Red Sox-Rays: Beantown BEATDOWN

To say that the Tampa Bay Rays are running on all cylinders right now might be the understatement of the year. For the second consecutive night, the Rays pounded the Boston Red Sox, winning Game Four by a score of 13-4 to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the American League Championship Series. Carl Crawford and Willy Aybar combined to go 9-for-10, with four runs scored, seven RBI, two doubles, a triple, a home run, and two stolen bases. Crawford tied an ALCS record for hits in a game with his 5-for-5 performance, coming within a home run of hitting for the cycle. The Rays scored early and often, as Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria both homered in the top of the first inning, their second, and third long flies’ of the series, respectively. Boston starter Tim Wakefield (0-1) was unable to recover, getting touched for five runs on six hits in only 2.2 innings of work. Wakefield added to the Red Sox’s starting pitching woes, joining unlikely candidates Josh Beckett and Jon Lester on the ... (link)