Sox and Pinstripes | Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees – The Greatest Rivalry in Baseball

Beckett's dominance, Boston's bats power Red Sox to 5-1 win over Tigers

In Red Sox Nation, every loss is like a personal kick in the crotch. Even though we know there will be anywhere from 62-70 in a given regular season, each one hurts, and then the pain wears off in time for the next game to begin. One night after Julio Lugo's miscue led to Jonathan Papelbon's first blown save of the season, Josh Beckett and the Red Sox bats made sure that a single error could not prevent a Boston victory on Thursday evening.

Beckett allowed a run and six hits over seven innings - striking out eight and walking none - while the Red Sox reached Detroit ace Justin Verlander for five runs and nine hits in six innings as Boston prevailed, 5-1, and took three out of four in the Motor City. The Sox are now 23-14 and maintained their 3.5-game lead over second place Tampa Bay, which defeated Toronto, 8-3.

Daisuke Matsuzaka's eight walk performance in his last start aside, Boston pitchers have recently demonstrated better command and limited walks. Of Beckett's 102 pitches, 72 were strikes. Not only was Beckett's performance impressive, but so was the fact that Craig Hansen and Manny Delcarmen each tossed a scoreless inning. Rarely this season has the Red Sox bullpen had a game where it has not allowed a run. Hopefully, this outing will play a significant role in helping Delcarmen regain his confidence. Boston needs him to reemerge as a reliable set-up man. Hansen looked solid once again. If he delivers a few more scoreless outings, chances are the Red Sox will make room for him for the long term. Julian Tavarez is the odd man out.

In the series finale against Detroit, Manny Ramirez was rested, and Kevin Youkilis hit in the cleanup spot. He belted his fourth home run of the series, and his seventh dinger of the season, off Verlander in the fifth inning to give Boston a 5-1 advantage. With David Ortiz and Mike Lowell heating up, every member of the Red Sox lineup is hitting the ball well. Even Coco Crisp, who had three hits and is now batting .315.

The Red Sox continue their road trip this weekend in Minnesota where they will start a four-game series tonight. Here are the pitching matchups:

• Friday - Jon Lester (2-2, 3.94 ERA) vs. Boof Bonser (2-4, 4.29 ERA)
• Saturday - Daisuke Matsuzaka (5-0, 2.43 ERA) vs. Glen Perkins (first start)
• Sunday - Tim Wakefield (3-1, 3.33 ERA) vs. Nick Blackburn (2-2, 3.65 ERA)
• Monday - Clay Buchholz (2-2, 4.50 ERA) vs. Livan Hernandez (5-1, 3.83 ERA)

Notes and observations

• Sean Casey and Alex Cora have started their rehabilitation assignments at Triple-A Pawtucket. So far, so good. In fact, both players could join the Red Sox sometime this weekend in Minnesota. Their presence would bolster the team. Casey, who plays a solid first base, was hitting .346 with he strained his right hip flexor. Cora is one of the top utility players in baseball, and the Red Sox can use him to spot start for Julio Lugo and Dustin Pedroia, and serve as a late-inning defensive replacement for Lugo, who leads the Major Leagues with 10 errors.
• How 'bout those Celtics? After a first round series that saw them dominate the Atlanta Hawks at home and lose focus on the road, the defensive intensity has returned for the first two games against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Boston once again silenced LeBron James Thursday night in an 89-73 victory. Now the series shifts to the Q in Cleveland. Can the Celtics maintain their intensity and focus and take a commanding 3-0 series lead on Saturday? I will be surprised if they don't. Outside of James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the Cavaliers have limited weapons.

Yankees salvage final game with the Tribe

The sweep streak is over. The Yankees were not involved in one today. The Indians won their first season series with the Yankees since 1992 (that includes the incredible teams from 1995-1998) but it was only 4-3 and it happened as a result of the Yankees winning 6-3 behind Mike Mussina. It was a game that defined the Yankees' strengths and hid their weaknesses and that's a solid way to end a homestand. Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, Robbie Cano and Wilson Betemit all added home runs to make up the offense and Mike Mussina earned the win with five innings of three-run ball. After a leadoff single to begin the game, the Moose was perfect into the fifth, when given a three-run lead thanks to Damon and Giambi, he gave all of the runs back at once. New York reclaimed the lead in the bottom half of the inning and Ross Ohlendorf came on to supply two lights-out innings of relief en route to handing the ball to Joba-MO, where the duo was able to seal the deal this time. Chamberlain was particularly ecstatic with his perfect eighth inning, as he did his patented double fist pump when he struck out David Dellucci to end the inning, the same hitter who ruined Chamberlain's hold in the series opener. The New York bullpen combined for four shutout innings on two hits and Mariano Rivera remained perfect on the season, as he has totaled 14 innings, no runs, five hits and 12 strikeouts.

Mussina continues to demonstrate his rebirth as a starting pitcher, contributing a solid outing with just one bad inning that wasn't poor enough to cost the Yankees the game. If you are waiting for the ERA-over-five Mussina, you will be waiting for a long time. The righty would not have even been above five last year if not for the month of August, which is more than likely when the whole transition hit home. he has a three ERA against all teams not named "Boston" this season. In 2006, Mussina was still a solid two starter and though he is aging, fading, and will miss time due to injury at some point this season, you will see a happy medium between 2007 and the year before, and thus more likely a mid-4 ERA. Any other prediction would simply be based on ignorance, a hunch, or something lacking facts. As I type this, I can sense his arm now starting to fall off.

Every single time Cano homers you expect him to break out of his slump, so I'm not ready to jump on that bandwagon just yet, same with Giambi and same with Betemit. Hideki Matsui added two more hits to extend his hitting streak to 17 games, and I am ready to say he is on fire right now. With Alex Rodriguez due back as early as next Thursday and Ian Kennedy using his confidence booster in the minors, two Kei Igawa starts upcoming aside, New York is already starting to look better. The Yankees need their MVP's bat back in the lineup to create a middle of the lineup threat and they need at least one more starting pitcher who can be counted on for six innings every time out there.

What do I actually take out of this game? Ross Ohlendorf is nasty, he will only get better with experience and by the end of the season, either Kyle Farnsworth will fade, or he and Ohlendorf will be able to effectively bridge a gap to Rivera. I'm less concerned with most people that Chamberlain is irreplaceable in the back of the rotation, not with guys like Veras and Ohlendorf demonstrating nasty stuff and a lack of opportunity until now. The Yankees have spent three years assembling arms for a bullpen situation like this one and they will be successful in showcasing it this season. If Joba stays in the bullpen, it then becomes a lights out relief core, but that all depends on how the rotation fairs, which is a little less of an optimistic problem. Bottom line: It's easy to get a flash in the pan from young pitchers with dominating stuff to sure up the bullpen when you have one of the best pitching farm systems, it's not so easy to have that in a rotation and that's where the Yankees find themselves right now.

