MOST VALUABLE PAPI

Is there any doubt that David Ortiz is not only the Most Valuable Player, but the clutchest hitter in baseball? No, there isn't. Last night's win was a demonstration of this team's ability to fight back when they're up against the wall. The win also saw David Ortiz and Johnny Damon break out of their slumps. When these guys are hitting, our offense is incredibly good. When they aren't, we can't score runs unless a few guys in the bottom of the order are hot.

We take some emotional momentum into The Big Series with New York. Here are the pitching matchups:

Game 1: Wang (8-4, 4.02) vs. Wells (14-7, 4.42)
Game 2: Johnson (16-8, 3.79) vs. Wakefield (16-11, 3.96)
Game 3: Mussina (13-8, 4.41) vs. TBA

The best matchup is Game 2, Johnson has pitched well against us beating us 4 times this season, Wakefield has been on one of his tears the past month or so.

We need to win 2 of 3 to tie the division and force a playoff, which would be played at Yankee Stadium. A sweep wins us the division. Meanwhile, we're still tied with Cleveland for the Wild Card and they play the White Sox who just clinched the Central but are still vying for home field advantage. If we tie with Cleveland, the tie-breaker will be at Fenway. If all three tie, we play the Yankees in New York for the division and the loser plays Cleveland for the Wild Card.

I think we can sweep if we win the first game. That will be the toughest to win. Wang has pitched well and we haven't seen too much of him. Wells, on the other hand, has been hurt lately and the Yankees know him inside and out.

GAME 156, TORONTO @ BOSTON

Here's some hardcore, as it happens thoughts and analysis of the Red Sox game.

Russ Adams begins the game with a lengthy at-bat forcing Arroyo to really work. He grounds out to 2nd. Arroyo grooves a "curveball" that looks like a slow cutter and Catalanotto drills it 420 feet to the triangle for a stand up triple. The next batter, Vernon Wells, hits a homerun into the Monster Seats. 2-0 Blue Jays. Arroyo comes back with a strikeout, then Eric Hinske hits a freak single to 3rd that Mueller couldn't play due to its oddness. Greg Zaun then pops out in the infield.

Johnny Damon begins the Red Sox attack with a weak grounder back to the pitcher. Damon continues to struggle in the 2nd half of the year and when he struggles, our offensive machine struggles. Renteria, however, is not struggling. He comes to the plate 10 for his last 22 at-bats and makes it 11 for his alst 23 with a homerun to center. Lilly falls behind Ortiz 3-0 but David is unable to capitalize and eventually strikes out. Manny ends the inning with a weak fly out.

Meanwhile, the Yankees and Orioles are scoreless in the 1st, as are the Devil Rays and Indians.

The Blue Jays begin the 2nd with a fly out by Reed Johnson. Gabe Gross fouls off a 3-1 pitch and it is caught by Varitek. Hill works a 2 out walk, Adams grounds out back to Arroyo to end the inning.

Meanwhile, the Orioles are up 1-0 after a homerun by Javy Lopez.

Varitek extended his long stretch of poor at-bats with a strikeout. Millar hits a hard shot off the wall in left for a double. Bill Mueller works a 4 pitch walk. Even though he got ahead in the count, Nixon grounds out to the first baseman who throws to 2nd for a fielder's choice. The play does advance Millar to 3rd for Graffanino who is 5 for 10 against Lilly. Lilly once again falls behind the count. 1-0, 2-0, 2-1, 3-1, bad call and its 3-2, throw over to first, pop foul the first baseman catches it. End of the inning, still 2-1 Blue Jays but at least Graffanino makes Lilly work a bit and it appears that the Red Sox are getting close to mounting a rally.

The O's are still up 1-0 in the 3rd and the Indians are still tied at 0 with Tampa in the 3rd.

Frank Catalonotto, who is 5 for 8 in the series and hit a 420 foot triple, leads off the 3rd with a solo homerun to right field. 3-1 Blue Jays. The anger starts to rise. Arroyo gets ahead of Wells but Vernon hits a single. The croud is incredibly silent at this point. Koskie pops up for the first out of the inning. Arroyo got ahead of Hinske 0-2 but Arroyo missed with a high fastball and Hinske crushed it to center, giving the Jays a 5-1 lead. Three homeruns and a 420 foot triple given up by Arroyo is Dinardo warms in the pen. Greg Zaun grounds out. Thankfully, only the heart of the Blue Jays order is doing damage. But Arroyo is 4 runs behind and over 60 pitches into this game. The bullpen is already stressed from the doubleheader on Tuesday. Reed Johnson flies out to left to end the inning but the Red Sox are further behind.

