Oct 13, 2008 - 10:43 PM
0 shoutsBy Mike Petraglia PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer
BOSTON (Ticker) -- Everything prior to Game Three of the American League Championship Series seemed to point in favor of the Boston Red Sox.
Their new postseason ace, Jon Lester, was on the mound in their home park against a team that had won just one series in Boston since 1999.
A two games to one Boston series lead seemed likely.
But none of this fazed the upstart Tampa Bay Rays. Playing their first road game in American League Championship Series history, they showed no signs of jitters on the turf of the defending world champions.
"We heard he was going to tough," Rays left field Carl Crawford said of facing Boston ace Jon Lester. "We knew that. We knew he hadn't given up any (earned) runs in the playoffs, so we knew he was going to be tough. We just wanted to be ready."
And ready Tampa Bay was. They scored an unearned run in the second to take a lead but the keys to the game were the home runs pounded by B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria in a four-run third.
Matt Garza took care of the rest, throwing six-plus strong innings while allowing one run and six hits.
"I told myself, 'let them keep knocking on that door, knocking on that wall, they ain't coming home,'" Garza said, showing the Rays' swagger and attitude.
"It definitely gave us a lot of confidence to jump out 5-0," Crawford said. "Garza pitched a gem (Monday). We just never let go of that lead we had."
After the Red Sox scored once in the seventh, the Rays put the game away on a three-run homer by Rhode Island native Rocco Baldelli in the eighth.
"(Four runs) is still not a secure lead in Fenway Park against the Red Sox," Longoria said. "But when it was 8-1 and you saw the fans heading for the exits, it felt like, 'we got this one in the bag.'"
Reminded after the game that this is the same Red Sox team that came from 3-0 down against the Yankees in 2004 and 3-1 down against the Indians last year, both ending with World Series titles, Rays reliever J.P. Howell said Tampa Bay hasn't lost perspective.
"We've been there as a team, as a whole, when we were losing 100 games a year. We lost a lot of them late. We know that feeling and we don't want that creeping back in here at all," Howell said. "We know how good they are."
Howell said the Rays will try to maintain that confidence while reminding each other that the mission isn't accomplished until the Red Sox have lost four times.
"We're in the same shape we were (Sunday)," Howell said. "It's the same game. We haven't done anything until we've clinched (and won) four and that's how we're looking at it. We're just trying to gain ground and keep moving."
Jason Bartlett, who began the four-run third inning with a single, said the key is for the young Rays to remain relaxed and in a good groove.
"We're just going to keep playing like we are," Bartlett said. "We play these guys all year. They're nothing we haven't seen and this is a place we've played before and we have won here. This is the playoffs but this is a team we've played all year."
