Texas Two and a Half Step...

Once again I find myself a few games back...so this it what the Yankees feel like, huh? When last we blogged the Sox were down 3-2 to the Rangers in game 2 of a 4-gamer, after drubbing them 11-3 in the first game...but this one was half over, and we were down 3-2...reason being, we were into the Texas bullpen...let's face it, the Rangers aren't going anywhere this year...they have a couple of decent young pieces and some ok vets, but their pitching is still just plain bad for the most part, and getting to the pen is just a dream for a good hitting team like the Sox...the score stayed 3-2 to the Sox part of the 8th, so perhaps there were a few doubters out there the other night...but wait...fear not, that IS Joaquin Benoit coming in...rejoice! Jacoby popped out but Dusty came right up and ripped a double to center...then the AB of the inning, Papi bridges the gap to Mr. En Fuego himself, Manny Ramirez, with a single around the shift...scoring Dusty to tie the game...anyone wanna guess what happened next? Hoooome...Ruuuuun...another mammoth shot, and one swing dejected another team...looks like Manny's mad at people this year, he's leaving teams in his wake, not just pitchers...Oki and Pap were already up warming, and Pap was the choice...he came in and struggled a little...all three outs actually made contact, and that after a single! But yet another scoreless 9th went into the books...Dirty Water blared, and the Sox took the second game...

Game 3 of this one featured another late comeback from the hometown boys...I didn't catch the beginning of this one, but the end rang familiar...Wake gave up a couple of early runs, and then some late ones...good old 50/50 Wake...Forrest Gump style, you just never know what you're gonna get...but 5 runs down was all we were willing to be I guess...officailly waking from his slump, Papi drove in a run and scored one in the 7th (JD Drew drove him in...hitting .316 now...go 2008 Drew!)...Wake stayed on and threw a scoreless 8th (7th too for that matter) and in the bottom of the inning X Texas reliever actually got the first two outs...nice tease...but then the rally got going...Jacoby singled and Lowrie doubled scoring him (does anyone remember the last time we had this many GOOD young players? 1986 maybe???). The Rangers braintrust figured it was the actual pitcher, not something bigger like the fact that the Sox are just better, so they made a move...brought in X Rangers reliver the 2nd...twice removed...and equally ineffective...Papi singled in Lowrie (told you he's waking up) to make it 5-4, actually beating out the throw to 1st with the Big Papi wheels!!! He hit another one into the shift, but deep into it...and beat it out...probably the slowest "beat-out" ever, but whatever works...another thing that works is Dusty, in the middle of the action again...he doubled home Papi to tie it up, and any remaining hope in the Rangers dugout evaporated...that same random reliever (it was CJ Wilson for the record) walked the rest of the lineup it seemed, but really just enough to give us the lead...X Rangers reliver the 3rd came in and got the last out...Wild Thing pumped out, Pap came in and got another 3 outs (pop up, line out, pop up...he must be tired) and that one too was history...

Just like any chance at the Rangers taking a game...two late back-breakers in a row, and then you're hoping that Kason Gabbard can outlast Clay Buchholz to get one win in four...must suck to be a Rangers fan right now...Gabbard is an ex-Sox, decent arm, and he pitched a couple of scoreless innings before leaving with an injury...in came the Texas pen again...a dude named Nippert whose first name I don't care enough about to look up...I just know we rocked him once before, and then we rocked him again...2 innings (4th and 5th), 8 runs and you can call this one over...Papi had 3 RBI to remain hot (nice to say that for the first time in 2008) and the pen was a little shaky as Aaarararrrarradsma gave up a couple and Delcarmen one, but the 8-3 final just put the exclamation point on the obvious for 2008...the Texas Rangers just aren't good enough to beat the Boston Red Sox right now...4 games, 4 wins, and a nice warmup for what should be a decent set against the tougher LA Angels of Anaheim in California the Golden State on the West Coast where the Lakers are also Pretty Good...I think that's their official name now anyway...gotta drum up the ad revenue...

Anyway, we have owned these guys in the post-season, let's see if we own them in the 2008 regular season...an interesting start to this one, Beckett's a late scratch so David Pauley will be tonight's impromptu starter...we may need to score in this one...Weaver can be very hittable or very tough...hope Beckett's ok and GO SAWX!!!