Damon hit a fly ball to center and Johnson appears to have trapped it but the replays are not conclusive. The ump hustled out to center to make the call though. Damon receives a possible gift single. Renteria works a walk and it appears that with the big bats up there, the Red Sox might be able to do something. It's weird, I'm almost more comfortable when the Sox are behind than when we lead. Ortiz swings at the first pitch he sees depsite Renteria walking on 5 pitches and flies out to center. Ortiz is in the midst of a 3 for 28 slump. Strike, ball, ball, strike, swing and a miss strike three. 2 outs for the struggling Varitek who is 0 for 1 with a K. Tek quickly falls behind 0-2. Foul, foul, ball just low, ball high, ball low. Full count, baserunners in motion. Foul ball. Ball 4. Bases loaded, Millar comes up as the potential tying run. Once again after a walk, the Red Sox swing on the first pitch and it results in another fly out. The good news is they're making Lilly work and appear to be getting closer to scoring. The bad news is, they haven't done it yet and the Blue Jays aren't getting too fooled by Arroyo. We're running out of time.

Baltimore still leads New York 1-0 in the 5th. Cleveland and Tampa are scoreless in the 5th.

Arroyo walks Gabe Gross to begin the 4th as the bullpen stirs for the Red Sox. The #9 hitter Hill hits a curve to left for a single. Dinardo resumes warming up. Arroyo looks bad and doesn't seem as though he will be pitching much longer. Arroyo walks the leadoff man Adams. Francona emerges from the dugout to pull Arroyo who pitched like crap. We really needed him to come up with a quality start with the bullpen being depleted the day before and with the playoff races being so tight. Lenny Dinardo comes into the game with the bases loaded and nobody out and the Jays already up by 4 and poised to go up by more.

On Dinardo's first pitch Catolonotto hits a double off the wall, making him a single shy of the cycle. It scores 2 giving Toronto a 7-1 lead. There are runners on 2nd and 3rd with 0 outs. Wells strikes out for the 1st out of the inning. Koskie walks on 5 pitches to reload the bases for Hinske. Hinske strikes out for the 2nd out of the inning. Zaun flies out to right to end the inning. The Red Sox have not overcome a deficit of more than 6 runs this season.

In Baltimore, Alex Rodriguez has hit a solo HR to tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the 6th. The Indians and devil Rays are still locked at 0-0 in the 7th.

Mueller leads off the 4th by swinging at the first pitch and popping it up. Way to respond, Sox. Nixon grounds out weakly to 1st. It seems that Lilly has settled. This is bad, bad news. Graffanino ends the inning with a weak fly out. An absolutely terrible response inning for the Red Sox. Lilly has settled in and the Blue Jays can now feast on our worn out, crappy bullpen.

Reed Johnson flies out to center. Gross grounds out. Hill walks with 2 outs. Adams grounds out. Dinardo has pitched well apart from the double he yielded on the 1st pitch of his outing.

Damon flies out to center. Renteria doubles to left. He is the only Sox player who has hit well in this game. Ortiz singles to the gap in left center, knocking in Renteria. 7-2 Blue Jays. The Devil Rays take a 1-0 lead over Cleveland and the Yankees are threatening in Baltimore. Ball 1 to Manny. Ball 2, ball 3, ball 4. New York takes a 2-1 lead over the Orioles. Once again, Varitek falls behind in the count, 0-2. Johnson makes a diving catch to rob Tek of a hit and 2 runs and Ortiz nearly gets doubled off. Millar flies out to end the inning. We needed to get a few runs in this inning, instead, we only got 1. Millar has left 5 men in his last 2 ABs.

Catalonotto is retired via groundout. It is the first time in 7 at-bats since he hasn't recorded a hit. Dinardo robs Wells with a nice play. Koskie grounds out. Dinardo has retired 9 of the 11 men he has faced since allowing that 2 run double.

Tampa Bay hangs on against Cleveland 1-0 going into the bottom of the 9th. The Orioles have the tying run in scoring position in the bottom of the 2nd but still trail 2-1. The Red Sox are running out of time and need to come up with a big inning, putting a crooked number on the board.

