The Red Sox’ 7-3 victory yesterday swapped sweep for sweep and established a little more realistic gap between the teams. While the 2008 Rays are a viable, talented and balanced team, the 2008 Red Sox played to their own level this weekend. After managing just five runs and 17 hits last weekend, the Red Sox offense sliced and diced its way to 26 runs and 39 hits in these three games, lifting their team batting average eight points to .286.
Beginning tonight, the Red Sox will be on a 10-day, 10-game road trip that begins with four in Detroit against the Tigers, whose own offense finally has risen out of its April slumber. Detroit’s pitching, especially its bullpen, is suspect, so what the Red Sox did against Tampa Bay was encouraging for their chances against Detroit. And the Sox will need pitching like they got this weekend against Tampa Bay and for much of the Blue Jays series before that.
Each of the last three starters, Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett and Jon Lester yesterday, recorded a victory and during the last eight games they have posted a combined 1.92 ERA. If the team continues to get starts like these, combined with mashing efforts from the offense, the current three-game AL East lead won’t disappear in the near future.
Sox Notes: With the Red Sox about to play the most loaded lineup in the league in Detroit over the next four games, the club decided that having an extra pitcher was more valuable than another bat. That was the main factor in the club’s decision last night that right-handed reliever Craig Hansen will be called up from Triple-A Pawtucket to take the roster spot of outfielder Brandon Moss, who will be placed on the disabled list (appendectomy).
