Was there any better indicator of the future of this rivalry than in the eighth inning when the embodiment of the new-look Tampa Rays, Evan Longoria, squared off with the talented Justin Masterson of the Red Sox?
In what was the key at-bat of the game, Masterson jammed Longoria with an inside fastball, inducing an inning-ending double play with runners on the corners, and putting an end to one of the few legitimate scoring chances for the Rays.
The Red Sox left 18 runners on base, and only Kevin Youkilis, who was 3-for-4, had more than one hit. But none of it mattered, as Dice-K continued his incredible success with runners in scoring position, allowing just four hits, mixing in nine strikeouts as Boston won the crucial opener on the road.
Matsuzaka once again managed to leave me with very little hair on my head in the first inning, as none of the Rays hitters could touch any of his pitches, but half the time they didn't need to as Matsuzaka walked the bases loaded with two outs before getting Cliff Floyd to harmlessly ground out to second base.
After the rough first inning, Matsuzaka put himself on cruise control, not allowing a hit until Carl Crawford's single in the seventh inning. He was what baseball people love to call, and I term I use with chagrin, "effectively wild."
- B/R Ticket Guide
It wasn't so much that Rays hitters didn't know what to swing, their struggles were brought on by a rare display of what Matsuzaka's pitches look like to hitters when they are darting as they are capable of.
The Red Sox desperately needed a start like this, especially from Matsuzaka, who had never been truly effective in the postseason until last night. Now the Red Sox can only hope for more of the same from Josh Beckett tomorrow.
However, the worrying is not done yet for Red Sox fans, especially considering the offense was one Mark Kotsay check-swing double, and one Carl Crawford sliding catch from being held scoreless as well.
The theme of clutch...er, lucky hitting has seemingly followed Boston down to Florida, because they looked like the same offense as the one that against Anaheim, constantly squandered scoring opportunities and really struggled making starting pitchers work for their outs.
They managed just two walks against James Shields, who only had to throw 100 pitches through seven innings. Part of Shields' success can be attributed to how well he threw the ball, but he was constantly working himself out of trouble, because the Red Sox hitters were impatient.
In fact, the only Red Sox hitter who looked in control when he stepped in the batter's box was Youkilis. His 11-pitch at-bat against J.P. Howell in the seventh inning was the best at-bat of the playoffs for any member of the Red Sox.
Yes, Carl Crawford had a chance to make the at-bat irrelevant with his attempted sliding catch. But Youkilis delivered a prime example as to the virtues of patience, something his teammates would be wise to take note of.
The Red Sox have hit Game Two starter Scott Kazmir well during the regular season (0-2, 18 IP, 9.00 ERA), but they will need to be a lot more patient, and a lot more productive with runners in scoring position, because the Rays have too many good hitters to continue to lose games like this one.
Alas, I am making mountains out of molehills. The bottom line was that the Red Sox were able to walk into Tropicana Field, where the Rays won a major-league best 57 games during the regular season, and they escaped with a victory.
Worst-case scenario is that Beckett still isn't fully healthy and the Rays are able to storm back, tie the series, and then the show shifts to Boston. Best-case scenario is that Beckett will return to form, and the Red Sox will head home, where they won 56 games, with a 2-0 series lead and a serious advantage.
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