A few words on the Bob Costas "scandal":

OK, so it's not exactly a scandal, I wouldn't want Big Bad Buzz reading this blog, printing out copies and then crucifying me for being journalistically unethical. In case you missed it, Bob Costas has a show on HBO. Recently, he had Buzz Bissinger, Braylon Edwards and Deadspin's Will Leitch on for a segment on sports blogs. Costas asked Leitch about his blog and Bissinger eventually interrupted and went on a temper tantrum about how much he hates blogs and how they are unethical, a mockery of journalism and serve no purpose but pure evil. Braylon Edwards, a professional athlete, more or less agreed that he has no love for the blogging world, and Bob Costas never cut much slack either. Basically, had they put Leitch in a pot of boiling water, it would have had the same effect. The irony of the situation is that the whole thing was so clearly a gang up, that it more or less completely debunked the whole "fairness" and "objectivity" thing that the old timers were preaching about their field.

I am a journalism major and I write a blog, guess what? You can, and should, do both.I took a class on blogging while being an undergraduate broadcast journalism major. The two go hand in hand in this day and age. My professor always preached that a blog is nothing more than a column where your fan base/audience can interact with you and with each other. It is an IMPROVED newspaper. It is something where you can link to all sorts of these other "newspapers" all over the world, you can include multimedia and you know exactly what the people who care about what you say, want. it is instant and it is informative.

Ask Pete Abraham, ask Mark Feinsand, ask anybody else willing to adjust to a new generation how they feel about blogs. The world is changing, we like our information instantly, we like multiple opinions and we like rumors. The only difference between now and 10 years ago is we don't have to watch ESPN to find out our rumors, we can search all over the internet. We don't need to hear what Tim Kurkjian thinks (though we still can), we could read how Vince Mercandetti feels, or Jeff Louderback. It is now the reader's choice what type of writing style they want or how much basis on stats or hunch they crave. Gone are the days of Walter Kronkite speaking for a nation. Isn't that the whole "America" concept anyway? Aren't guys like "Buzz" the epitome of hypocricy and what is wrong with the structure of authority? Wouldn't we like this in politics too? I would love if people of political power were checked and balanced by the American People, that's what the Electoral College is supposed to do with voting.

We are all citizens, we are all sports fans and we all have a right to an opinion, especially when that same media, the internet, is the one supplying the facts. It's true guys like Pete Abe are going to have stuff other people won't, like how a player reacts in the locker room (that is until I also make it in there). So yes, a "journalist" still has the upper hand, should they choose to use it. They can still write their articles with dwindling circulation in newspapers and get paid for their opinion and writing style. The craft of writing will never die, regardless of how many "satanic" blogs are out there. But my question is this: A guy like Bissinger is undoubtedly a talented writer, he says he spent 40 years working on his craft. He clearly expresses his opinion, even in person, and by the way, with very poor and vulgar language (the same style he dislikes in written form on blogs), so why wouldn't he want to know how his reader's feel? How selfish is it to basically say you should have the opinion because you earned it and it doesn't matter how the people who pay your salary feel? If you have no following, you have no job. Opinion and approval are the new forms of "credentials". Would this work with corporations? If the stock holders didn't approve, how would the business fair? So then why are all these old time media members up in arms when the public wants change? Shouldn't they adapt to it? Isn't that part of having a "craft" in the first place?

My point is this: There is no alternative in my mind, the reason guys like Bissinger and to a lesser extent, Costas, feel so strongly against "unprofessional" blogs is that they are threatened, and rightfully so. If I went to school for something, worked my way into a reputation and someone like Will Leitch came out of nowhere and drew fans away from me, I'd be pissed off too. How dare he cash in without having a masters in 40 Years of Writing Craft! If I were not part of this generation and didn't feel like adjusting, chances are I'd unfairly group all writing outlets on the Internet together in an effort to eliminate their credibility and keep my job security too.

Lucky for the older, non-willing to change people of the industry, I'm not one of them and have no problem trying to eliminate THEM instead. Here's an idea, if you're so threatened by blogs, why don't you learn how to use one and then try to pass it off as something so easy and usable? I'd love to leave comments on Bissinger's personal blog refuting why blogs are so evil and how expressing opinion nobody is being forced to read is such a bad thing.

Lugo's error botches Red Sox comeback

Entering the bottom of the ninth inning last night at Detroit, it appeared that the Boston Red Sox were going to win. Even though the Tigers had clubbed 16 hits and scored eight runs. Despite the fact that the Red Sox were down 8-4 after five innings. The reason? Jonathan Papelbon was on the mound, and Boston had claimed a 9-8 advantage. Then Julio Lugo happened, and the Tigers walked off with a 10-9 victory.

Papelbon, who had converted all 10 save opportunities this season, allowed an excuse me dribbler that rookie Matt Joyce legged out for an infield single to open the ninth. Moments later, Lugo misplayed Edgar Renteria's routine grounder, placing runners at first and second. Ivan Rodriguez advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt, and then Curtis Granderson's ground out scored pinch-runner Rayn Raburn with the tying run. Detroit won the game when Placido Polanco's broken-bat looper dropped over Lugo's head, plating Renteria.

This was a tough one to lose, especially since the Red Sox battled back after the Tigers knocked around Clay Buchholz and Julian Tavarez. Buchholz surrendered five runs and 10 hits in four innings while Tavarez coughed up three runs and four hits in one inning.

As they have most of the young season, the Red Sox staged a late-inning rally to take the lead. Kevin Youkilis blasted his second home run of the game in the sixth off Detroit starter Armando Galaragga, who was reached for five runs and seven hits in 5.1 innings. Mike Lowell's three-run home run off Francisco Cruceta in the seventh tied the game at 8-8. An inning later, pinch-hitter Dustin Pedroia grounded an RBI single to lift Boston ahead 9-8.

Papelbon didn't deserve the blown save and the loss. Joyce tried to check his swing and made accidental contact on his base hit. Polanco was jammed, but managed to drop his blooper over Lugo's head. It was appropriate that the game-winning hit was in Lugo's direction. His error on Renteria's routine grounder was costly. He continues to make errors on routine plays and make spectacular gems on balls that appear to be out of reach. I would rather have a shortstop like Jed Lowrie who is steady. With Lugo, even the most routine grounders are not definite outs since he has trouble cleanly fielding the ball and consistently making an accurate throw to first base.

This evening, Josh Beckett gets the call against Justin Verlander as the Red Sox try to depart Detroit with three wins in the four-game series. On Friday, Boston starts a four-game set at Minnesota.

Julian Tavarez to the Rockies?

