THE RAYS and A ONE WAY
TICKET TO "MANNY-WOOD" ...
The Sox bomb Scott Kazmir and the Rays

September 15, 2008 ... By the time the Red Sox had finally been retired in the fourth inning, they were guaranteed that they would end the evening in a virtual first-place tie in the American League East for the first time since the All-Star break.

Tampa's ace, Scott Kazmir, collapsed under the pressure (or simply didn't have anything to offer Sox batters), beginning the game with nine straight balls, and finishing his outing having given up four home runs and nine runs total. In all, the Sox belted a season-high six home runs with the balls going every which way. One, off the bat of Jason Bay, even ended up stuck in the C-ring catwalk, defying for now that what-goes-up-must-come-down edict.

So with just 12 games to go for the Sox and 14 for the Rays, there is virtually nothing separating them in the standings after last night's 13-5 rout at Tropicana Field. The Sox have one more win and one more loss than the Rays. That games-played deficit will change this week, but this will not: Since the Sox were in second place in the East by 5 1/2 games on the morning of Sept. 1, the Rays have not been able to deal a crushing blow, not even when they took two of three at Fenway last week.

Tonight it was boom. Boom. Boom! Beginning with David Ortiz's home run to right field, scoring Coco Crisp and Dustin Pedroia (on with walks), the Sox took a three-run lead. One batter later, Mike Lowell threw himself and the partially torn labrum in his right hip into a pitch from Kazmir. That was homer No. 2. The others followed in rapid succession, mostly in the fourth. Bay hit his trick shot, then Jason Varitek added one, then Kevin Youkilis joined in the fun. Jacoby Ellsbury's came an inning later, helping to bury the Rays and their pitching staff.

Tampa batters eventually joined the party, adding two two-run shots off reliever Chris Smith, one in the sixth and another in the seventh. But the drama had vanished, at least for the evening, as Daisuke Matsuzaka was able to pitch under the lightest of burdens. Protect a 10-run lead (at the end of the fourth inning)? No problem.

With just one blemish, that being a home run to Akinori Iwamura, Matsuzaka had one of his vintage performances. He walked two, he allowed three hits, and he stayed in the game for five innings, though he still got the win. That brought him to 17-2, the most wins for a Japanese-born pitcher in a single season in the major leagues.

But even with that lead, Matsuzaka threw 101 pitches in his five innings, his second straight five-inning start and third straight five-inning start against the Rays. Fortunately for the Sox, none of their top-flight relievers were needed in this one.

Which was exactly what the Rays didn't get. Kazmir exited after he couldn't get an out in the fourth. The inning started with that home run by Bay, continued with a walk to Jed Lowrie, a homer to left by Varitek, an infield single by Ellsbury, and a double by Coco Crisp. When Kazmir was missing out of the zone, the Sox were letting him miss. When he was missing in the zone, they weren't missing anything.

And just as the Rays had done last week in Boston, the Sox finally took one on the road in this series. After last Monday's game against the Rays, the Sox had won all seven meetings this season at Fenway Park. Then the Rays took the next two. Going into last night's game, the Rays had won all six this season at Tropicana Field. Then the Sox obliterated them last night.

Two of the Sox homers came off Mitch Talbot, the Rays reliever who was making his major league debut. He allowed two of Kazmir's runners to score, then gave up two of his own in the fourth, one in the fifth, and another in the sixth.