Lilly remains in the game despite throwing 91 pitches. He does have a 5 run lead though and he is facing the bottom of the roder. He begins the inning by getting Mueller to ground out. Mueller is hitless. The Indians get the leadoff man on against Tampa. Nixon has a truly pathetic one pitch at-bat that results in a flyout. Graffanino hits one off the Monster, he tries to extend it into a double for some reason and is thrown out on a questionable call. The inning ends as Graffanino runs into an out down by 5. The Red Sox look laughable out there. How the heck have we won 92 games this season?

Cleveland grounds into a double play and are down to their last out still down 1-0 in the bottom of the 9th. Travis Hafner grounds out to end the game. The Red Sox and Yankees take a brief 0.5 game in the Wild Card as the Indians have lost 2 straight.

Dinardo remains on the mound in the 7th. He and Renteria have been the only two Sox players that have played well today. Hinske grounds out. Dinardo walks Zaun. Zaun advances to 2nd on a wild pitch. Mike Myers warms in the pen. Zaun advances to 3rd on a Johnson groundout. Gross flies out to the track in center to end the inning.

The Red Sox failure to make Lilly work allows him to stay in the game. Damon starts the 7th with a crappy at-bat. He swings at the first pitch (not something new for the Sox tonight) and grounds out. The sole Sox hitter of the night, Renteria, comes to the plate as Lill crosses the 100 pitch mark. Manny Delcarmen warms up in the Sox pen. Dinardo is probably done after 4 innings of 0 earned run relief. Lilly comes back from down 3-0 to make the count full. The payoff pitch is a ball and the Red Sox get a 1 out baserunner for the slumping middle of the order. Lilly has walked 5 but we've swung at his first pitch way too much. We have shown no patience at the plate. Ortiz bunts but it is a terrible bunt. The catcher fields it and throws to second to retire Renteria. For some reason its scored a sacrifice but he was most assuredly bunting for a hit. With the righty Ramirez coming up, Lilly is finally taken out of the game. The scoring is finally corrected and it is scored as a 2-5 fielder's choice. Vinny Chulk comes on to releive Lilly. Manny pops up to end the inning. The Sox have left 8. I really feel like throwing my computer out the window at this point because we're playing like shit.

The Yankees take a 2-1 lead into the top of the 9th, looking to get an insurance run.

Manny Delcarmen comes in releiving Dinardo. He went 4 innings, allowing 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 earned runs, 3 walks, 2 Ks, and 0 HRs. He allowed 2 of 3 inherited runners to score. He has kept us in the game, we just have refused to capitalize on it. At the very least, Dinardo has saved the bullpen. Hill grounds out to short. The Orioles go to the bottom of the 9th down by a run against the Yankees. Russ Adams walks. Adams moves to 2nd on a fielder's choice hit into by Catalanotto (how many different ways have I spelled that?). Gibbons begins the Orioles 9th with a groundout against Rivera. BJ Suhoff lines out and the Orioles are down to their last out. Wells flies out to end the Toronto 8th. Javy Lopez strikes out to end the game. New York wins 2-1.

The Yankees take a 0.5 game lead in the division and a theoretical 1 game lead in the wild card. After scoring 17 runs yesterday, the Orioles were only able to muster 1 against the Yankees. We need a serious comeback to keep pace with New York. Varitek flies out to begin the inning against Chulk. Olerud comes up to pinch hit for Millar. Olerud works a 1 out walk. The Sox have been walked 6 times but none of the recipients have come around to score. Mueller lines a single to center. Chulk is releived for lefthander Scott Schoenweis. We need to get some runs. We don't need to tie it right now, but we need to make it close for the 9th. Right here would be a perfect spot for Gabe Kapler to be pinch hitting if he weren't hurt. I fear a double play. It seems as though he always does it. Nixon doesn't ground into a double play, instead he grounds into a fielder's choice that moves the runners to 2nd and 3rd. Graffanino comes up with 2 on and 2 out. Tony fouls out and the Sox strand 2 more to make it an even 10.

Myers releives Delcarmen who threw a scoreless 8th. So far, our bullpen has performed very well. It's a pity they couldn't do this last night. Koskie grounds out to 2nd. Hinske lines out. Zaun grounds out.

