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After Game 3 upset, can Rays reverse history against Wakefield?
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B.J. Upton's 3-run HR was huge - AP
Thanks to a two-game barrage of Rays homers, the pressure has now shifted squarely onto the Red Sox for Game 4 of the ALCS.
B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria both homered for the second straight game in Game Three this afternoon. Upton’s three-run homer off Jon Lester sent shockwaves through Red Sox Nation. Many Red Sox fans, with good reason, fully expected Jon Lester to pitch the Sox to a victory this afternoon. After all, the Red Sox had won 15 straight games started by Lester at Fenway Park before tonight. Upton’s bomb shattered any preconceptions about this game. It stunned the Red Sox, and they didn’t recover.
In Game One of this series, the Rays tried to draw walks against Dice-K and fell behind in the count over and over again, leading to a bunch of strikeouts and no runs.
Tonight, they took the opposite approach. They came out swingin’ like Sonny Liston. Rather than fall behind in the count and let Lester dictate the game, the Rays were aggressive and it paid off. The Rays built a 5-0 lead off Lester and never looked back.
Not to be overlooked was the pitching of Matt Garza. Two things stood out to me about Garza tonight. First of all, his fastball was dominant. He was hitting 96 all night and the Red Sox never found a rhythm. Secondly, you could just see the confidence in Garza’s eyes out there on the mound. He was locked in and knew he could challenge that Boston lineup and get them out.
After Rocco Baldelli’s three-run shot made it 8-1, all the Red Sox could do was start thinking about Game 4. The Red Sox will send Tim Wakefield to the mound, who has an excellent history against the Rays.
The Rays have proven all year, though, that history means nothing to this team. Entering 2008, Wakefield had a 19-3 career record against Tampa Bay. This year, however, he went 0-2 against the Rays. On September 17, the Rays lit up Wakefield for six runs in two innings with three homers.
Which Wakefield will show up for the Red Sox in Game 4? Maybe we should be asking which Tampa Bay team will show up. The Devil Rays, who Wakefield dominated from 1998-2007? Or the Rays of 2008, the team that has reversed history and proven doubters wrong all year?
I am confident we will see more of the 2008 Rays.
For more info: All MLB Playoff coverage from Examiners is right here
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