Tiggers 6 Sox 5

After two harrowing finishes to the first two games of the series, it could be understood that fans would be waiting with baited breath until the final out was recorded in the rubber game of the three-game set. But unlike Monday’s Tigger comeback against Schill, and Tuesday’s extra-inning offensive explosion by the Sox, there would be no 9th inning heroics for Papi Ortiz and the Sox in Wednesday’s matinee series finale in Detroit. Though the Sox would rally for a run in the final frame of Wednesday’s game, Big Papi could not come through in the clutch this time around, bouncing into a 4-5-3 twin killing to end a burgeoning Sox comeback and the game.

The game-ender was the fifth double play hit into by Red Sox hitters (one each by the lead-footed trio of Papi, Kevin Millah and John Olderud, and two by Tony G), each of which ended an inning and helped erase the 17 baserunners (13 hits, 4 walks) the Sox mustered against four Tigger pitchers. And the few runners that did manage to survive the myriad dps were not enough to overcome the 5-run 1st inning deficit created by Boomer Wells. Boomer did manage to stem the tide in the first and shut down the Tigger offense until the 5th, when he allowed the first three hitters to reach before giving way to J-Gone (who pitched another masterful two innings of one hit ball) then Linger (who redeemed himself in part, going an inning and two-thirds and allowing only one hit) and The Submariner (who retired the only batter he faced in the 8th).

On offense, the BoSox were led by the rejuvenated (or, if you prefer, simply juvenated) Edgah Offeria, whose 3 hits raised his season average to a respectable .285 and who scored twice: once on a 3rd inning RBI single by newly activated cleanup hitter Olderud, the other on Papi’s two-run single in the 7th. Billy Mueller also pitched in with an RBI single in the second.

Tonight the Sox head to Anaheim (not Los Angeles) to face the Anaheim (not Los Angeles) Angels in a four game series at Anaheim (not Los Angeles) Stadium this coming weekend. Ok, so I think it’s actually called Angels Stadium…but you get the point. I live in Los Angeles, and I have to drive over an hour to get to this place. Ok, so you have to drive over an hour to get anywhere here…but you get the point….

Record: 69-49
Streak: L1
Standing: 1st in the AL East, 4 games ahead of MFY
Next Game: Thursday 8.18.05 @ 10:05pm ET @ Anaheim
BOS – Tim Wakefield (12-9, 4.07) vs. ANA – Bartolo Colon (15-6, 3.44)