According to the Denver Post, the Colorado Rockies are once again talking to the Boston Red Sox about a prospective deal for Julian Tavarez. The Rockies are also interested in reacquiring the struggling Josh Fogg, who was in the Colorado rotation last year but signed with Cincinnati in the off-season.

Though Tavarez has proven valuable as a spot starter for the Red Sox, he has been ineffective as a reliever since joining the team in 2006.  If the bullpen was better, Boston could afford to keep Tavarez as a mop-up long reliever and an occasional starter. However, Red Sox relievers not named Papelbon, Okajima and Aardsma have not been reliable so far in 2008. Likely Manny Delcarmen will rebound. Father Time has caught up with Mike Timlin, and Javier Lopez is inconsistent.

It is understandable why Theo Epstein may be hesitant to deal Tavarez. After all, pitching depth is important. It is a key reason why the Red Sox won the World Series in 2007, and it will be instrumental in a potential repeat this year. Unlike 2006, when Boston had to trot out guys like Jason Johnson and Kevin Jarvis, there are multiple options for spot starts. Bartolo Colon has thrown the ball well, and if he can stay healthy, he should provide some help. Justin Masterson showed that he can be effective at the Major League level. At Triple-A Pawtucket, 24-year-old right-hander David Pauley and another knuckleballer, Charlie Zink, are a phone call away.

Tavarez has appeal to National League teams as a back-of-the-rotation starter. If the Red Sox trade him, and do not get a Major League reliever, they could keep Hansen in the bullpen, though that would leave them without a long man. Another possibility is replacing Tavarez with Masterson, who projects to be a long reliever and spot starter at the big league level.

The Red Sox should not trade Tavarez just to deal him away. They should get something of value in return. Yet the bullpen needs stability, and Tavarez is not the ideal guy for the job.

Here is the link to the Denver Post article I mentioned:

http://www.denverpost.com/rockies/ci_9163855

Yanks drop first two to Tribe

New York will take on the Indians in what should be one of the best pitching duels (on paper) of the season. Cliff Lee (5-0, 0.96) will take on Chien-Ming "I kill aces" Wang (6-0 3.00). Could this be Sabathia Vs. Wang part two? Or will it end up like every single "ace" matchup on paper between the Red Sox and Yankees? Sorry about the lack of updates, it was the peak of finals and now with only one left (ironically in "The History of Baseball") I can stop doing Sports Illustrated features and go back to having heart attacks with this team day in and day out. Kennedy was great in the minors last night (7.1 IP, 1H, 0 ER, 8 K) and should be up pretty soon, but not before his 10 days is reached in AAA. Sometimes rookies just need a wakeup call that the parent club can't afford to wait around all season. Alex Rodriguez will resume workouts this week and could be activated as early as next Wednesday. New York is going to want to win these next two games so they could finish 5-4 on the homestand. I will not be live blogging, but I will toss a few thoughts around throughout the game so stay tuned and feel free to comment. Thank you for all the positive feedback with those stadium features, it was one of the more enjoyable things to mock write about. In case you missed it on Deadspin or anywhere else, be sure to check out this courageous story of a kid using sports to comfort his imminent loss in a fight with cancer. The story originally comes from the Post-Gazette.

Here are tonight's lineups:

Cleveland Indians	New York Yankees (17-17)
Grady Sizemore CF	Johnny Damon LF
Ben Francisco RF	Derek Jeter SS
David Dellucci LF	Bobby Abreu RF
Victor Martinez DH	Shelley Duncan 1B
Jhonny Peralta SS	Hideki Matsui DH
Asdrubal Cabrera 2B	Melky Cabrera CF
Casey Blake 1B	Robinson Cano 2B
Kelly Shoppach C	Morgan Ensberg 3B
Andy Marte 3B	Jose Molina C

I've got money that Cano, Francisco and Marte go hitless.

7:14PM: Wang is 43-12 in his last 55 decisions. Not an ace. Meanwhile, after a leadoff walk Ben Francisco singled to make me 0/1 in my predictions. This naturally means he will be 4/4 tonight. I'm an idiot.

7:16: Not a good job putting your team in a hole before they even get to bat. A nasty lefty against this lineup right now? Not good news. Back to back balls in the air means Wang has some adjustments to make. The last two leadoff walks by Yankees pitchers have come around to score.

7:35: Wang strikes out Andy Marte. Hitters are 1/18 with runners in scoring position against Wang this year. This eliminates that terrible streak of two consecutive leadoff walks scoring and gives a 1/2 in my prediction column.

7:48 The national scare is over. Wang has retired all six batters (three via strikeout) since the leadoff walk in the second inning. All the balls are starting to get hit on the ground. Meanwhile Cliff Lee looks untouchable, except for the amazing Matsui, who extended his hitting streak to 16 games.

8:03: Derek Jeter (despite playing well towards third base) couldn't field Peralta's eventual single. Damn him and his range. Superman, Jose Reyes and the Flash would have totally made that play. Thanks a lot, UPenn.

8:09: Good piece of hitting to score Peralta. Wang made a nice pitch and it was served into right field. 2-0 Indians.

8:23: Marte singles, but Cano and Francisco are zero for their last three, making them 2/6 combined...I also haven't paid full attention because I'm protesting Cliff Lee's success. The Indians continue to be remarkable with runners in scoring position against this team. 3-0 and it seems insurmountable.

8:42: Cano singles. I give up. Worst prediction ever. Big spot for Ensberg here, this has been the spot the Yankees have struggled the most this season.

8:45: Ensberg strikes out and Molina flies out to deep right. Yawn. Wake me up when Posada is playing well on offense and defense, A-Rod is homering four times a week, Joba is starting, Hughes is pitching well and Kennedy is in the majors. See you in July!

11:13: Not much you can say to this one. Cliff Lee did what he has done against every team this year, which is flat out dominate. It didn't matter how Wang pitched, you can't win if you don't score and the Yankees had their chances. I know it's hard to admit this, but New York needs A-Rod's bat in the lineup, they simply don't have the firepower without his right-handed slugger bat. It's a big spot for Mussina tomorrow; he has pitched well and now will have to pick up the two guys in the rotation in front of him for the first time this season.

Red Sox-Yankees rivalry is intense, but not hate-filled

By now, you've likely read about the 43-year-old female Yankees fan who got involved in an argument with a group of Red Sox fans outside of a Nashua, New Hampshire bar, climbed in her car and rammed it into a group chanting, "Yankees suck!" One person was killed, and another was injured. The Yankees fan, Ivonne Hernandez, is in jail and charged with second-degree murder.

In the sports section of today's USA Today, there is a poll with the question, "Is Yankees-Red Sox the most hate-filled rivalry in sports?" The results - 71 percent say, "Yes," and 29 percent say, "No."

