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AL Pennant Is 1 Win Away

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By MARC LANCASTER

mlancaster@tampatrib.com

Published: October 15, 2008

Updated: 10/15/2008 12:55 am

BOSTON - The Rays demonstrated over the long haul of the regular season that they were the best team in the American League East.

One more win and they'll be the undisputed champs of the entire league.

Another remarkable show of force Tuesday night put the Rays on the brink of the World Series, their 13-4 demolition of the Red Sox following much the same blueprint as the previous day's blowout win.

The World Series?

"You almost don't want to say it because you don't want nothing to happen," Carl Crawford said, "but we're just so close right now you just hope that we get there."

Tampa Bay holds a commanding 3-1 lead in the ALCS with an off day today. If the Rays can't close it out Thursday night in Game 5, they'll have two more chances to do so over the weekend at Tropicana Field.

While the Rays' Game 3 success against Jon Lester came out of nowhere, the beating they administered to knuckleballer Tim Wakefield on Tuesday looked much like their last crack at him. Wakefield recorded only eight outs, one more than he did in a blowout loss at the Trop on Sept.17, as the Rays once again blasted three home runs against him.
Carlos Pena started it off with an opposite-field, two-run drive to left-center in the first, and Evan Longoria followed two pitches later with a solo homer. Wakefield retired five in a row in the second and third before Crawford (who had five hits to tie an LCS record) reached on an infield single and Willy Aybar (five RBIs) mauled a 65-mph knuckler for a 5-0 lead.

"The balls he left up got whacked pretty good," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said of Wakefield.

The Rays would pile on later, batting around in the sixth, but in the meantime Andy Sonnanstine did what he does best. The right-hander kept the game moving, kept the ball in play and eventually was rewarded with his second win in as many postseason starts, this one putting the Rays on the verge of the World Series.

Confident as ever, Pena insisted the Rays weren't surprised by the magnitude of what they had done to the defending world champions the previous two days. To them, it was just more of the same.

"I don't think it's hard to believe," Pena said. "We're pleased that we're in the position we are and we're very happy with the way that we've played, but at the same time I think all of us understand that we have to come back and play again Thursday."

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