Down the stretch - AL Style

[Frayed Knot]

Just as it was looking like we were going to go the entire season without races in either league, the 'Merican League is starting to get interesting.

The Yanx losing 4 straight, while always fun, will probably mean nothing in the long run as they lead the Sawx by 2.5 games and have a 7.0 game lead over any potential WC teams.

But Boston, losers of 9 of their last 12, have not only gone from ahead of the Yanx to behind them but their slide has also brought the long-assumed dead WC race back into play.

Tampa - winners of 6 of their last 7 - is now just 4.5 behind Boston, and the Angels, in the midst of their own 6-of-7 streak, are in a double race as they sit 5.0 back in the WC and just 1.5 behind West-leading Texas.

So basically it's a four-way race for two spots. Boston - in addition to being without both Beckett & Youkilis for the near future at least - have to hold off both Tampa and the loser of the Tex-LAA race.

[Ceetar]

Yanks have 17 (+1) to play and a seven game lead.
sounds familiar.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I haven't given up hope on an MFY choke yet.

[Gwreck]

Any scenario with Tampa in the playoffs is a good one but ideally it will be the MFYs they replace rather than Boston.

Tampa put a hurting on Boston this afternoon and are 3.5 back of the Wild Card and will be 6 back of the Yankees if the Angels hold on to win (leading 5-2 in the 5th).

[Frayed Knot]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I haven't given up hope on an MFY choke yet.

ARod is back on the shelf for what seems like an unidentified period. And both Cervelli and Martin are dinged up to the point where they actually let Jorge don his gear yesterday. Today however they called up their 2nd minor leaguer of the week (Kevin Romine) so that they'd have neither Jorge nor their recent all-hit/no-glove call-up catcher Jesus Montero back there.


Of course it might help a bit if teams didn't almost seem to go out of their way to fuck up while playing the Yanx.
Angels up today 5-4 when Teixeira lifts what looks to be a game-tying Sac Fly ... except that their gold-glove-ish CF Peter Boujous has the damn thing clank off his glove while standing flat-footed under it so two runs score and Teixeira winds up on 3rd. They kept him from scoring but they're heading for the 8th down one.

[Frayed Knot]

Boston temporarily rights its ship and gets Tim Wakefield his #200th win (on about his 8th or 9th try).
Combined with the first TB loss in about a week puts the Sawx up in the WC hunt by 4.0 and 5.5 games over TB and the LA Angels

[Frayed Knot]

In the first of a four-gamer in Boston on Thursday, the Sox - forced to start someone named Kyle Weiland - got thumped by the Rays 9-2 cutting their SC lead down to 3.0 games (4.0 over LAA)

They get Beckett back tonight as he opposes Shields for Tampa
Angels - 3.5 behind Texas - are in Baltimore
Rangers are in Seattle


Somewhat comforting to know that we don't have the only 100-mph reliever having a tough time.
Boston's main set-up guy Daniel Bard is having hisself a kind of rocky September so far: 5 appearances; 4.2 IP; 10 runs (9 earned); on 6 hits and 5 walks + 1 HBP, all against division opponents.

[Frayed Knot]

- Tigers clinch Central with road win in Oakland

- Boston pulls one out against Tampa putting their WC lead back to 4.0 games - 6.0 over Anaheim who lost in Baltimore.
Also pulled back to 3.5 behind Yanx who (heh, heh) lost on a walk-off hit by Jose Molina in the 9th after the Jays had tried to hand the game away by leaving the bases loaded in both the 6th & the 8th. Sabathia wasn't sharp and failed to win #20 again.

- Texas got shut-out by Seattle (a 4-hitter by something named Blake Beaven) keeping their lead over LAA at 3.5 games.

[Frayed Knot]

Well Tampa did what they needed to do by taking 3 of 4 from the Sawx. Now sit just 2.0 games out of the WC.
Yanx spent the weekend losing 2 of 3 to Toronto - sit 4.5 up on Boston & 6.5 up on TB.

Angels & Texas both won on Sunday.
Rangers lead remains 4.5. Angels just 3.0 back in the WC



[u:110iv18m]Remaining skeds[/u:110iv18m]

Boston (10): Balt for 4 -- at Yanx for 3 -- at Balt for 3

Tampa (10): at Yanx for 4 -- Blue Jays for 3 -- Yanx for 3

Yanx (11): makeup w/Minnesota -- Rays for 4 -- BoSox for 3 -- at Tampa for 3

Angels (10): at Toronto for 4 -- As for 3 -- Rangers for 3

Rangers (9): at Oakland for 3 -- Mariners for 3 -- at Angels for 3



Rays will likely have to take at least 6 of 7 vs Yanx to make things real interesting, but they've won 8 of their last 11 so that's not out of the question.
They're 5-6 against Yanx this year.
Could be a fun week.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Yanks have an outside chance to get hammered.