To a degree, I concur with the 71 percent. However, I think "hate-filled" is the wrong adjective for the rivalry. Intense, yes. Hate-filled, no. Yes, there are Red Sox fans who shower Yankees fans with "Yankees suck!" chants. And, true, there are Yankees fans who douse Red Sox fans with beer, and pelt them with hot dogs and the occasional battery, at Yankee Stadium. However, this rivalry is generally defined by emotionally-charged debates and banter that does not result in injury or death.

I have written it before, and I will state it again. I don't like the New York Yankees. I don't like anything they represent. Most of their fans are arrogant when the team is winning, and poor sports when their team is losing. In fact, a majority of Yankees fans do disappear when the team endures a losing skid. Then they resurface after a few wins in a row.

That said, I detest the Yankees as a team - not their players as human beings, and not their fans. I have a vast wardrobe of Red Sox shirts and hats. Inevitably, every time I wear Red Sox apparel in public, I am stopped - either by a fellow Red Sox fan, or a Yankees supporter. I have never experienced a conversation with a Yankees fan that ended with them clubbing me over the head with a beer bottle or chasing me down with their car. In fact, most encounters I have with Yankees fans involve an interesting discussion about baseball and the rivalry.

As a sports writer, I have strong opinions that I express on Sox and Pinstripes. Sometimes, there are morons who are adults with a grammar school mentality who cannot write their thoughts and objections without resorting to personal attacks. Those are the posters that are deleted and banned from further commenting on this site. They are also in the minority. Most Yankees and Red Sox fans alike that comment on Sox and Pinstripes are ardent baseball fans who passionately follow their respective team, and have strong opinions about the game and the rivalry, too. I might disagree with most Yankees fans on this site, but I do not hate them. After all, even though we are passionate about our teams and the game of baseball, at the end of the day it is just a game.

There are millions upon millions who are die-hard Red Sox and Yankees fans, so it is inevitable that every now and then some bad apples will arise and commit violent acts against one another. Ivonne Hernandez does not represent the typical Yankees fan, and the next mental case who wears a Red Sox hat and guns down a Yankees fan after an altercation outside of a bar will not represent the typical Red Sox fan.

So all of you Yankees fans who read this site, though I believe you demonstrate arrogant and elitist tendencies, feel a sense of entitlement because of what your team did in the late 90s, and dig a hole in the ground when your team is not playing well, do you feel the love? I surely do.

Red Sox earn A, Yankees a C (on a curve) on the 2008 regular season's first grade card

The 2008 regular season is now more than one-fifth complete, and like every year, there are teams that are performing as expected, and others that are pleasant surprises or ghastly disappointments. Here are the first grades of the season for American League East teams:

• Boston - A. Just as they did last year, the Red Sox overcame obstacles to consistently win because of solid pitching and talented depth. This season - despite the arduous three-country road trip to begin the season, an array of injuries to key players, a flu bag that sapped the strength of several position players and pitchers, an ineffective bullpen and the fragile and unreliable J.D. Drew - Boston is tied with the Los Angeles Angels for the AL's best record at 22-13. The starting pitching has been exceptional, and it seems like a different hitter delivers in the clutch every game (with the exception of that recent five-game stretch when they scored a total of four runs). The Sox have received contributions from Sean Casey while Mike Lowell was out, Jed Lowrie while Alex Cora has been inactive and Brandon Moss. That depth will especially be vital later in the season.
• Tampa Bay - B. Tampa Bay's farm system is even deeper than Boston's, and an array of premiere starting pitchers are on the way, but the rotation of Scott Kazmir (who is now back), James Shields, Matt Garza, Andy Sonnanstine and Edwin Jackson is formidable, and the bullpen is one of the best in baseball (statistically). At the plate, Tampa Bay is productive. If the starting rotation and bullpen continue to shine, the Rays could feasibly finish ahead of the Yankees, Blue Jays and Orioles. They are that good, but not yet strong enough to overtake Boston.
• Baltimore - B. The rotation, bullpen and lineup have exceeded expectations, so the Orioles deserve a B at this point, but it won't be long before they return to reality. This is still the worst team in the American League East, and one of the least talented in baseball.
• New York Yankees - C. I'm generous. I grade on a curve. Otherwise the Yankees would join the Blue Jays with a D. While the Orioles have exceeded expectations, the Yankees have been a disappointment. It was obvious that, when the regular season started, this would not be one of the better years in recent Yankees history, yet a lack of depth and ineffective performances by alleged top prospects Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy have hurt the team more than expected. Unlike the Red Sox, the Yankees do not have enough talented depth to overcome injuries. And, once again, Brian Cashman did not field a strong starting rotation. Before the season started, I wrote about how the Yankees would regret not adding a veteran starting pitcher and choosing to rely too much on Kennedy and Hughes. So far, I have been proven correct. Does anyone honestly believe that Mike Mussina will finish the season with an ERA below 5? The Yankees have Chien-Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte. That's it. If the Yankees had better starting pitching, they could overcome the injuries to Jorge Posada and A-Rod. True, the Yankees traditionally have a slow start in April, but this year, the lack of pitching, and little depth, will keep them out of the playoffs.
• Toronto - D. Only Roy Halladay keeps the Blue Jays from getting an F. The rotation is solid, but the bullpen misses Casey Janssen, and the lineup is weak. How does John Gibbons keep his job? And J.P. Ricciardi, for that matter.

Wakefield shuts down Tigers with help from Big Papi and Manny

After 10 walks from Boston Red Sox pitching on Monday night - eight of which were attributed to Daisuke Matsuzaka - there was a possibility that total could be matched this evening. After all, Tim Wakefield was on the mound, and when he does not have command of the knuckler, it is not a pretty sight. Wakefield turned in the anti-Matsuzaka performance - blanking the Detroit Tigers through eight innings, holding them to two hits and walking no batters. The result was another quality start by the Red Sox, and a 5-0 victory, Boston's fifth in a row and seventh in eight games.

Wakefield is usually the victim of little run support, but he received enough tonight. The Red Sox scored all the runs they needed in the second against Detroit starter Nate Robertson. J.D. Drew's RBI single, Kevin Cash's run-scoring double and Coco Crisp's RBI ground out gave Boston a 3-0 lead.

While Wakefield continued to baffle the Tigers, Boston added to its lead in the seventh. David Ortiz belted his seventh home run, a solo shot off Robertson with one out. The drive chased Robertson and led to Freddy Dolsi's Major League debut. His first pitch was ripped over the center field fence by Manny Ramirez for the future Hall of Famer's 497th home run. Mike Timlin preserved the 5-0 victory with a scoreless ninth inning.

