***BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE FENWAY*** Tampa Bay Rays 13 Boston Red Sox 4

The Boston Red Sox are in deep, DEEP trouble. Last night at Fenway Park, the Tampa Bays Rays demolished the home team by a score of 13-4. It was never close. Tim Wakefield, in his last start of 2008, allowed five runs in only 2 2/3 innings before being pulled by manager Terry Francona. Since their game one victory, a 2-0 win, Red Sox starting pitching has been horrendous and their hitting extremely woeful. Here's what Pedey Pedroia and catcher Keven Cash, who had a meaningless home run, had to say after the humiliation was over...

"We're down, 3-1, and if we lose, we're going home," Dustin Pedroia said. "Hit the panic button. You've got to play better. That's it. That's all I've got for you guys. Play better, we win."

"It's very deflating, frustrating, whatever word you want to use," said Kevin Cash, author of that home run. "We've got to regroup. We were down in this situation last year. That's a huge factor. Everybody in here still believes that we're going to go out and win Game 5 and so on."

Peter here. Wishful thinking, Kevin? I know these Sox have come back from 3-1 deficits before, most notably against the Yankees in 2004, but this is different. Josh Beckett looks like a ghostly apparition of himself and Jon Lester was bombed a couple days ago. Wakefield? You know the story there...he might have pitched his last for the club, much like Mike Timlin. Mike Lowell's booming bat has been missed and other key players just aren't hitting, slumping at the exact wrong time. It doesn't help that the Rays are running on all cylinders. Everyone seems to be locked in and more than ready to stomp their opponent into the ground much like a cigarette butt, smelly and nasty and burned down to the filter, used and worthless. I hate to say it, but that's exactly what's been happening.

After a day off today (Wednesday), Daisuke Matsuzaka will be handed the ball for the start. It will be up to him to start what would be a remarkable comeback. Frankly, I don't see it...and my nickname here in blogland is Mr. Optimistic. And that's so sad. If Tampa Bay does complete the series victory, I'll be rooting for them to go all the way...an Impossible Dream season with a "last to first" one year turnaround. The way they've been playing against the defending world champions, they certainly would deserve it.

You can click on the title of this post for more on the massacre, and your comments are more than welcome and will be answered. It's a sad morning for Red Sox Nation and Red Sox International, but, as Yogi said long ago, "it ain't over until it's over." But it's pretty damn close, Mr. Berra. As always, BE WELL.