Johnny Damon leads off the bottom of the 9th. It is his 5th time leading off an inning. The only time he has reached has been on a questionable trap call. Miguel Batista warms for Toronto. We've only had a leadoff man reach once tonight. The trend continues as Damon grounds out to 1st. Renteria strikes out. Ortiz is going to line out I think to end the game. He does hit a line drive but it falls into the outfield for a basehit. Manny comes up. The tying run is on triple deck. Manny fouls out to end the game. We fall a game back of New York in the division and are still tied with Cleveland for the Wild Card. I picked the wrong game to try out this "as it happens" things. I am pissed.

THAT'S WHY ITS DIFFICULT TO WIN DOUBLEHEADERS

The primary reason it is difficult to sweep doubleheaders, in my opinion, is that you use up your top pitchers in the 1st game. The winning team typically needs to utilize their top set-up man and closer in order to win the first game. Then they typically can't use them in the 2nd game. That's what happened in the 2nd game. On any other day, we probably win that game. Schilling wouldn't have had to go deep into the 7th. We could have used Papelbon and Timlin to end the game. We probably would have won.

The notion that Craig Hansen should be the closer for this team is laughable. It was laughable when people running sites like Boston Dirt Dogs suggested it after his impressive debut. The guy is still a kid. He's got great stuff, but he hasn't proven himself yet. We're not some crappy team willing to experiment, we're the Boston Red Sox. You need to EARN your spot on this team. It isn't just given to you after one good performance.

Apparently, an anonymous member of the Red Sox clubhouse was ragging on Curt Schilling. "When he comes into the game, people cheer him like he's the Pope? You think they'd let Pedro get away with this? Why does he get a free pass?"

Now, my guess as to who the player is Foulke. Think about it, Foulke has been crapped on by everyone in Red Sox Nation for pitching poorly due to injury. Yet Schilling pitches poorly with an injury and get standing ovations even when he allows 3 runs in an innings. Foulke was just as big of a part as Schilling in last years Wild Card and World Series victories, if you ask me.

I'm not saying what was said should have been said to the media. But I understand why it was thought. I mean, I love Schilling. But I love everyone who won the World Series last year. That means Bellhorn, Foulke, Cabrera, Pedro, D-Lowe, and a number of other players not with the team or not helping the team. And in my opinion, Schilling has been getting a free pass compared to the crap players like Foulke, Pedro and Bellhorn have gotten. I remember a few years ago people complained that Pedro wasn't doing enough to stay in shape over the off-season. Curt Schilling showed up to Spring Training visibly overweight. How the hell was he supposed to rehab a bad ankle while his body was adjusting to some extra pounds?

We love Curt when he speaks his mind. When Pedro did it, we hated him. We worship Curt for pitching through an injury, we forget about Pedro's outing in Game 5 of the 1999 ALDS. We praise Curt as some sort of savior to the Red Sox, but in reality, this team was nothing until Pedro got here. And guess what, without Foulke or Bellhorn, we don't win the World Series last year even if Schilling pitched on two healthy ankles.

Unlike most members of Red Sox Nation, I appreciate what Foulke, Pedro, and Bellhorn did for us last year. Yes, Foulke was an a-hole for calling the fans Johnny Burger King. Yes, Pedro was greedy for going to the Mets for more money (weird how Boston Dirt Dogs can criticise Pedro for wanting a few million dollars and when you look at their site, its covered in advertisements and links to buy their crappy t-shirts), and yes Bellhorn wasn't doing it for us. However, these men brought a World Series Championship to the city of Boston for the first time since 1918. That gives them, ALL OF THEM, a free pass. But only Schilling has gotten one.

SOX TAKE GAME 1 OF UNTIMELY DOUBLEHEADER

I really hate how we have to play a doubleheader. It screws up our rotation, wears out our bullpen and doubleheaders are notoriously difficult to sweep, which is what we need to do. The good news is, as I type this, both New York and Cleveland are losing. The bad news is, we're tied and New York and Cleveland are playing the lifeless Orioles and D-Rays, respectively.

Rodney Harrison is out for the season. This is a huge loss but I won't be predicting doom like some national sports writers. Yes, Harrison is a great player and a leader, and yes, our secondary is already a little thin, but the Patriots have a great ability for adjusting to a player's absence. Just compare the offensive line play of the Pats in the 1st half after Light went down and the 2nd without Light. We should be fine, but it will be more difficult to three peat and we can't afford too many more injuries in the secondary.