Now 22-13, the Red Sox gained further separation in the American League East standings over Toronto (which lost to Tampa Bay) and the New York Yankees (which fell to Cleveland thanks to David Delluci's three-run home run off Joba Chamberlain in the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium). The Blue Jays are now 5.5 games behind the pack and the Yankees dipped to 4.5 games behind the Red Sox and in a tie with the Baltimore Orioles. The Rays remain 3.5 out of first place.

Notes and observations

• Sean Casey and Alex Cora are about to embark on rehabilitation stints at Triple-A Pawtucket. Cora will start his assignment tomorrow and could be activated from the disabled list as soon as Saturday while Casey will don a Paw Sox uniform starting Thursday and could return from the DL on Sunday. The Red Sox will evaluate each player's progress before determining the next move, but chances are Casey and Cora will return to the parent team by early next week. Jed Lowrie has filled in admirably for Cora and has shown the Red Sox that he is Major League ready - either as a utility infielder or as next year's starting shortstop. Since Brandon Moss is now on the DL while recovering from his emergency appendectomy, the Red Sox can especially use backup first baseman Casey, who was hitting .346 when he suffered his strained hip flexor. Casey and Cora are key reasons why the Boston bench is so productive, so it will help the Red Sox to have them back on the active roster.
• Now that Tim Wakefield's latest turn in the rotation is complete, can the Red Sox afford to not have Kevin Cash's bat in the lineup? That is, of course, an attempt at humor. Cash is a career .167 hitter in the big leagues, and Jason Varitek has been solid at the plate so far. Yet so has Cash. The backup catcher was 3-for-4  with an RBI double tonight  and overall is hitting .361 (13-for-36). His offensive production has been a pleasant surprise and a vast improvement over Doug Mirabelli's light hitting over the last two seasons. Cash's main job is to catch Wakefield's knuckler, but his performance at the plate will make Terry Francona more comfortable giving Varitek a day off even when Wakefield is not starting.
• Manny Ramirez had been slumping lately, but he was 3-for-5 with two singles and the monstrous home run tonight. David Ortiz continued to swing a hot bat as well, and Kevin Youkilis lined two more doubles and now has 11 on the season. If Mike Lowell catches fire, then the Red Sox will have the best heart of the order in baseball.
• Not too long ago, Boston's team ERA was one of the worst in the Major Leagues. Now, thanks to a string of exceptional starting pitching that Tim Wakefield maintained tonight, the Red Sox have a 3.98 ERA, good for 12th overall and fifth in the American League. Of course, walks still remain this staff's Achilles heel. Boston pitchers have issued a Major League worst 147 free passes. Red Sox pitchers have allowed more walks than earned runs (137).
• At the plate, Boston is tied with Atlanta for the Major League lead in batting average at .287. The Red Sox lead the American League in on-based percentage (and are third overall) at .361 and lead the Major Leagues in total bases (525). This is impressive considering the offensive slump the team was mired in before the Tampa Bay series last weekend.

Now Arriving: Dolphins Stadium

We're already in for a treat with the headline alone. Yes, the Marlins play in a football stadium and yes, they traded away Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis in the off-season. But hey, it's May and they are not in last place yet, and hopefully if things keep going Jeffrey Loria's way, he can steal enough tax payer's money to get a new ballpark. As usual, here is what Sports Illustrated had to say about the stadium with 60,000 seats and 4,000 fans:

Affordability: 23rd.

The comical thing about this is that 17.1% of fans said the affordability was "excellent" and 14.6% said it was "poor". The only theory I have is that the question can be taken two ways: 1. Are the ticket prices and concessions cheap? Which considering I was able to sit in the second closest section for 14 dollars last year and the food is a notch cheaper than the northeast, I would say yes. 2. Are the prices worth watching the team? In this case, no, when the Marlins start paying you to sit there for a July afternoon game to watch Sergio Mitre pitch and Kevin Gregg close, and get excited only when Hanley Ramirez bats, THEN the prices will be worth it.

Food: 28th.

The question posed was what the must-have food item at Dolphin's Stadium. The answers?

"None, because the Dolphins' owner Wayne Huizenga controls concessions."

It is a fundamental and scientific fact that Wayne Huizenga is indeed, the Anti-Christ, whether it's a result of owning the satanic Waste Management at some point, or controlling south Florida sports.

"Chicken in a pita. I don't know what makes it good, maybe because it costs $12."

I will say this, as someone who prefers corn over wheat, I do appreciate the Cuban and hispanic impact on Marlins' concessions. Never had the Pita though, I don't even make 12 dollars an hour.

Team Quality: 28th.

This is where you realize why the Marlins are in serious jeapardy with their fan base. 0% of fans consider their team quality "excellent." 78% of fans consider their product below average or worse. For any team, in any sport, there is something wrong with those numbers. I understand the concept of small market baseball and business efficiency with ownership, but at some point, you will need fans or you will not exist. The Marlins are in tricky territory if their plan of winning, disappearing for six years and winning again doesn't pan out.

Oh and by the way, thank you to the Boston Red Sox; Hanley Ramirez draws 75% of the fans. He might be more important to his team than any other player to his franchise in all of Major League Baseball. Meanwhile, 1.3% of fans come to the ballpark to see Alfredo Amezaga, he of the career .248 average, nine homeruns, 1000 at bats and from the Colorado farm system.

History and Tradition: 30th.

Unless you mean the Dolphins and this is 1972, the Marlins are probably not getting a whole lot of love in the history department. They, A: have no tradition, and B: Nobody gets up in the morning to revisit the Alex Fernandez 1997 Marlins memories. I will say this, if there is anything actual Marlins fans hang their hat on, it's beating the Yankees in the 2003 World Series. That is the single most important event to ever happen to professional Florida baseball.

Ballpark Atmosphere: 30th.

Noticing a trend here? I have been to Dolphins Stadium twice for Marlins games, one of which had Roy Halladay pitching for the other team and the other was the Braves, an NL marquee team. If you ever go to Waterfront Park to watch the Trenton Thunder (the Yankees AA affiliate) you will get a better atmosphere. In Florida, you melt in the hot summer sun and you can hear the sunburned peanut vendors on the other end of the stadium advertising their product. It's completely quiet. You can hear hecklers in another section. It's a minor league attendence in a football stadium. You couldn't CREATE a more awkward and less enticing baseball atmosphere unless you made all 81 home games deaf awareness night and even then at least your dealing with actual fans. Which leads us to:

Fan Intelligence: 30th.

The sad thing is the Marlins are not even the worst team in baseball. They had possibly the best GM in the game up until this season, they have two world championships, they overachieved in 2006 when everybody thought they might lose 110 games; for the most part, the team has delivered on the field. And yet nobody cares. Nobody even likes baseball all that much it seems and the ones who do are transplanted Yankees, Mets and Red Sox fans. You hear "Lets go Heat" in that ballpark and now, nobody would be caught dead even chanting that. This is another category with 0% for excellent and 32.1% for "Poor". Only 7.7% of fans gave an "above average".

