Before the game I labeled this one a freebie. The Red Sox had more or less done the job in the first two games, making the outcome of this one largely unimportant. A good thing, too. If you're going to forget a game, this would be the one.

Thirteen runs would come in against the Red Sox. Five against the characteristically pathetic Daisuke Matsuzaka, four more off of the disgruntled Alfredo Aceves in his third inning of long relief, and three off the completely ineffective Daniel Bard, who still can't find the strike zone or his old velocity for the life of him.

Oh, and one off of Chris Carpenter in the eighth, but by that point who's counting?

The best parts of the game came before the bottom of the third, with the Sox getting three runs on the contributions of Pedro Ciriaco and Jacoby Ellsbury. After that it was all downhill. Either way, though, the Sox earned this one by taking the first two. The Rays are still pretty much dead in the water, and that's what really matters.

Let's all just put it out of our minds.