assisted from the bullpen in the final three innings to solidify the victory. “They pitched two really good games, so there’s not too much you can do about that,” said Rays outfielder Carl Crawford. “We’ve just got to hope we can get the next guy that’s coming.” Game 3 is set for Rangers Ball Park Saturday night at 5:07 PM ET. Matt Garza is the scheduled starter for Tampa against Rangers right-hander Colby Lewis.
Carlos Pena produced a two-run double in the ninth inning for the Tampa Bay Rays to force extra innings and eventually defeat the Kansas City Royals 3-2 away at Kauffman Stadium. The go-ahead run came in the 12th inning when Kelly Shoppach hit a grounder through the legs of third baseman Wilson Betemit to score Rocco Baldelli. The Rays had already won the AL East Division following Boston’s win over New York, but the club figured it was best to finish the regular season strong with a win on the road.
“To rally against their All-Star closer shows how much fight this team has,” said Rays outfielder B.J. Upton. “That shows how much heart this team has.” The Rays are now scheduled to matchup with the AL West champion Texas Rangers in the American League Division Series. Between Cliff Lee and C.J. Wilson on the mound with Vladimir Guerrero and Josh Hamilton leading the offensive charge, the Rangers are certainly prepared to challenge Tampa early in the first round. Purchase your Rays vs. Rangers ALDS tickets right here with us at Ace!
Rays vs. Rangers ALDS Schedule:
Game 1: Rangers @ Rays Wednesday, Oct. 6
Game 2: Rangers @ Rays Thursday, Oct. 7
Game 3: Rays @ Rangers Saturday, Oct. 9
Game 4*: Rays @ Rangers Sunday, Oct. 10
Game 5*: Rangers @ Rays Tuesday, Oct. 12
CC Sabathia let up just three hits through eight innings for the New York Yankees to claim their 15th post-season berth in 16 years, outplaying the Toronto Blue Jays 6-1 last night at Rogers Centre. Sabathia’s 21 wins ranks him among the elite pitchers in franchise history, tying Andy Pettitte’s 1996 and 2003 campaigns for the most by a Yankee since Ron Guidry went 22-6 in 1985. Derek Jeter has come alive these past few weeks, producing multiple hits in six of their last 14 contests.
Yankees managers Joe Girardi was proud of the organization after a hard fought regular season, but emphasized for the club to remain focused on the ultimate goal ahead. “I congratulated them and just told them this is the first step,” he said. “There’s a lot of work to be done. If the guys want to celebrate I’m all for it…We’ve been going at it since February 15, grinding and grinding and guys have been playing hard, a tough schedule in a tough division. Let them let loose a little bit. It’s nice.”
The Tampa Bay Rays clinched their playoff spot after a 5-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field. David Price collected his 19th win of the year, posting a 9-2 record at home this regular season. Rays manager Joe Maddon shared a similar outlook in regards to their upcoming post-season run. “I never had any doubt that this was a playoff team,” he stated at the on-field celebration. “I want it to be a World Series champ.” The Rays are currently a half game ahead of the Yankees in the AL East standings with five games remaining on the regular season schedule.