12 OF 12 BY #12

The entire game, Patriots fans everywhere had to endure the nearly intolerable Roethlesberger ball washing by CBS's announcers. At the end of the game, their silence about this "legendary" "quarterback" was golden.

Roethlesberger went into this game with a ridiculous passer rating because he almost never passes. To the Steelers, a pass is a trick play like a flea flicker or a double reverse. This game, he was forced to attempt to be a quarterback and the country saw that he isn't one.

The Patriots started the game off well. They forced the Steelers to go 3 and out. Dillon ran for 1, then 6, then 7. Brady threw to Givens for 15. Faulk ran for 3, then Watson caught a 10 yard pass. Dillon took it to the end zone from the 4 to give the Pats an early lead.

The Steelers repsonded quickly when Ward caught a pass from Roethlesberger and went 85 yards for a touchdown to tie the game. The Patriots response was a 3 and out including a sack of Brady for a loss of 11.

The Steelers drove down to our 15 yard line and kicked a field goal. Throughout the drive, the Pats were able to come close to Roethlesberger only to let him slip away. On the drive, Rodney Harrison hurt his right leg on an ugly fall. He wouldn't return.

The Patriots offense put together what looked like a solid scoring drive. The Pats couldn't get much going on the ground but were able to convert some key 3rd downs to get the ball to the Steelers' 14. Brady hit Faulk on a screen and Faulk was one man away from taking it in for 6. That man was able to strip Faulk though and a fortuitous bounce landed right in the arms of the Steelers.

Pittsburgh screwed up big time on their ensuing offensive posession. Randle El caught a Roethlesberger pass and ran down to our 11. Before he was about to be wrapped up, he attempted a foolish lateral that Hines Ward couldn't handle. Eugene Wilson, a.k.a. The Presence, was able to fall on the ball.

The Patriots went 3 and out on their posession and lost Matt Light to injury. After Light, the blind side tackle, the most important offensive line position, was injured, the Steelers attacked our left side with gusto and got alot of pressure on Brady forcing Tom to throw the ball away on many occasions.

Parker got a 10 yard run through the middle for a Pittsburgh 1st down but the Steelers once again stumbled. On 3rd down, Wilson seemed to intercept a terrible pass by Roethlesberger but the play was challenged and overruled. Roethlesberger pooch punted and it was nearly downed inside our 1 yard line but it rolled into the end zone for a touchback.

The Patriots once again did nothing on offense. Dillon ran for a 1 yard loss, Brady threw an incomplete pass, then threw to Brown for no gain. Miller once again punted the ball.

The Steelers drove the ball to our 29 yard line and lined up for a field goal. The kick was good but the play was taken off the books as the Steelers false started. The 52 yard attempt after the penalty missed wide left.

The Pats got the ball with 2:34 left in the 1st half and attempted a scoring drive. Brady threw mostly to Faulk who had some big runs after catches. The Pats got the ball down to the Pittsburgh 3 but a false start penalty moved it back to the 8. Brady was pressured on 1st and goal and his pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage. Once again, the Steelers were the beneficiaries of a nice bounce and they intercepted the pass. They then took a knee to end the half, going into the locker room with a 10-7 lead.

The Patriots started off the 2nd half with a drive that was hurt by an 8 yard loss on a sack. Vinatierri attempted a 53 yard field goal but it just missed. Roethlesberger and the Steelers responed with another incomplete on 3rd down and were forced to punt. The Patriots got the ball back but then prompty returned it to the Steelers when Faulk fumbled again on a run up the middle. The defense held the Steelers to 3 tho, making the score 13-7.

On the next drive, the Patriots didn't score, but they moved the ball near midfield. Miller's punt and the coverage by Don Davis pinned Pittsburgh back at their 6 yard line. They ran the ball a few times before being stopped and forced to punt. Tim Dwight came up with a nice return that gave the Pats the ball on the Pittsburgh 30. The Patriots were unable to do anything though but they were able to get a field goal to make the score 13-10.

The Steelers answered with a 3 and out. The Patriots got the ball back on their 14 yard line. Brady hit Givens for 14, then Branch for 8, then Brown for 19. After a 5 yard reception by Brown and a 3 yard run by Dillon, Givens had a 30 yard catch to give the Pats a 1st and goal on the 7. Dillon ran outside to the right and took it to the house to give the Patriots a 17-13 lead.

