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BRANDON SNYDER |
BOSTON STRONG -
THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION
David Price puts the Rays
back in first place
July 29, 2013 ...
The Red Sox were thoroughly handcuffed by David Price for the second time in six days. But that isn't what made them reach their boiling point en route to a gut-wrenching 2-1 loss to the Rays on Monday night at Fenway Park.
In a maddening sequence in the bottom of the eighth, with Price finally out of the game, Brandon Snyder hit a fly ball to left-center field that made nearly everyone in the ballpark think "game-tying sacrifice fly." As Daniel Nava slid in, his foot reaching
home plate before Jose Molina could slap down the tag, home-plate umpire Jerry Meals reached his surprising conclusion: The one that he'd admit was a mistake after watching the replay. Nava was ruled out at the plate. He was incensed. So, too, was Red Sox
manager John Farrell. The fact that Meals conceded it was the wrong call after the game probably didn't do much to cheer up a Boston team that figures to be in a dogfight with the Rays for the American League East title for the rest of the season.
The Red Sox, after a ninth-inning rally came up short, fell back into second place, as the surging Rays leapfrogged them again by a half-game. So the Rays, who had to come back to Fenway for one game thanks to the postponement on Thursday, left Boston
perhaps feeling like they stole one. The AL East rivals won't meet again until Sept. 10, when they play three games at Tropicana Field.
In the sixth inning Brandon Snyder, making a spot start at third base, hit one down the line in right for a solo home run that clanged off Pesky's Pole with one out. That sliced the Rays' lead to 2-1.
Price had thrown just 82 pitches through seven and the Red Sox hoped they had caught a break when a 39-minute rain delay started before the bottom of the eighth. Tampa Bay's ace came back after the delay but faced just one batter, retiring Jonny Gomes.
After the zaniness of the eighth, the Red Sox still had a good shot to come back in the ninth against Rays closer Fernando Rodney. Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a single. With one out, he stole second. Dustin Pedroia grounded out for the second out.
Predictably, the Rays walked David Ortiz intentionally, putting the game in Mike Napoli's hands. The runners moved up to second and third on a wild pitch. After the 99-mph wild pitch had the Sox thinking comeback, Rodney came back with a changeup that
Napoli struck out on, ending the game. |