Fan Hospitality: 22nd.

This seems like a conspiracy at this point. How can you have no hospitality when you don't even like the home team? Let's see the justification:

"Teams like the Mets and the Cubs play in front of home crowds. Even the Pirates have more fans than the Marlins at Dolphin Stadium."

"There are not enough fans to cause a ruckus!"

"The game is played on a football field. It insults the game and the fans!"

"I got cheated out of a foul ball in the stands by a 12-year old kid who was a lot quicker than I was."

"I am a Met fan. I used to live in Arizona and attended many games at Bank One Ballpark. One night at the stadium, after a Mets victory, my buddy and I stood up and started cheering. The old man in front of me stood up and smacked my hand, sending my cigarettes flying. Next thing I know I am jumped from behind, and I was sent flying into the old man's wife. Luckily the whole incident was witnessed by a Maricopa County Sheriff, who escorted us out for our own safety, and arrested the man who jumped me. I'm a pretty courteous fan, but I'm not afraid to root for my team. Now I live in South Florida, so going to a Met game is like going to Shea Stadium, without the airplanes"

Speaks for itself.

Promotions: 27th.

Another category with more "poor" than "excellent".

"Free 2003 World Series replica rings."

I think ownership owes that to the fans.

"Free air conditioning."

I take it back. This is the funniest thing I've ever seen on Sports Illustrated.

I once got a foam Marlins' finger and a Marlins bag at a game. That's awesome.

Getting to the Game: 28th.

OK, so it's true there is no public transportation basically in all of the Miami area. It's also true parking makes no sense and all of the sections have the same names despite being on other ends of the stadium. But come on, it's football stadium-sized parking and like, four Marlins fans and a dozen transplanted New Yorkers working on a tan, you mean to tell me getting to the game is that difficult?

Neighborhood: 30th.

Sadly when I made my sarcastic comment about the South Bronx being better than 14 other neighborhoods of baseball stadiums, I wasn't joking with this particular area of Miami. If you drive 90 miles to get out of the parking lot and surrounding areas of the stadium, you better still be in the car from then until you get home. 78.2% of fans ranked the surrounding neighborhood "poor." Marlins fans aren't happy.

Sick and wild Dice-K earns win with help from Red Sox bats

Still battling flu-like symptoms that have plagued him for more than a week, Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched like a man who was sick on Tuesday night. Dice-K had allowed two walks each in his previous two starts. Yesterday, he issued eight base on balls, consistently pitched behind in the count and still walked away with the win in Boston's 7-3 victory over Detroit at Comerica Park.

Matsuzaka allowed baserunners in all five innings, but he limited the Tigers to a run and two hits.  An occasional lack of control is seemingly Dice-K's lone weakness. He has a 5-0 record with a 2.43 ERA. In 40.2 innings, he has surrendered just 22 hits, and opposing hitters are batting .158 against him. If only he could find a way to minimize walks, of which he has 27.

Last night, Matsuzaka escaped damage in all but the fourth inning, when Curtis Granderson's RBI single plated Gary Sheffield, who led off the frame with - you guessed it - a walk. The Red Sox had no trouble solving Jeremy Bonderman. Mike Lowell's two-run home run in the second and Kevin Youkilis' two-run dinger in the fourth gave Boston a 4-0 advantage. Bonderman lasted six innings and coughed up four runs and seven hits.

David Ortiz generated Boston's other two runs with an RBI single in the seventh and a solo home run in the top of the ninth. Big Papi's average is slowly climbing. He is now hitting .225 with six home runs and 26 RBI.

Matsuzaka's night was done after throwing 109 pitches in five innings. Craig Hansen entered and retired the Tigers in order in the sixth. He returned in the seventh inning and was charged with two runs, two hits and two walks.

Hideki Okajima was summoned with the bases loaded and two outs. Once again, the left-handed allowed inherited runners to score. Okajima served up a two-run single to pinch-hitter Marcus Thames before getting Edgar Renteria on an inning-ending fly out. He also pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning, serving as the bridge to Jonathan Papelbon, who retired the side in order in the ninth to record his 10th save.

Okajima was credited with the hold, and his ERA dipped to 0.64, yet his is a case where ERA does not paint an accurate picture. Multiple times this season - including several times in the last week alone - Okajima has entered a game and allowed a hit to the first batter that permitted an inherited runner (or runners) to score. In all but a few cases, he has shut down the opposing team after that first hitter, but the fact that he has allowed so many inherited runners to score is certainly a concern. Perhaps he should just be used at the beginning of an inning.

Despite Matsuzaka's wildness and continued problems with the bullpen, the Red Sox improved to 21-13 and have won six of their last seven games. Tim Wakefield opposes Nate Robertson tonight in the second of a four-game series in Detroit. Dating back to Friday, April 25 - when Wakefield allowed four runs (three earned) over six innings - Boston starting pitching has not allowed more than four runs in 10 consecutive games. In six of those games, they have surrendered no more than two runs.

That is what you call championship-caliber pitching, and that is why Boston is a step above everyone else in the American League East.

Ellsbury learning when to play, and when to sit, when he is sore

It's a subject that has not drawn significant attention, but it is worth addressing nonetheless. How can a Major League Baseball player determine whether he has normal aches and pains associated with the grind of a long season, or an injury that requires a few days of recovery, or a stint on the disabled list?

Some injuries are severe enough that surgery is required, or at least a few weeks of rest and recovery are needed (such as torn hamstrings, torn ligaments or tendons, and damaged shoulders). Other ailments - like bruised knees, balky hamstrings, sore quads and assorted aching muscles - are tolerable and can be tended to without missing time and compromising a player's long-term health.

Apparently, that is the dilemma facing Jacoby Ellsbury, who missed three games with a sore right groin before returning for the weekend series against Tampa Bay. Jeff Horrigan wrote about the situation in a column that appeared in Saturday's Boston Herald. Horrigan wrote that Terry Francona said he hoped the injury taught the rookie a valuable lesson about communication with the staff about injuries and the need to play when you’re not physically at 100 percent.

“I’m not pointing a finger at Ellsbury because I think he’s a pretty tough kid,” Francona said. “I guess my point is you’re not always going to be 100 percent. I don’t know if we can wait for guys always to be 100 percent or we won’t ever be able to field a team.”

Francona also told Horrigan that Ellsbury is learning there is a difference between being injured and playing hurt in the majors.

“It gives us a chance to talk to him and explain to him every game we play here is a big deal and that’s probably what’s different in the minor leagues, (that) they’re very protective, which they’re supposed to be,” Francona said. “We try to be protective, but at the same time, we want guys to understand the responsibility that every game here is really a big deal.”

