With their mouths full, this wasn't a team about to make too many statements as they prepared for a 2-hour-25-minute trek to Tampa Bay, but they made a statement nonetheless. Although the prevailing thought in baseball the past two weeks is the Detroit Tigers are the best team in the American League, the Red Sox keep giving pundits reason to believe they should also be in that echelon.
"We know from our experience last year that we can't go around making statements like we're the best and all that stuff," said Sox utilityman Alex Cora. "But I will say we beat one of the best teams in their home ballpark. Our goal is to win series no matter who we're playing and we accomplished that. But what we can't do is go down to Tampa Bay and feel all good about ourselves based on [last night]. We have to turn the page.
"I know a lot of people believe we fell out of contention last year after that Yankees series [five straight losses in August ], but for us, it was really that trip before it, to Tampa Bay and Kansas City [Aug. 4-10], when we lost two out of three to Tampa and then got swept by Kansas City. That was the beginning of a bad time for us. I hope we remember that when we get to Tampa Bay this weekend."
After winning the series opener in an emotional performance by Jon Lester and splitting a pair of 1-0 games Tuesday and Wednesday, last night's starter, Kason Gabbard, fell apart staked to a 9-1 lead. But the Sox offense, which had been quiet of late, picked him up.
"It's kind of embarrassing to have a 9-1 lead and not be able to finish the [fifth] inning," said Gabbard, who allowed five runs, walked three, and struck out three in 4 2/3 innings. "I think I was just trying to be too perfect after I walked [Jhonny Peralta] and I was getting the ball up and my sinker was gone. I know that I can't wait to make my next start."