If they're smart, they'll talk Jeter into faking an injury again.

[Frayed Knot]

Yanx magic number for clinching [u:290v4tt4]a post-season spot[/u:290v4tt4] (not the division, but just a guaranteed slot) is 5
Taking just 2 of 7 from Tampa would be 4 right there which is why the Rays need to grab at least six and still hope for help.
The only good part is that the Rays & Sox don't play each other so there are no automatic "win days" for NYY.

[Gwreck]

Unlike the NL, where the Phillies have home-field advantage locked up, there's a race for the first (and second) seeds in the AL: Yankees, Tigers (-3), Rangers (-4).

[Frayed Knot]

Sawx down to Bal'mer 6-5 heading for the 9th in the first of a twin-bill (no one uses the phrase twin-bill anymore) at Fenway.
Muga-bucks man Carl Crawford is sitting this one out with a "stiff neck" - something I'm sure will go over well with what must be now a twisted into knots Boston fan base & media



In da Bronx, the Yanx handed AJ Burnett with an early 5-0 lead but he still couldn't make it through the 5th.
5-4 Yanx in the 6th -- make that 6-4

[Frayed Knot]

Sox lose while Yanx win - virtually ensuring the AL East to the evil empire unless Tampa runs the table.

Oh, and that Mariano guy got his record-breaking save.
Yawn.

[Frayed Knot]

Red Sox won the nightcap of their DH w/Baltimore but, Geeeeeez, John Lackey still suxx.
8 earned runs over 4.1 IPs on 2 BBs + [u:1e6regu4]11 hits[/u:1e6regu4] - all of which pumps his ERA for the season up to 6.49
Fortunately for him and the Sox, the Boston offense hung up 18 off 8 different Oriole hurlers in a game that only took 3:55. The (separate admission) DH clocked in at a breezy 6:45

In all, the day dropped Boston to 5.0 back of the Yanx and kept them 2.0 ahead of the idle Rays in the WC
Rays at Yanx for the next three days so Boston is going to have to win to keep from losing ground to someone.
At this point you gotta figure that 'Red Sox Nation' are Yanx fans for the next few days.

Yanx are going to have a big say in things as they finish with 9 games against Tampa-Boston-Tampa

[Ceetar]

Frayed Knot wrote: Yanx are going to have a big say in things as they finish with 9 games against Tampa-Boston-Tampa

If they lose out, they're probably out.

[Frayed Knot]

I forgot that the Yanx actually [u:275uj3ow]have 10 games left[/u:275uj3ow]: 4 w/Tampa starting tonight (DH on Wednesday), then 3 w/Boston before finishing with 3 [u:275uj3ow]in[/u:275uj3ow] Tampa

[MFS62]

Frayed Knot wrote: At this point you gotta figure that 'Red Sox Nation' are Yanx fans for the next few days.

Like, as you noted in the NL thread, Braves fans rooting for the Mets to knock off the Cards.

Strange bedfellows the closing days of the season make.

Later

[Vic Sage]

TB pitching best antidote to a MFY post-season.

go Rays!

[Frayed Knot]

6 - 15 -- That would be the Red Sox record over the last three weeks (since Aug 30)

1 -- The number of wins during that same stretch when they didn't score at least nine runs

5 -- The number of games out of those 21 where they held the opposition to less than 5 runs ... and they lost three of those



This team is in deep doo-doo folks. Especially pitching-wise.
One-time prospect/trade-deadline pick-up Erik Bedard goes tonight v Baltimore.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Verducci is already trying to place their failure in historic context.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I don't think I'll have sympathy for Boston suffering ever again.

[stevejrogers]

Edgy DC wrote: Verducci is already trying to place their failure in historic context.

Where did he rank it compared to the 2007 Mets?

Which I'd say should still be ranked higher since the Mets didn't even capture the Wild Card slot.

[Guest Edgy DC]

You'll have to review it yourself. I got dumb enough with just the first paragraph.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Is it weird that the last, best hope for the Red Sox's playoff plans is the MFYs?

[Guest Edgy DC]

I hope somebody knows the Heimlich, because the Sawx are choking again tonight.

[Ceetar]

Edgy DC wrote: I hope somebody knows the Heimlich, because the Sawx are choking again tonight.

So are the Rays though. At least the Sox are already sitting in the chair they want.. or something.

[ashie62]

Dont count out the Angels

[Frayed Knot]

Yeah, so much for the idea of the Rays taking a bunch from the Yanx this week.
Choking dogs!!
Boston's just handing you a playoff spot and you're blowing it.

[Ceetar]

So I guess this is gonna go down like the 2000 Yankees September rather than the 2007 Mets for the Red Sox.