Evidently, Francona believes that Ellsbury was too cautious about the sore groin. Though every Major League Baseball team has exceptional medical staff, the player best knows how his groin, hamstring, knee, quad, etc. is feeling. In Boston, Ellsbury has poor outfield role models to learn from regarding how to know when to play or when to sit.

You might think I am eluding to Manny Ramirez, but I am not. Ramirez has one of the most dedicated work ethics in baseball, though he is prone to taking time off when the team is out of the pennant race. Otherwise, he wants to be in the lineup, and he produces in the field and at the plate. Ramirez is underrated as a left fielder, especially understanding the nuances of Fenway Park, but I digress.

Having J.D. Drew and Coco Crisp as examples for a young player who is trying to learn when he should play and when he should sit (when he has an aching body part) is like sending a recovering alcoholic to a bar with John Daly, or sending your child to a morals and ethics class taught by Roger Clemens.

Theo Epstein and John Henry were aware of Drew's track record when they signed the right fielder to a five-year, $70 million deal after the 2006 season. Drew is known as a solid defensive outfielder, and a guy who can give you 20 home runs, 80 RBI, a .280 average and an on-base percentage that fits in with Boston's offensive philosophy of each hitter seeing a lot of pitches. That is the good side of Drew. The darker side - and the side that can have a negative impact of young players like Ellsbury -  is the J.D. Drew who misses several games every year because of aches and pains. A balky hamstring here, a sore quad there. And a surgically repaired shoulder that is bound to act up sooner or later. He has little drive and passion for the game.

As for Crisp, the spectacular yet fragile center fielder has not been the same since injuring his wrist not long into his Red Sox tenure. Since then, he has endured hamstring and knee issues.

It is refreshing to see guys like Brandon Moss, who played on Friday night, even though he was feeling sick. The next day, he had an emergency appendectomy. Players such as Jason Varitek, Kevin Youkilis, Mike Lowell and David Ortiz are in the lineup on a regular basis, even though they have experienced aches, pains and bruises. When any of them sit out a game, you can rest assured that they need the day off. Dustin Pedroia played much of September and all of the post-season with a cracked hamate bone. Those are players Ellsbury should emulate, not Crisp or Drew.

Of course, there is a reasonable concern that Ellsbury will now be hesitant to report an injury after the conversation with Francona. There is a fine line of playing with normal aches and pains, and playing with a minor injury that becomes worse because it wasn't treated with the proper rest.

Personally, I have no answer to the dilemma. As an amateur baseball player who takes the field in 30-and-over wooden bat baseball leagues, I have my share of injuries that a typical 39-year-old recreational athlete endures. I even suffered a strained oblique trying to hit a sharp slider in a game last year, and was sidelined for six weeks, so I understood when Ramirez missed a long stretch. Ailments like an injured oblique or a pulled hamstring only get better with time - even in a Major League clubhouse with state-of-the-art medical technology available.

The bottom line is that the player himself must be the deciding factor about whether to play or sit. Yet Ellsbury would be wise to look at Youkilis and Pedroia rather than Crisp and Drew, who coddle their injuries like little children. Neither of Crisp and Drew will ever be confused with a Dirt Dawg. Let's hope Ellsbury is tougher.

Now Arriving: Yankee Stadium

As advertised, now it's time for Yankee Stadium to get its own critiquing. Here is what Sports Illustrated had to say about the ballpark in its final season:

Affordability: 29th.

Oddly enough, more people had the Yankees ranked "poor" (30.8%) than for the Red Sox, yet New York avoided the vaunted 30th spot. Average cost for a ticket? $41.40...and your first-born child. This is an 18.1% increase from 2007 and the average MLB ticket goes for $25.43.

Food: 29th.

OK, we're off to a good start. In true New York fashion, people had a lot to say about the food at the stadium:

"I try not to spend a month's paycheck for food at the ballpark. I usually spend $15 on a hamburger, fries and the smallest diet soda they provide. It doesn't even come with a lid, which just serves to aggravate me even more. They have a captive audience. I eat because I get hungry after spending two hours in traffic, another two hours waiting for the game to start, sit through a three hour game, and spend another two to three hours getting back home. Don't forget, this is New York we are talking about, you can't just leave an hour before game time. You still have to go up the NJ Turnpike, get over the bridge and try your best to park in the same zip code."

You can't sum it up any better than this. See, when people talk about loyalty to one's team, they don't actually take into account what it takes to physically watch their team in person. Of course, if you weren't a dumbass and took a train to the stadium, life would be significantly easier.

"If you go to Yankee Stadium, you have to try the popcorn. It is almost as good as the popcorn you get at the movie theater."

Comes with half the cancer too.

Team Quality: 4th.

OK, I lied, I have no idea who number one is but I instantly disagree. 70.3% have the Yankees as an "excellent" on field product. Now get this: 2% have them ranked "poor". Excuse me? It's one thing to be upset your team hasn't won since 2000, it's another thing to have some Twins fan vote on Yankee Stadium and say the team product is "poor" because their owner has 209 million dollars in his couch cushion and won't spend 30 on his roster. A bad on-field product? Really? I would be curious to know who those 2% voted on having an "excellent" on field product. Alex Rodriguez draws 40% of fans to the ballpark (hence the contract), followed closely by Derek Jeter at 32% and then Joba, Mo and Cano. No votes for Shelley Duncan.

History and Tradition: 2nd.

93.2% felt this category is "excellent" and 1.6% said "poor". In the history of the world has anybody ever felt winning the most titles of any team in major sports was a "poor" tradition? This is why emo kids should not be allowed internet access on sporting pages!

Speaking of things that don't make sense, is this the first time ever the NBA has started its second round before the first round ended? Seems kind of silly, was there a scheduling urgency there? Did they only now figure out the NBA playoff format is entirely too long, or did they want to try to draw away from the facts the Celtics might not have been around and then tried to develop Chris Paul quicker?

Ballpark Atmosphere: 13th.

I hate 57,000 fans driving electricity through the atmosphere too. It ruins my nap and interrupts my thoughts when reading "The Mind Hunter".  The way you know some of these people who vote do it solely to skew the numbers is this:  When asked how a fan would vote the atmosphere of the game, the numbers were as follows:

Excellent: 80.1%

Above Average: 14.2%

Average 2.9%

Below Average: 0.4%

To this point, it makes sense. Naturally most of your numbers are going to be in the first two categories, with a gradual trickle-down effect for the latter two. But then "poor" comes into play and gives us this:

Poor: 2.5%. Oh, so 0.4% of leftover fans settled for "Below Average" but then all of a sudden this new group of atmosphere-hating, noise sensitive fans come in the rear. Makes sense.

