Red Sox 2008 Game 61 Recap

Well so there I was, finishing up the prep work and about to enter stats and everything for this #1 versus #2 showdown when the dreaded words were heard, "Did somebody spill some water?" Well, now, here it is two mornings later and I have a hole in my kitchen ceiling and I was reduced to listening on the radio with mlb.com replays after the game. Needless to say, since I still have a hole in my ceiling I am not a happy camper about the hole in the ceiling but I am a happy camper about the Sox being at home and playing well!

Still, I need to give a recap and what my feelings are so here is game 61 recap!

Final

Press Pass ✠ Box Score ✠ Play - by - Play ✠ Game Recap

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Tampa Bay	1	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	0		4	7	1
Boston	0	2	0	1	0	4	0	0	x		7	7	0

W: J. Masterson (2-0) L: M. Garza (4-2) S: J. Papelbon (17)
HR ➢ T B: A. Iwamura (4), C. Pena (11)
HR ➢ Bos: M. Lowell (8), J.D. Drew (6)

☼ Sun - Another tough call, you have Masterson acting like a seasoned pro, Lowell hitting a 2 run home run, J.D. Drew being on fire as he went 1-3 with a home run and scored twice. I'm going with Masterson though, for being cool after a lead off home run and a moon shot from Pena. The rookie is good!!!

☁ Cloud - Some trouble from the bull pen as Lopez started the eighth and couln't get anybody out. Good thing Hansen was able to get the side retired with out giving up a run.

Game thoughts!

Looked like it may be trouble when Masterson gave up the lead off home run but the Sox were able to take a short lived lead in the second with Mike Lowell knocking a ball over the wall with Manny Ramirez on base. 2-1 and Masterson was dealing as he retired seven batters in a row.

The fourth though started off with trouble when Upton's double was followed by a double by Pena. Drew though was able to get that run back when he homered into the bull pens and Masterson was still being good as he retired six of the next seven batters.

The sixth inning was another indication that this Rays team will not quit though. Upton singled to right, stole second and then Pena (listen local boy, quit killing your home team) hit his moon shot to right. 4-3 going into the bottom of the sixth and it looked like the sox would need to be reaching their now suspect bull pen before the Rays had to go to theirs. How, quickly things changed though!

Youkilis started the sixth by getting hit by a pitch, Ramirez then reached on a bobble by Bartlett and we had runners on 1st and 2nd and no outs. Lowell fouled out to first though, making me wonder if we would be able to get the tying run home. No worries though as a walk by Drew loaded the bases and Varitek (finally) came through with a hit with the bases loaded this year. His single tied the score at 4-4 and bases were still loaded for Mr. Coco Crisp!

Coco did his job as he came through with a double off of the wall scoring Manny and Drew and after Garza was pulled for Balfour, Lugo walked and Ellsbury hit a sacrifice fly to center and the Sox were able to add some runs. 7-4 after six and I felt comfortable.

The bull pen was superb except for the Lopez part in the eighth. Delcarmen issued a lead off walk but retired the next three batters. Lopez started the eighth issuing a lead off walk and a single, but Hansen came into the game and got a fielders choice, a strike out and an inning ending ground out to short. Game over as you knew Papelbon was going to start the ninth.

Papelbon did not disappoint as he started the inning with a strike out which was followed by a ground ball out and then finished the game off with another strike out. Twelve pitches for the bot and nine were for strikes. That is the way I like to see games finished. Sox trailing the Rays by a half game. Yeah, boy!!!

Factoids -
• 11th straight win at home for the Sox, longest since 2005.
• The Red Sox are 4-0 against the Rays at Fenway Park this season and have won six straight at home against them overall.
• Coco Crisp, who didn't have an RBI in his last 10 games, had two on Tuesday.
• Akinori Iwamura homered for his fourth HR this season, three of which have come against the Yankees and the Red Sox.

♊ - Morbid and creepifing I can handle as long as we do it quiet like.