Final Score
Rays 4
Red Sox 5
Too Close for Comfort: Well, that was certainly an…Ahem!…exciting finish.
A game the Red Sox had in the bag almost turned into a nightmare as a bullpen minus Mike Timlin and Jonathan Papelbon nearly imploded. With Timlin on the DL and Papelbon needing a rest after pitching 3-consecutive days (Keith Foulke apparently also needed a breather), Terry Francona turned to Rudy Seanez and Julian Tavarez to protect a 5-0 lead in the ninth.
Next thing you know, Seanez loads the bases with 2-outs…Tavarez gets a strikeout, only to have Doug Mirabelli misplay the ball (and you thought catching a knuckleball was tough)…Tavarez walks in two more runs making it 5-3…and Carl Crawford singles to left scoring one more and sending the speedy Joey Gathright hurtling toward the plate with the tying run….
Thankfully, Willie Harris woke us out of the bad dream with a rifle to home that got Gathright by 2-steps and preserved the victory for Tim Wakefield. Wake gets the much deserved win after tossing 8-shutout frames and saving most of the bullpen on a day they really needed the rest.
The Sox have now won 4 in a row and hold a 2-game lead over the Yankees. They now head north of the border to face the pesky Blue Jays who stand just 3 ½ back in the East.
Was anyone besides me ready to hurl something at the TV as Seanez and Tavarez did their best to give this one away? Should we be worried without Timlin there to bridge the gap between the starters and Papelbon? Is Foulke up to the task? (Yes, I know Christo…he’s D-O-N-E)
How quickly everybody seems to forget how effective Foulke is when his workload is increased. Foulke is not getting enough work to be as effective as he can be. My prediction is that now that Timlin is on the DL, if Foulke is allowed the opportunity to get his work in everyday, he will become the key setup man in this bullpen for the rest of the year and everybody will love him again. Hear that fickle Christo?