The Steelers couldn't muster much on their next drive and finally the Patriots were able to get to Roethlesberger. With 7:27 left in the game, the Pats drove the ball down field eating up over 4 minutes of clock and putting up 3 more points with a field goal. The field goal would prove vital.

The Steelers, down by 7, embarked on a nice drive with little more than 3 minutes left in regulation. The key to the drive was a 4th and 11 play. Roethlesberger threw downfield to Quincy Morgan who was being covered 1 on 1 by Chad Scott. The pass was incomplete and it looked like Scott was doing a good job of covering Morgan. Scott and Morgan were both making contact with each other. Morgan made the first contact. Chad played the ball and made no efforts to screw up Morgan beyond his own efforts to catch the ball. I mean, does this look like pass interferance?

Wow, Scott's really all over him there. Anyway, the Steelers took advantage of the BS PI call and scored a touchdown.

What happened after the TD is what has happened alot during the past few years. Tom Brady drove the ball down field, hitting receivers on medium routes, the receivers are intelligent enough to get out of bounds, and then the Pats get into scoring range. Then Vinatierri walks out and wins the game with a clutch field goal. That happened on Sunday too. Patriots 23, Steelers 20.

SEE, IT ISN'T SO BAD

Was there a single Orioles fan in Camden Yards? What a nerve wracking game. It's true that the Red Sox may have gotten away with one, but how many times has Baltimore beaten us by a run because we couldn't capitalize on scoring opportunities? Or Tampa or Toronto. What's important, is that we're tied with New York with 8 games left in the season. We play 1 in Balto then 7 in Boston. Tomorrow, David Wells, with a bad knee, takes the mound against John Maine. Both starters are coming off bad outings. Wells has since taken a cortisone shot, Maine hasn't. Advantage: Wells.

After finishing with the O's, the Red Sox host the pesky Blue Jays for 4 days in Fenway. Then its the Big Series with New York.

To anyone who has been pessimistic about the Sox the past few weeks and scared of the Yankees, remember a few things. We were looking pretty pathetic last postseason, particularly when we lost 19-8 in Game 3. The Yankees are on a tear, but they've been an incredibly streaky team this year. They've gone on similar tears throughout the season. All of a sudden they'll start winning games then just as quickly, they'll revert to being a below average team. On the long run, this has resulted in them being a good team, but in the short run they can either be unbeatable, or incredibly easy to beat.

We can win this, and if we play as well as we are capable of, we will win this.

Just a side note, does anyone else think it is odd that the Red Sox ban the "Yankees Suck" shirts right around the same time Kevin Millar comes up with the motto of the 2005 Red Sox and it is "Fuck Everybody."

STAY OFF THE BRIDGES!

Red Sox fans need to stay away from the Charles, Mystic, Neponset, Merrimack, French, Housatanic, and Connecticutt rivers as well as the Cape Cod Canal. I know it looks bad, but it isn't. I know we're in second place now, but on the bright side, we're 0.5 games out of a playoff spot. We have 3 games left with New York so even if we fall a bit further back, we can make it up in the closing series. As we all know from last year, when the Sox get pinned up against the wall, that's when they're the most dangerous.

The good things going for this team:
David Ortiz is hitting like a man posessed.
Manny Ramirez is starting to hit again.
Wakefield has had three really good starts in a row.
Schilling looked amazing the other day.
The offense finally exploded yesterday.
We're home for 7 of the 10 games we have left.
The kids are looking pretty good.
Tek and Trot are due to explode very soon, same with Damon.

I think we're still going to make the post-season, even if we don't win the division. The Indians, who are 0.5 ahead of us in the Wild Card, should be passing the struggling White Sox in the Central. If the White Sox continue to struggle, we should be able to beat them out for the Wild Card. Once we get into the post-season, anything can happen.

THAT'S WHAT WE NEEDED

The Red Sox haven't put up double digits in runs since August 29th. They haven't put up 15 or more runs since August 10th. Huge night for the middle of the lineup. Ortiz, Manny, Trot, and Tek combined to go 16 for 20, score 12 runs, knock in 12 runs, and hit 5 homers. Ortiz and Manny hit 2 homeruns each, and Nixon was a double shy of the cycle.

The Red Sox desperately needed to win this game, and to win an easy one. New York has been rolling, we have been struggling. Now we have to build on this offensive explosion as well as the solid start by Schilling and rack up a few victories.