Radiofree West Hartford -- The Crow's Nest by Tom Evers

THE CROW'S NEST

Red Sox Nation braces for another round of play-off drama

By Tom Evers

October 05, 2005

After a tumultuous weekend rollercoaster, the defending 2005 World Champion Boston Red Sox have emerged from the fog of uncertainty to find their place among the elite eight teams vying for the coveted World Series Championship. Winning two of three from the Yankees over the weekend may not have been enough to win the American League Eastern Division title, but it was enough to put them in contention for the World title for a new franchise record three seasons in a row.

On Sunday, in front of a sell out crowd, the Red Sox handily defeated the New York Yankees, 10-1 at Fenway Park in Boston. Sox Ace Curt Schilling earned his eighth major league win this season, after spending most of the season on the disabled list due to last year's ankle injury. Left Fielder Manny Ramirez and Catcher Doug Mirabelli both hit three run homers to give the Sox the needed boost.

By now Red Sox fans are used to heartache and last minute chaos. On Friday, the Sox pulled even atop the American League East by defeating the Yankees, 5-3 causing a stir of incredible excitement in the air, but on Saturday, the Bronx bombers came back to beat the Sox, 8-4 turning Sox fan's stomachs as the Yankees celebrated their division winning victory on Holy Red Sox ground.

With only one game left to the regular season, Sox fans knew that this game was a win or go home scenario. Two things had to happen to secure a spot in the playoffs, the first was for the Chicago White Sox to defeat the Cleveland Indians, and the second was the Red Sox to have a clean victory over the Yankees. As fate would have it, the ChiSox dismantled the Indians 4-3; the game was over around 3 p.m. with only one task remaining. And that came shortly after 5:30 p.m, when Relief Pitcher turned Closer Mike Timlin shut down the Yankees to secure the win.

And to their credit, the Red Sox saved the celebrating for inside the clubhouse. After Timlin got the win, the Sox congratulated each other with a few handshakes and high-fives in the center of the field. This was in dark contrast to when they celebrated the Wild Card win two years ago in 2004, where the Sox drew significant criticism for going overboard, and then losing the following week in the ACLS playoff game.

The Red Sox join the following teams in post-season play: Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, and the New York Yankees.

As fate would have it, the Red Sox win on Sunday had other repercussions for the Yankees. By losing to the Sox, the Yankees also lost home field advantage. The Yankees will have to fly all the way out to Anaheim, California to start their series. Moreover, Los Angeles has a winning record in regular season play of 6-4 against the Yankees, and most losses have come on the road in Anaheim. Worst of the matter is that the first leg of the ALCS series is the best of five games, so if Los Angeles wins at least one game that will mean both teams will have at least two trips back and forth across the continent; this will lead to extreme fatigue for both teams involved; no doubt a concern with a final play-off series just around the corner against the winner of the Red Sox-White Sox series.

To add additional misery, baseball analysts recognize that Los Angeles is a worse draw for the Yankees due to the fact that Los Angeles is considered the more complete team. Meanwhile, the Red Sox have a favorable 4-3 regular season record over the Chicago White Sox.

Of course, one can argue that all four American League teams are very evenly matched. Bullpens play a lesser role in post-season play because managers tend to opt for starting pitchers to close things out if the going gets rough. For both Yankees and Red Sox teams, where their bullpens have struggled, this is a condition of relief.

In order for the Red Sox to advance in the post-season, a few key things have to come to fruition:

Offense: The Sox offense must be consistent; David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez have to continue with the big at bats; their home runs have carried the team over the last few months. Johnny Damon needs to be his consistent self and continue to get the hits and be in position to score for the aforementioned power-hitters. Meanwhile, Jason Varitek, Bill Mueller, and Edgar Renteria must take the pressure off Big Papi and Manny, step up, and contribute offensively in each game. Red Sox favorite and right fielder Trot Nixon, will have to do more than his latest 1 for 25 performance over the past few weeks.

And Kevin Millar must do more than go his usual 0-4.

Notwithstanding, the Red Sox lead the American League with 910 team runs, and with the best team batting average (.281), and Runs Batted In (863). This will need to shine through in order to advance in the play-offs.

Defense: The Sox need to brush up on errors, as they finished out fourth in the American League with 109 team errors on the season, and the Sox are tied for ninth in the league (with Baltimore) for fielding percentage (.982). Shortstop Edgar Renteria leads MLB with a unacceptable 30 errors; Edgar cannot let that become a problem in post-season play. Neither can third basemen, Bill Mueller, who has 10 errors on the season.

Starting Pitching: The starting rotation obviously has to do its job; this means going for at least six innings a game. The current plan is to stay with the 4-man currently in place: Matt Clement (13-6, 4.57 ERA), David Wells (15-7, 4.45 ERA), Tim Wakefield (16-12, 4.15 ERA), and Curt Schilling (8-8, 5.69 ERA). As records would indicate, there is no silver bullet here. It's pretty much a mixed bag that will have to hold the lead for as long as possible.

Middle Relief: There are a few options in the bullpen that make a Red Sox fan excited; this is not a long duration group by any means. Bronson Arroyo (14-10, 4.51 ERA) is being moved out to help in middle relief. Mike Myers (3-1, 3.13 ERA), Chad Bradford (2-1. 3.86 ERA) will help out with a few others including rookies, Jonathan Papelbon (3-1 2.65 ERA), Manny Declaremen (0-0, 3.00 ERA) and Lennie DiNardo (0-1, 1.84 ERA).

Closer: Veteran Mike Timlin (7-3, 2.24 ERA) was called upon about mid-year to take on this role, after Keith Foulke (5-5, 5.51 ERA) became lazy, nursed his injury, and cursed the fans. Timlin does have a reputation for giving up the long-ball, and has trouble stranding inherited runners. Despite the fact that this is no easy role for someone to "step into", Timlin will have to be as masterful as he's been over the last week or so, if the Sox are to win any close games, where it's a one or two run lead to preserve.

It's been a tough season for the defending World Champion Red Sox. Most teams would not be expected to make it to post-season play with the number of key trades (Pedro Martinez, Derek Lowe) or sporadic injuries to deal with (Mike Mantei, Keith Foulke, Johnny Damon, Curt Schilling, Trot Nixon, etc).

In order for the Red Sox to win, they will have to execute perfectly; that means huge run production against formidable pitching; no errors on the field, and productive outs (sacrifices that result moving the runners along, followed by RBI hits). And Sox pitching needs to be supreme. Everyone has to hit their spots regardless of wind or weather.

With all that said, let's hope a little October Boston Red Sox magic, and nation-wide routing from Red Sox Nation help push the Sox onto a World Series victory for a second season in a row!