Pyrrhic
| Game 132: September 2, 2009 | |||
| Red Sox | 5 | L: Ramon Ramirez (7-4) | 77-55, 1 game losing streak |
 Rays | 8 | H: Chad Bradford (2) H: Russ Springer (11) BS, W: J.P. Howell (8, 7-4) S: Dan Wheeler (2) | 72-60, 1 game winning streak |
| Highlights: The gig is up, Howell. I know that you blow saves in order to try and get wins. Typical Rays player. | |||
In the fifth inning Jacoby Ellsbury pulled ahead of Carl Crawford for the most steals in the bigs. Despite the Red Sox’s purported ace toeing the rubber and a valiant game-tying rally in the eighth Boston lost.
For the first three innings Josh Beckett was serving meatballs; Crawford and the reanimated corpse of Pat Burrell homered. But then Beckett showed a glimpse of his former self with three goose egg innings. He didn’t hand out any free passes and struck out nine batters, but judging by the character of the Rays team it may have been due to their complacence rather than Beckett’s dominance.
The starter wasn’t helped by his defense. In the second Jason Varitek seemed to be playing for the force at home when he fielded Victor Martinez’s relay. The Red Sox captain seemed to forget that there were runners on first and third. Kevin Youkilis lost Gregg Zaun’s pop fly in foul territory and the Rays catcher ended up doubling in the fifth run for his team.
The score should have been 9-5 but for a missed call at home by umpire Joe West. Zaun slid into George Kottaras, who unflinchingly fielded the relay from his shortstop and seemingly blocked his counterpart from reaching the dish. The replay showed that Zaun’ leg touched home just before Kottaras’s tag. Jason Bay and Alex Gonzalez got credited with assists, Kottaras with a put-out, and the Red Sox with an out because West’s double chins got in the way.
Joe Maddon continued to fight each battle and lessen his chances to win the war. He used six relievers, four of which he used in the first game of the series as well. Hanging on Maddon’s wall is a certification from the Joe Torre School of Bullpen Management.
