(Best E Casino) - The Tampa Bay Rays try to advance to their first-ever World Series this evening, as they attempt to finish off the
Boston Red Sox in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series at Fenway Park.
Tampa has had a surprisingly easy go of it in Boston and pushed the defending champs to the brink of elimination with a resounding 13-4 win on Tuesday. Willy Aybar and Carl Crawford combined for nine hits and drove in seven runs for the Rays, who have captured the last two games of this best-of-seven set by a combined 22-5 count to go up three-games-to-one.
The Rays hit four homers in a big win Monday, then Carlos Pena, Evan Longoria and Aybar all went deep off Tim Wakefield on Tuesday, knocking the knuckleball specialist out in the third inning.
Crawford tied an ALCS record with five hits, going 5-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored. Aybar was 4-for-5 with five RBI for the Rays, who have posted 31 runs and 10 homers in winning the last three games.
Tampa starter Andy Sonnanstine (2-0) threw a strong 7 1/3 innings, yielding six hits and four runs, three of them earned.
Wakefield (0-1) was lifted after surrendering six hits and five runs through 2 2/3 innings, and reliever Manny Delcarmen recorded just one out in the sixth, when he was charged with five runs on two hits and three walks.
Kevin Cash homered and Kevin Youkilis drove in two runs for Boston, which was in the same predicament a year ago against the Cleveland Indians, only to rally back and win the next three games en route to their second world championship in four years.
Last year aside, though, history is not on the side of the Red Sox. Since 1985, the ALCS has produced three four-game sweeps, but in the other 19 series, the winner of Game 4 has advanced to the World Series 14 times.
However, there have been four teams to rally back from a 3-1 hole in the ALCS during that span, and Boston has done it three of those times. The 1985 Kansas City Royals are the other to accomplish the feat.
The Red Sox are also a perfect 7-0 under manager Terry Francona in the ALCS when facing elimination.
Tampa has decided to throw lefty Scott Kazmir tonight instead of righty James Shields. Kazmir started Game 2 at Tropicana Field last Saturday and was knocked around for five runs on six hits in just 4 1/3 innings. The Rays went on to win the contest in 11 innings, 9-8.
Kazmir, however, has pitched better at Fenway Park, where he has a record of 4-4 with a 3.02 earned run average in 11 career outings. Shields, on the other hand, is 0-3 with a 10.12 ERA in three starts at Fenway.
Boston will counter with righty Daisuke Matsuzaka, who has been the only Red Sox starter to slow down the Rays. Matsuzaka earned the win in Game 1, scattering four hits over seven scoreless innings.
Matsuzaka was 9-3 at home this season and will be making his first Fenway start of the postseason. He is 2-3 with a 3.75 ERA lifetime against the Rays.
Longoria, who has now homered in three straight games, and B.J. Upton have combined to hit 10 homers this postseason, the most by a pair of teammates under the age of 25. Longoria's five homers are also the most from a rookie.
While the defending world champion Red Sox are ALCS regulars, appearing in this round for the fourth time in the last six years, the Rays of course are new to the party, playing in their first-ever postseason.
These teams are obviously no stranger to one another, having played 18 times throughout the regular season. Tampa managed to win 10 of those contests, but just two of those wins came at Fenway.
Game 6 of this series, if necessary, will shift back to Tropicana Field and be played on Saturday. If Tampa wins tonight, it will host the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday.
Philadelphia defeated Los Angeles on Wednesday to advance to the Fall Classic.
