Red Sox Report: Lavarnway Keeps Sox Alive
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Leave it to a rookie to snap the Red Sox out of it.
Ryan Lavarnway was the hero for Boston Tuesday night as he helped the Red Sox secure a must win. The catcher was pressed into service due to injuries to both Jason Varitek and Jarrod Saltalamacchia and, boy, did he deliver!
Lavarnway hit not one, but two homeruns to lead the Sox to an 8-7 win in Baltimore. That victory along with Tampa Bay’s win over the Yankees keeps the Red Sox and Rays tied for the American League Wild Card lead with just one game remaining in the regular season.
In 116 games between AA-Portland and AAA-Pawtucket, Lavarnway belted 32 homers and drove in 93. Last night he belted his first and second career homeruns in the Majors injecting life into an otherwise dead team.
Lavarnway’s first homerun was a 3-run shot in the 4th which put Boston on top of Baltimore 5-1. In the 8th he belted a solo shot making it 8-4 Boston.
The rookie wasn’t the only one to go deep for Boston Tuesday night. MVP candidate Jacoby Ellsbury hit his 32nd homer of the year in the third to put Boston up 2-1 at the time. Marco Scutaro also left Camden Yards in the top of the 6th for his 7th homer of the season.
Erik Bedard got the start but didn’t last long giving up 3 runs in just 3 1/3 innings of work. He gave way to the reliable Alfredo Aceves who yielded just 1 run in 3 2/3 innings of work before handing it off to Daniel Bard in the 8th.
Unfortunately for Bard, his late season struggles continued as he gave up 3 hits and 2 runs in his one inning of work.
Jonathan Papelbon came in and gave up a run in the 9th before picking up the save keeping Boston in control of its own destiny with one game to play.
The scenarios are quite simple. Should Boston win and Tampa lose to the Yankees on Wednesday, the Red Sox would be crowned Wild Card Champs. If Boston were to lose and Tampa were to win, the Rays would be headed to the postseason.
Should both teams win or lose on Wednesday, a one-game play-in contest would be held on Thursday at 4:07pm at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Jon Lester (15-9, 3.49 ERA) will pitch the regular season finale on three days rest for Boston. Lester threw just 55 pitches in his last outing. He will be opposed by Baltimore’s Alfredo Simon (4-9, 4.85).
Down in Florida, David Price (12-13, 3.35) will get the start for the Rays tonight. The Yankees have yet to announce who will start for them in that game.
-Should the Red Sox win the AL Wild Card, they would open up the ALDS at either Texas or Detroit on Friday at 5:07pm with game 2 of that series scheduled for Saturday at a time that has yet to be determined.
-TBS would televise the play-in game on Thursday between Boston and Tampa Bay if necessary.
-Clay Buchholz is being sent back to Florida to pitch with the hopes of joining the team wither Thursday in Tampa for the play-in game or in Detroit or Texas for the ALDS. Buchholz would likely be used out of the bullpen if the Sox make it to the playoffs.
-Erik Bedard, like his counterparts John Lackey and Tim Wakefield, did nothing to state his case for being the third man in Boston’s playoff rotation. Given his performance against the Yankees Sunday night, Lackey may now be the front-runner for that spot although Alfredo Aceves can’t be ruled out.
-Terry Francona changed his line-up before last night’s game in Baltimore. Carl Crawford was moved out of the second spot down to 8th in the order. The surprise move had Jed Lowrie being put in the clean-up spot behind David Ortiz and ahead of Adrian Gonzalez. Lowrie went 0 for 5.
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