Red Sox vs Rays boxscore
Jonathan Papelbon makes grown men cry.
With the Sox up by just three, the Rays loaded the bases against Hideki Okajima in the 8th with no outs. That's when Papelbon came in and shut the door for two consecutive innings to give the Sox a 8-4 victory.
Jon Lester started and held the Rays in check. He went six innings, allowed seven hits, two runs, two walks and struck out nine. He was effective in the win but, better yet, the offense didn't miss a beat, either.Jacoby Ellsbury, Victor Martinez, Kevin Youkilis and Mike Lowell each had two hits in the win. Youk, J.D. Drew and Jason Bay all had home runs. Drew's was a two-run shot that broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth inning.
While Oki really blew (he gave up two runs without recording an out), Billy Wagner pitched his second inning with the Sox and struck out two while not surrendering a hit or walk. While this could be premature, at the moment, Wagner has been effective. That means only good things for the Sox.
Minus Oki's stint, this was a complete effort by the Sox. Lester, Wagner and Paps all pitched well while the offense continues to click. Finally, I think everything is coming together for the Red Sox. We've waited all season and I think we're finally seeing it.
Josh Beckett on the hill Wednesday.