It must be hard to pitch when you know that any mistake you make is going to effectively end the game. Matsuzaka made that mistake, but it took him until the seventh inning to do it. Dioner Navarro hit it into the left field stands to give the Rays a 1-0 lead, which they wouldn't relinquish.
The Red Sox offense was static through seven against Scott Kazmir. They'd get one or two runners on each inning, but never would a one cross the plate.
After Matsuzaka gave up his homer, he allowed a single and then was yanked for My Man Manny Delcarmen. Delcarmen came in and got two outs, but then gave up a seeing eye single followed by a monstrous homer by B.J. Upton to give the Rays a 4-0 lead. He then gave up another homer to make it 5-0. Delcarmen worked 0.2 innings and allowed 3 runs, plus one inherited runner.
The Red Sox did mount a too-little-too-late comeback in the eighth when Manny and Youkilis hit back-to-back homers to bring the score to 5-2. If Ortiz could have gotten on base in front of Manny it would have been 5-3, but he struck out. His K was a part of what had to be one of his worst games this year, as he also grounded into two rally killing double plays.
As much as it sucks to lose to Tampa, it really sucks when your starting pitcher allows one run in 6.1 innings of work (he left with a runner on first who scored on B.J. Upton's homer). Still, winning two of three on the road isn't terrible, even if it was against Tampa.
AL East: The Yankees won, dropping the Sox lead back to 8.0 games.
Tomorrow (Monday): The Sox are off. They start a three game series with Baltimore back home in Boston on Tuesday. Josh Beckett tries to play stopper. The O's send Eric Bedard to the mound. Game time is 7:05pm EST.
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