Wacky Monday in Baseball

Monday featured a Division Series quadruple header with three teams potentially facing elimination.

The Red Sox, looking to take care of the Rays in a three-game sweep, took advantage of a poor pivot throw by Ben Zobrist on a potential double play ball hit by Dustin Pedroia that allowed Jacoby Ellsbury to score the games first run.

Rays starter Alex Cobb, who retired eight straight heading into the 5th, allowed an Ellsbury double and a Shane Victorino infield single before uncorking a wild pitch to make it a 2-0 game. An RBI single by David Ortiz brought home Victorino to pad the lead to 3-0.

Starter Clay Buccholz got into a groove early, even escaping a bases loaded jam in the 4th. But, in the 5th, Yunel Escobar singled, David DeJesus doubled and Evan Longoria homered with two outs to tie the game 3-3. For Clay, he rebounded nicely in the 6th to retire the side in order keeping the game knotted. He finished after the 6th with a final line of 6 IP, 3ER, 7 hits, 3 walks and 5 k's.

In the 8th, the Sox had a good scoring chance as David Ortiz drew a walk before pinch running specialist Quintin Berry entered and immediately stole second base. But, Mike Napoli grounded to short, Salty struck out and Stephen Drew popped out. In the bottom half of the frame, the Rays did not get a ball out of the infield, but came away with the go ahead run against a pair of former PawSox, Franklin Morales and Brandon Workman.

Tampa led off with a James Loney walk before Desmond Jennings laid down a perfect base hit bunt. After failed bunt attempt by Matt Joyce ending Morales appearance. Escobar would singled to short before pinch-hitter Delmon Young grounded out to first base scoring the go-ahead run for the Rays.

The enigmatic Rays closer, Fernando Rodney, made things interesting in the 9th. After a lead-off walk to Will Middlebrooks (Xander Bogaerts ran for him), Ellsbury blooped a singled to shallow left. Victorino sacrificed the runners to second and third with one out for Pedroia. The second baseman would produce the tying run as a grounder to short scored Bogaerts from third tying the game 4-4.

But in the bottom of the 9th with two outs against Red Sox star closer Koji Uehara, Jose Lobaton (who came in as part of a double switch the previous inning that erased the DH) blasted a solo homer to deep center field to force a Game Four tomorrow night at the Trop. Uehara allowed just five homers during the regular season, none since June 30th.

Boston will send Jake Peavy to the hill against Jeremy Hellickson of the Rays. For Tampa, it was their fourth victory in "must-win" fashion in the last eight days. Boston still holds a 2-1 series advantage.

In the first matchup of the day, Detroit brought the postseason back to the Motor City for the first time since last October when the San Francisco Giants clinched their World Series championship on October 28th, 2012.

With their series tied 1-1 with Oakland, the A's would jump out to a 1-0 lead after the 3rd inning when Miguel Cabrera booted a ground ball forcing in a run. Oakland added two more in the 4th when former PawSox outfield Josh Reddick launched a solo homer to right. Another former PawSox outfielder, Coco Crisp lifted a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.

Detroit came back to tie the game in the bottom of the 4th when former Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez doubled home a run before Jhonny Peralta tied the game with a two-run single.

In the very next half inning, though, the PawSox were represented again as Brandon Moss blasted a solo homer, his first of the postseason, to give the A's the lead for good. For good measure, Seth Smith added a two-run homer two batters later to bring the score to the eventual final of 6-3.

For the former PawSox, Jose Iglesias was 0-for-3 for Detroit. For the A's, Moss finished 1-for-4 with the go-ahead homer, Reddick went 1-for-4 with a homer, Coco Crisp went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored and Jed Lowrie went 0-for-5 with 3 k's and is still searching for his first postseason hit.

Some fireworks popped in the 9th as both benches cleared after Victor Martinez and A's closer Grant Balfour got into a shouting match. No punches were thrown, not that many are in baseball anyway, and Balfour retired the Tigers to give Oakland a 2-1 series lead. They can clinch a spot in the ALCS with a win today with righty Dan Straily on the hill against Doug Fister.

The second game featured a Cardinals rookie, Michael Wacha, making his first career postseason appearance trying to stave off elimination against the Pirates. Wacha didn't pitch like a rookie as he did not allow a hit until the 8th inning, a Pedro Alvarez solo homer.

St. Louis had given Wacha a 2-0 lead in the 6th when Matt Holliday hit a two-run homer to center field. The 22-year-old Wacha, who was drafted in the 1st round in 2012, had a final line of 7.1 innings allowing juts a run on one hit with two walks and nine strikeouts. In his last outing of the regular season, Wacha went 8.2 innings allowing just one hit against Washington. Over his last two starts combined...16 innings, 1 run, 2 hits, 3 walks, 18 k's...straight up nasty. He'll be a star in the National League for MANY years to come. Some questioned why Mike Matheny didn't bring Wainwright back on three days rest to start for St. Louis to save their season, two words, Michael Wacha.

22-year-old fire-baller Carlos Martinez finished the 8th and Trevor Rosenthal, whose average fastball in the regular season was just over 97 MPH, closed out the Pirates in the 9th to force a decisive Game 5 in St. Louis Wednesday. Adam Wainwright will start for Cardinals against rookie Gerrit Cole for the Pirates. Former PawSox reliever Marc Melancon threw a scoreless 9th with two strikeouts.

In the nightcap, the Dodgers brought ace Clayton Kershaw back on three days rest to try and close out the Atlanta Braves at Chavez Ravine. Former PawSox rehabber Carl Crawford greeted Braves starter Freddy Garcia with a lead-off homer, his second in as many days, to give LA a 1-0 lead early. He'd add another solo shot in the 3rd to put the Dodgers up 2-0.

Chris Johnson continued his outstanding postseason going 3-for-4 with another RBI, his 5th of the series, driving in the first run of the game in the 4th for the Braves. Atlanta would tack on another run to tie the score later in the frame. They'd eventually take a 3-2 lead in the 7th.

But, in the 8th, Juan Uribe, who starred in the 2010 World Series for the Giants, blast a two-run, game winning homer for the Dodgers. They'll play the winner of the Cardinals/Pirates series. They play Game 5 tomorrow in St. Louis.