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'Big Game' Shields Not Big Enough

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By TONY FABRIZIO

afabrizio@tampatrib.com

Published: October 19, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - "Big Game" James Shields wasn't big enough Saturday night against a Boston Red Sox team that looked nothing like it did earlier in the American League Championship Series.

Shields, who would have put the Rays in the World Series with a Game 6 victory, pitched well enough to win on a lot of nights. But with four runs (three earned) allowed in 52/3 innings, he wasn't as tough on the Red Sox as counterpart Josh Beckett was on the Rays.

And the Red Sox, pounded 9-1 and 13-4 in Games 3 and 4, tied the series at three games with a 4-2 victory to force a deciding seventh game tonight at Tropicana Field.

"Early in the game I struggled a little bit finding my command, and later in the game I felt my command was a lot better," Shields said. "Like I said, I kept us in the game as long as I could and did the best job I could."

The Rays' No. 1 pitcher allowed solo home runs to Kevin Youkilis in the second and Jason Varitek in the sixth.

Varitek's home run was galling because the catcher came to the plate 0-for-14 in the series and hit only .201 against right-handers during the regular season. He hit an 89-mph fastball over the wall in right center.

"It was a fastball down and away on a 2-0 count," Shields elaborated. "I was trying to get a strike. That's the type of guy who you don't expect to hit a home run off you, and you try to be aggressive a little bit, and he had a great at-bat."

Youkilis had been 0-for-17 lifetime against Shields entering the ALCS but went 3-for-6 against him in the series.

In between the home runs, the Red Sox tagged Shields for one run in the third on a groundout by Youkilis after Dustin Pedroia walked and David Ortiz doubled sharply into right.

Shields did work out of a jam to prevent further damage. He walked J.D. Drew and Jason Bay to load the bases before getting Mark Kotsay to fly out to center. The only other time in Shields' career he walked as many as three batters in one inning was Aug. 14 this year at Oakland.

At the end of the third, the game was delayed 15 minutes because home-plate umpire Derryl Cousins had been struck in the chest by a foul ball from Varitek. Shields said he was unaffected by the delay.

The Red Sox scored one more in the sixth after Varitek's home run to take a 4-2 lead after Coco Crisp reached on a comebacker that Shields deflected, and eventually scored.

Manager Joe Maddon brought on J.P. Howell to face Pedroia, and the second baseman reached when Jason Bartlett threw wildly to first. Ortiz, who had been 1-for-17 before hitting a three-run home run in the seventh inning of Game 5, followed with an RBI single to center.

"There's one thing I didn't do tonight, and that's that I didn't keep the lead," Shields said. "Our team did a great job of coming in and getting ahead early, and then I gave up a home run to Yook, and then we tied it up and I gave up a home run to Varitek. I think that's when the momentum changed."

Shields also took the loss in Game 1, although he pitched very well, leaving with one out in the eighth inning and his team trailing only 1-0. Boston won that one 2-0.

"We have to stay positive," Shields said. "We have one more game, and now it's do or die. So we're going to find out what we're all about."

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