Fan Intelligence: 3rd.

I really wish there was feedback for this category but there just isn't. Maybe at the end of the column there will be some bonus stuff. Hey! Wait a minute, who is number 1?

Fan Hospitality: 28th.

How the hell did we not get 30th!? Us Yankees fans strive to make the situation unpleasent for visitors. After all, they only pay the same amount of money as us and expect to enjoy their team while probably on a family vacation! If I owned flowers, I'd throw a vase out of anger right now.

From the horse's mouth(s):

"I've seen beer getting dumped on one of those stupid Red Sox fans harassing Yankee pitchers in the bullpen."

"One time, there was a Red Sox fan and we all booed him right out of the stadium. It was very funny. That's what you get for going to the stadium with a Red Sox jersey and hat on."

Yeah, and you thought punching an opposing fan and burning his hat was bad, well we will verbally undress you and throw beer on your probably-already-beer-stained-baseball jersey.

Promotions: 22nd.

I love these:

"The best promotion was Sock Night at a game against the Mariners. Darryl Strawberry hit the game-winner and the socks piled onto the field."

I've now read that comment three times and still can't help but think of cocaine jokes. One time I was at a Yankees game and the fan next to me yelled "HEY DARRYL, THERE'S A LEFT FIELD LINE YOU CAN SNIFF!" Greatest moment of my life.

"The worst was one of the bobblehead nights when they only gave them out to kids. I hate paying 10-year-olds $10 to get a bobblehead."

Should have just punched them in the face and burned their hat, then taken their bobblehead.

"I would like it if there was a "Fans Named Andrew Stanton Win a Night with Laura Posada" night, but so far, the Yankees have ignored my many requests."

Try asking Jorge directly, I hear he can't knock you through a wall right now because his rotator cuff isn't rotating. And if you tried stealing Laura, Jorge wouldn't be able to throw you out anyway.

Getting to the Game: 26th.

I'm guessing that means: Not having to travel through Harlem via Metro North, not going over any bridges for 14 dollar tolls and not driving and feeling like you're in a proverbial drifting parking lot for 4 hours before arriving at the stadium and paying 50 dollars to actually park your car.

Neighborhood: 16th.

I also agree that there are 14 worse surrounding areas than the South Bronx in Major League Baseball. Take Philadelphia for example: Those Temple kids are bad news.

Youkilis powers Red Sox to weekend sweep of Rays

No Big Papi, no problem for the Boston Red Sox. With David Ortiz on the bench resting a sore knee, Kevin Youkilis hit in the No. 3 spot and provided the pop. Youkilis belted two doubles, a home run and a sacrifice fly, knocked in four runs and scored twice to power the Red Sox to a 7-3 victory Sunday afternoon and a three-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays.

After scoring just five runs in three losses at Tampa Bay last weekend, Boston erupted for 26 in the sweep this weekend at Fenway Park. The Red Sox also continued to receive solid starting pitching as Jon Lester limited the Rays to one run and four hits over six innings. Lester, who blanked the Toronto Blue Jays for eight innings in his previous start, did not allow a run today until Carlos Pena launched a solo shot into the right field seats with one out in the sixth inning. Scott Kazmir, who is usually unhittable when he pitches against Boston, was shaky in his first start of the season. He allowed four runs (three earned) and six hits in four innings.

Once again, Boston was short-handed, this time because of Ortiz's sore knee and Brandon Moss out after an emergency appendectomy. As they have for most of the young season, the Red Sox received contributions from a variety of sources, including Youkilis and Lester. Manny Ramirez ripped an RBI double in the third. In the top of the seventh, after Manny Delcarmen coughed up an RBI triple to Akinori Iwamura, Hideki Okajima entered and surrendered a run-scoring single to Carl Crawford that trimmed the Boston lead to 4-3, but Okajima then struck out B.J. Upton and Pena to end the inning.

Boston has made a habit of mounting late-inning rallies, and it did again today. Youkilis lined at solo home run off Dan Wheeler in the bottom of the seventh to lift the Red Sox ahead, 5-3. An inning later, Julio Lugo and Jacoby Ellsbury executed a double steal and later scored on a Youkilis double. Jonathan Papelbon, who was brought in with two outs and one on in the top of the eighth and retired Dioner Navarro on a ground out, dismissed the Rays in order in the ninth to register his ninth save of the year.

The Red Sox rebounded nicely from a five-game losing streak by winning five of six at home against Toronto and Tampa Bay. Now 20-13, Boston is more comfortably positioned atop the American League East with a three-game lead over Baltimore and Tampa Bay, both of which are 16-15, and the Yankees, which are 17-16. The Red Sox will embark on a 10-game road trip which includes four games each in Detroit and Minnesota, and two in Baltimore, before returning to Fenway Park for a three-game interleague series versus Milwaukee.

With Moss on the disabled list while recovering from appendicitis, Craig Hansen was summoned from Triple-A Pawtucket. Sean Casey is expected to return from the disabled list next weekend, and Alex Cora could be activated soon, too.

Hansen will try to continue the string of Red Sox prospects who have contributed at the Major League level this season. Jed Lowrie, who will be optioned to Pawtucket when Cora is activated, has shined, as has Moss, who is a more productive right field option than the brittle J.D. Drew.

Now Arriving: Fenway Park

I'm not sure if you caught this via Sports Illustrated, but there was a fan survey feature on baseball stadiums earlier in the week. The link connects you to the Red Sox, whose home ranks them 21st, justifiably and appropriately right behind the Yankees (20th) in the MLB in terms of "fan experience". My (now) hometown Marlins arrive right where they, and anything connected with Jeffrey Loria belong, dead last at number 30. Yes, you can get a better experience going to Oakland's craphole than roasting in the sun in Miami.

I will be doing three different features, starting with the Red Sox, then the Yankees and then the Marlins. Trust me, even if you don't care at all about the Fish, it's worth the read, these things are hilarious.

It's not so much that anybody should take these rankings to heart or you should be upset your team is in the lower third of "awesome", it's more WHY the team homes are ranked where they are that caught my eye. I will post the Yankees' tomorrow and the Marlins on Tuesday. First, let's review the Red Sox and Fenway Park:

Rankings:

Affordability: 30th.

This makes sense, Boston is the only place in the same realm as New York where ticket prices, food prices and all other prices will make you want to strangle someone or sell yourself as an indentured servant for a side job.

Food: 24th.

The best part about this article is the fan feedback. I'm not sure how SI chooses which ones to use (probably intern selections if I know anything about the industry), but they were definitely solid choices. Take this excerpt when fans were asked the best food in the stadium:

""Fenway Franks. Don't worry, they're not made from the Fenway Friends (rats) that live behind the Green Monster." "

They are made from betraying Red Sox-turned-Y