Red Sox Have Lady Luck On Their Side In Wash-Out Win

Call it fate, call it destiny, call it about damned time the Red Sox caught a break. That is exactly what happened on Tuesday night when the Red Sox were given a 4-1 victory over the visiting Detroit Tigers in a rain shortened, six-inning affair.

Maybe it was the baseball gods and their cruel way of inflicting past hopes that starter Josh Beckett would some how be dealt, hours after the trade deadline had come and gone.  Or maybe this is the Red Sox lucky break they need to get themselves back into contention in the AL Wild Card hunt, now just 3.5 games back of Oakland and 7.5 back of the suddenly slumping New York Yankees.  Regardless, a win is a win and the Red Sox will take it given the way this year has gone.

It’s an ironic twist of fate when you consider how the game shook out.  Josh Beckett, the villain of Red Sox Nation took the mound in what was surely a disappointing sight for most Sox fans, in hopes he would be miraculously dealt on this day. But instead he shoved a fin performance back in our faces, even though it was a shortened affair.

Beckett looked like the Beckett of old, at least to start the game, retiring the first eight batters of the game before running into problems in the third.  Beckett would surrender an infield single before hitting Austin Jackson and then walking Quintin Berry and Miguel Cabrera.  It was then that Beckett would be removed from the game after beckoning for the trainer and revealing he had back spasms that would force him from the game.

Clayton Mortenson would take over and surrendered the Tigers by getting Prince Fielder to fly, ending the threat.

The Red Sox nearly lost out on the rains and their ability to take advantage of them.  It took until the fourth inning before the offense broke through against Tigers ace Justin Verlander, tagging him for four runs.

Pedro Ciriaco has made quite a name for himself since being called up to the big club, driving in another RBI on this night to get the fourth inning rally started.  After Jacoby Ellsbury walked in a run, Carl Crawford would single, scoring two runs and giving the Sox a 4-1 lead.

The score would remain that way until the top of the sixth inning when the game appeared to be in the balance with the Tigers threatening with the bases loaded.

After Fielder walked, Delmon Young flied out and Ryan Raburn hit a force out at second.  Alex Avila would single followed by a Jhonny Peralta walk that would load the bases, bringing speculation and doubt to most Red Sox fans.

But finally this team caught a break and it came in the form of rain clouds. The tarp was rolled out and rightfully so given the pouring rains that not even Bull Durham could pitch through.

The game would be called 1 hour and 45 minutes later, giving the Red Sox their fourth straight victory.  For the record, the Red Sox technically defeated Verlander on this night, in what was game two of a ten game home stand.