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Hey Papi, These Rays Aren't Scared

Tribune photo by CHRIS URSO

Rays Carl Crawford and Boston's catcher Jason Varitek collide at home plate after a single by Dioner Navarro during the eighth inning Monday, Oct. 13, 2008. Varitek was able to hold onto the ball recording the out on Crawford.

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By JOE HENDERSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 13, 2008

Uh, Big Papi? About that fear thing …

You might want to get your eyes checked, man. You said you saw fear in the Rays' eyes? Sure you weren't looking in a mirror? I'm just sayin' ….

If there is any concern out there right now, it's safe to say it's not reflected in any eyes of anyone on the Rays' side. Not after what happened Monday in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series. If anyone is worried right now, it's a good chance they are a Red Sox fan.

If knew the score of this game in advance, you probably would have figured that Boston's Jon Lester had dialed up another post-season gem and that Matt Garza hadn't been equal to the task.

And you would have figured so wrong.

Garza, who won just once since Aug. 15 and was fairly wretched last week in the division series against Chicago, was freakin' brilliant. And the Rays jumped all over Lester, who had pitched 14 post-season innings without an earned run until B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria took him deep in the third inning.

The Rays took a four-run lead in that inning and never looked back, coasting past Boston 9-1 to go a game up in this American League Championship Series.

There's no minimizing how important this win was for the Rays.

It means that no matter what happens the next two games in Boston, the Red Sox cannot clinch this series at Fenway Park. It also means the Rays can take a stranglehold on the series if Andy Sonnanstine can duplicate his late-season success against Boston when he starts Game 4 tonight.

Sonnanstine didn't allow an earned run in 14 innings over two starts against the Red Sox in September. He is the perfect guy for this game tonight after the gas that Garza threw at the Sox. Sonnanstine works quickly with lots of movement. It can be exasperating to hitters and Boston seemed particularly affected by it.

We can dispense with all the fear baloney, which is the fertilizer Boston's David Ortiz tried to spread after Boston won Game 1. The Rays belong right where they are – two games from securing a berth in the World Series.

Think about that.

We've watched this magnificent story unfold all summer and still it seems a bit surreal, but what else do they have to do? They've won three straight now at Fenway. They've beaten the Red Sox head-to-head six times in their last nine meetings, at a time when the pressure was supposed to be at its highest.

They pitch. They catch. And in this game, my word, did they hit. Four home runs (Upton, Longoria, Rocco Baldelli and Carlos Pena). Tremendous pitching from Garza and J.P. Howell. Like I said, what else do they have to do?

Win two more games, that's what.

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