The Los Angeles Angels didn't want to leave Fenway without at least one win for the trip home, as the AL West leaders beat the Red Sox, 4-3.
A wild pitch in the seventh tarnished an otherwise solid start for Josh Beckett. Jacoby Ellsbury and Jason Bay brought the lumber, but to no avail, as the Sox fall to the AL West leading Angels.
With just under three weeks left in the regular season, the field is almost done filling out, with just five teams holding real hopes of reaching the post season: Boston, New York, Detroit, Minnesota, and Los Angeles.
Anaheim is up 6 in the West, Detroit is up 4 on Minnesota in the Central, the Red Sox are up 6 ½ in the Wild Card and the Yanks are about to clinch the East, up 6.5 games.
So, how do these teams stack up?
It's not everyday that Red Sox fans get to see Alex Gonzalez at the bottom of a walk-off pig-pile. It's even more rare to see him take a walk. But last night, he did both, leading the Red Sox past the Los Angeles Angels, 9-8.
Both Paul Byrd and Angels' starter Joe Saunders pitched some uninspired baseball, but it was the quick feet and quick thinking of the Red Sox that brought home the seventh win in eight days for Boston.
The playoffs are right around the corner aren't they? Cause if they aren't then we might be a little bit ahead of ourselves. At least were not too conceded to think we still have a chance to catch the Yankees, even if my Daisuke-fueled bravado may have called the Red Sox the favorites to win the World Series. Ok...maybe we did include a "glimmer" of hope at the division still.
We talk rotation, Daisuke's return, Buchholz' emergence, the confidence in the offense and do some advanced scouting of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
All that and more on Episode #60 of Fireside Chats on MVN!
If the playoffs started now, who should be the Sox's No. 4 starter?
Ryan Lavarnway was previously interviewed on Fire Brand July 17, 2008. At that point, Lavarnway was rehabbing from a broken scaphoid bone in his left wrist after being drafted in the sixth round of 2008.
Lavarnway has gone on to be a major contributor to Greenville's playoff push, as the Drive are currently in the championship series. With 21 home runs, Lavarnway has had an extremely impressive season for a 22-year old catcher: .285/.367/.540. There is some thought that Lavarnway could be the Red Sox's first homegrown full-time catcher since... forever. Ryan was kind enough to take some time out of his busy schedule and answer some questions...
In his first game back since June 19, Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched a surprisingly decent an unagitating outing, as the Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of California of the United States of North America, 4-1. The multi-million dollar man notched over six shutout innings, giving up only three hits. Unfortunately, he walked just as many batters, but the five strikeouts on 93 pitches were certainly a step in the right direction.