Rays Trample on Red Sox, Take 3-1 Series Lead

Will the Tampa Bay Rays keep surprising in the American League Championship Series?

The Rays trounced the defending World Series champions Boston Red Sox, 13-4, in Game 4 Tuesday in Boston. With a 3-1 series lead, Tampa Bay is on the verge of qualifying for its first World Series since the team’s inception.

Just like in Game 3 when the Rays showered the Red Sox with 13 hits including four homers, Tampa Bay came up with 14 hits, including three home runs.

Pitcher Tim Wakefield, the master of the knuckleball, started for the Red Sox. He seemed to get off to a good start by striking out the first Rays batter Akinori Iwamura.

Then Wakefield’s nightmare began. He walked B.J. Upton, who later stole second base, and gave up a homer to Carlos Pena over the left fence.

Teammate Evan Longoria added another homerun and Willie Aybar added two runs by hitting a homer in the third inning with the Rays leading 3-0.

Wakefield was replaced after allowing six hits and five earned runs in just two and 2/3 innings, including three homers.

The Red Sox’s payroll is three times higher than that of the Rays, but Boston could muster only two hits by the sixth and now faces elimination in Game 5.

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