We've got a candidate for the biggest single moment in this ALDS to date, and it comes from Dustin Pedroia, who turned a huge double play to wipe out a major Tampa Bay threat and keep the Red Sox ahead 6-4 after seven.
If you've been following along here, you may notice that's one more Tampa Bay run than last time. That's because John Lackey didn't exactly finish his night in style, allowing a leadoff single to Desmond Jennings, and then another base hit with one out to Yunel Escobar to bring Jennings home from second. That brought John Farrell out to the mound and Craig Breslow into the game, and four pitches later the inning was over.
The seventh inning, however, was not nearly so easy for Breslow. While he managed to get the right-handed Wil Myers to start the frame, he plunked the left-handed James Loney--the guy he was kept in the game to face--with the first pitch of the at-bat. One walk to Evan Longoria later, and it was heart attack time for the Red Sox, with Ben Zobrist representing the go-ahead run at home and Breslow missing all over the place.
Cue Dustin Pedroia:
That double play ended the inning, and saved about a hundred thousand Bostonians with weak hearts.
Six outs to go to a 2-0 lead.