Red Sox's Lineup Grounded At The Jake
Watching the Cleveland Indians take a 2 games to 1 lead against the Boston Red Sox at Jacobs Field Monday night, it's becoming clear Eric Gagne (Saturday's goat), and Daisuke Matsuzaka (last night's casualty), are the least of the Red Sox's problems, a much larger concern is the power shortage in the heart of their lineup, which hasn’t been seen since the 5th inning of game 2, when Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell slapped back to back blasts.
With clear skies, and a crisp October breeze drifting over the rock’ n roll capital of the world, game 3 of the ALCS had more of a feel of a Bon Jovi concert than it did a baseball game; Kenny Lofton was merely the warm act (a 2 run rocket in the bottom of the second ), setting the table for main event: Jake Westbrook, whose sinker had Boston scratching their heads most of the night, forcing 3 double plays, the most devastating blow came in the top of the 2nd, when the Red Sox couldn't push across a run with no outs and the bases loaded.
Game. Set. Match.
Not only has Boston lost home field advantage when they let game 2 slip away, not only did their bats fall silent in game 3, they now hand the ball over to a 41 year-old knuckleballer, Tim Wakefield, who has struggled mightily against the Tribe during the post-season, carrying a 0-3 record with a 16.46 ERA..
With so much riding on Matsuzaka’s shoulders, ever since signing a 6- year $52 million dollar contract, if the Tribe stuns the Sox, plenty of fingers will be wagging at the Japanese sensation, as one of the main reasons for not advancing to the World Series, but any ace needs run support, and let’s not forget one of the most feared lineups in baseball weren't able to produce a run through 12 consecutive innings over the past 2 games, before Jason Varitek ended the drought in the 7th
And how can you blame ``Dice K’’ for his teammates banging into 14 ground ball outs?
Whoever is to blame for what troubles the eastern division champs, they have dug themselves a sizeable hole, and the louder the roar at the Jake, the dimmer their chances grow in sending this series back to Fenway.
With the Colorado Rockies (and their $60.6 million payroll) making a clean sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the senior circuit, advancing to their first World Series, and the Indians (with their $70.5 million payroll) 2 wins away from joining them, you get the feeling the baseball gods are screaming out for an epic battle of small market franchises.
-Bill Lucey
billlucey@bellsouth.net
With clear skies, and a crisp October breeze drifting over the rock’ n roll capital of the world, game 3 of the ALCS had more of a feel of a Bon Jovi concert than it did a baseball game; Kenny Lofton was merely the warm act (a 2 run rocket in the bottom of the second ), setting the table for main event: Jake Westbrook, whose sinker had Boston scratching their heads most of the night, forcing 3 double plays, the most devastating blow came in the top of the 2nd, when the Red Sox couldn't push across a run with no outs and the bases loaded.
Game. Set. Match.
Not only has Boston lost home field advantage when they let game 2 slip away, not only did their bats fall silent in game 3, they now hand the ball over to a 41 year-old knuckleballer, Tim Wakefield, who has struggled mightily against the Tribe during the post-season, carrying a 0-3 record with a 16.46 ERA..
With so much riding on Matsuzaka’s shoulders, ever since signing a 6- year $52 million dollar contract, if the Tribe stuns the Sox, plenty of fingers will be wagging at the Japanese sensation, as one of the main reasons for not advancing to the World Series, but any ace needs run support, and let’s not forget one of the most feared lineups in baseball weren't able to produce a run through 12 consecutive innings over the past 2 games, before Jason Varitek ended the drought in the 7th
And how can you blame ``Dice K’’ for his teammates banging into 14 ground ball outs?
Whoever is to blame for what troubles the eastern division champs, they have dug themselves a sizeable hole, and the louder the roar at the Jake, the dimmer their chances grow in sending this series back to Fenway.
With the Colorado Rockies (and their $60.6 million payroll) making a clean sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the senior circuit, advancing to their first World Series, and the Indians (with their $70.5 million payroll) 2 wins away from joining them, you get the feeling the baseball gods are screaming out for an epic battle of small market franchises.
-Bill Lucey
billlucey@bellsouth.net
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