Sports Insider by Frank Coppola: Gritty Red Sox finally run out of magic against Rays

October 20, 2008

Gritty Red Sox finally run out of magic against Rays

You've got to give credit to the Tampa Bay Rays. A franchise that has been the laughing stock of baseball for the last decade just withstood a heavyweight bout against the defending World Series champions and lived to tell the tale.

Just one loss away from one of the worst postseason collapses in baseball history, the young Rays erased a 1-0 deficit midway through Sunday's Game 7 of the ALCS and went on to earn a 3-1 win over the Red Sox at Tropicana Field.

Down 3-1, Boston had one last chance to conjure up some more magic during the top half of the eighth inning. But with the bases loaded and two outs, Game 5 hero J.D. Drew struck out against flame-throwing rookie David Price, who also fanned two in the ninth to wrap up the win.

The Red Sox couldn't do much of anything against Rays starter Matt Garza, who was named the ALCS MVP after allowing just two hits and one run over seven strong innings in Game 7. Jon Lester certainly pitched well enough to win for Boston, allowing six hits and three runs over seven innings while striking out eight, but the run support wasn't there on Sunday.

And really, that lack of offensive punch proved to be the Achilles heel for Boston. Let's face it: The Red Sox had no business getting this far in the playoffs, nevermind to a Game 7 in this series. As it turned out, Boston's miraculous comeback in Game 5 only delayed the inevitable, but that doesn't mean Red Sox Nation has any reason to hang its collective head.

This was about as gritty and gutty a Red Sox team that I can remember. They were doing it with mirrors for most of the season, surviving nagging and/or serious injuries to Josh Beckett, David Ortiz, J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell. Making the playoffs despite disappointing seasons from rookies Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Buchholz. Losing Curt Schilling for the entire year. Losing Jason Varitek as an offensive contributor (with the notable exception of Game 6 against the Rays). Giving two more rookies, Jed Lowrie and Justin Masterson, key roles on the team in the second half. Having Manny Ramirez completely quit on the team, become a clubhouse cancer and force his way out of town via a trade to the Dodgers.

This was not an easy season for manager Terry Francona and his staff, not by a long shot. Yet there the Red Sox were, seemingly in the midst of another comeback from 3-1 down in the ALCS. But this team was running on fumes, and it finally ran out of gas on Sunday night.

The Rays bent, but they didn't break. For a young team, that's pretty impressive, and it's why they'll be playing the Phillies in Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday night.

For the Red Sox, plenty of questions loom. Most notably is what to do with Varitek, a free agent. There's no debating his importance to the team despite his offensive struggles this season. He's the team captain, its heart and soul, and a Gold Glove caliber catcher. But he's also going to be 37 next season, and his offensive skills aren't going to miraculously return.

Elsewhere in the lineup, questions will need to be answered at third base, shortstop and center field. Will Lowell be fully recovered from hip surgery? ... What will Boston do with shortstop Julio Lugo, whose season-ending injury was seen as a blessing by many Red Sox fans? He's still got two years left on his contract for $18 million. Lowrie showed flashes of his potential this season, but he was also prone to long slumps at the plate. ... What's going to happen to the Ellsbury/Coco Crisp platoon in center field? They had a role reversal in this year's playoffs, with Crisp taking his old starting job back from the struggling Ellsbury.

Even more questions: Will David Ortiz ever be the same after injuries to his knee and wrist? Will Josh Beckett show up to camp in shape next spring? Will Tim Wakefield be back? Can Buchholz bounce back?

For a team that was five wins away from its third World Series championship in five seasons, that's a lot of question marks heading into the 2009 season.

There's never a dull moment in Boston baseball, and there was certainly no lack of drama in this year's playoffs. It's just too bad they ended a bit earlier than most of us had hoped.

Posted by Frank Coppola at October 20, 2008 12:24 AM

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