The national media seems to all be in alignment with the notion (Harold Reynolds excluded) that if it weren't for the injuries to Beckett and Lowell, the loss of Manny and the injuries to Ortiz earlier in the year, this wouldn't be a contest. the only reason the Rays are dominating this team is because they are simply "exploiting a team ripe for the taking".
The same media that was giddy over the aquistion of Jason Bay, and how Manny would not be missed.
RE: Tom Verducci in Today's SI.com, another in the long line of the Boston apologists:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...s/?eref=sircrc
>>>>
1. The Rays have embarrassed the Red Sox by pounding their starting pitchers in Games 2, 3 and 4. Boston starters gave the team a total of only 12 2/3 innings in those three games while getting hammered for 18 runs and 28 baserunners. Ouch. But let's review whom the Sox sent to the mound in those games:
Game 2: Josh Beckett. Tore his oblique muscle in his final start of the regular season. Has been flipping the ball up to the plate with no velocity or finish on his pitches ever since. Highly hittable.
Game 3: Jon Lester. The 24-year-old lefthander now has thrown a whopping 76 1/3 more innings this season than last. It's stunning that a forward-thinking organization like Boston would extend a young pitcher like that -- Lester certainly will be on my 2009 Year-After Effect watch list to have a major regression next year -- but what were they to do? Lester was pitching great and looked strong and the rest of the rotation wasn't exactly sucking up innings to allow them to shut down Lester at any point. There were no signs that Lester was throwing with diminished stuff, but he seemed to hit the wall suddenly and hard in Game 3.
Game 4: Tim Wakefield. The guy had not thrown a pitch in 16 days. He is 42 years old. Ever since he threw a pitch to Aaron Boone in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, Wakefield is 1-4 with a 10.27 ERA in eight postseason games.
Bottom line: Tampa Bay exploited a Boston staff that was ripe for the taking. But by now it also should be obvious that the Rays are the better team.<<<<
LOL. I would hope it is obvious Tom, too bad he feels he needs a half of a page of excuses to qualify this remark.
What gets lost in the mix is the fact That Ortiz, Rameriez, and Lowell accounted for 1 Run during the 7 game sweep of the Red Sox at the Trop between the 2 series' in Apr and Jun. One Run.
Beckett, in 5 HEALTHY starts against the Rays this year went 2-1 (2 no decisions) ERA 4.08 - hardly a world beater.
Lester, who has benefitted from never seeing the pitchers mound of the Trop this year, has a bit more respectable record - again all at Fenway -
3-0 ERA 3.56. Appreciable, but hardly shutdown stats
Wakefield is a mess and the Rays have owned him all year, so the fact that he got rocked early should suprise no one.
Funny how no one was complaining when Longoria and Crawford missed most of the post All Star Break push to the AL East pennant, rather they stood at the ready, shovel in hand, to throw dirt over their chances.
Simply put - The Rays top to bottom - are a better, more complete team. The additions/subtractions to the Red Sox line up would have no effect on the outcome of the series, if the 2008 stats have anything to say about it.
Suck it up Boston, you're not facing the Indians this year - The Rays are better, and they are proving it.
