Out of the Pan, Into the Fire

After what had been a promising start to the three-game series against the division leading Tampa Bay Rays, the Boston Red Sox ultimately lost the series 2-1 and moved back down to 2.5 games behind the Rays. The Red Sox began the month of September with four straight wins and looked solid in their first matchup against Tampa (winning 3-0) but they fell in the next two games 4-5 and 2-4. Had they won those two games and swept the Rays, they would be 0.5 games behind the Rays and poised for a coup d’état. Instead, they must now move on and face the amazingly red hot Toronto Blue Jays, a team that has won 11 of their last 12 games. The Blue Jays seem to want to make a last minute run and steal the Wild Card spot away from the Sox. The Red Sox need to forget about the series against the Rays and focus on stomping out this Blue Jay fire before it's too late. Tonight the Red Sox host the Blue Jays at Fenway Park. The game starts at 7:05 ET and Tim Wakefield gets the start for the Red Sox. David Purcey will start for the Blue Jays.