Red Sox making it a bit uncomfortable

For some reason, they added a new bench to the Rays dugout while the team was out west. It sits up front, near where the manager usually stands. But it must be for someone else. The manager is still standing.

"I always do," Joe Maddon said.

The problem is Boston. They're still standing, too.

You'd better sit down.

Despite fabulous work through 128 games, the Rays look at the standings and see that while they remain tied with the Yankees, suddenly Night of the Living Red Sox continues after their 3-1 win to open the big series at the Trop.

The Red Sox live.

It's a scary thought - yeah, even with Brad Hawpe.

Forget that Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has a boot on his foot, or that Kevin Youkilis is out, and Jacoby Ellsbury is, too. Forget that Terry Francona's bunch could bring down our health care system all by themselves.

The Sox beat the Rays and David Price, the best Rays pitcher, to pull within 41/2 games of first, the closest they've been to the top of the AL East since early July. The Rays played the hitless wonders again, piling up three singles, stranding all those guys who walked.

Who can sit?

The Rays even wheeled Dan the man Johnson to the plate in the ninth against Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, their first meeting since arguably the biggest hit in Rays history, Johnson's game-tying homer that brought Boston to its knees at Fenway Park in 2008. Johnson walked this time. Papelbon got John Jaso looking to end it.

Boston throws its Cy Young candidate tonight in Clay Buchholz (15-5, 2.26 ERA) and could close to within 31/2.

"Our goal isn't to be in third place and have people say 'They're hanging in there,'" said Francona, whose team has shown remarkable resiliency. "Our goal is to win. I don't care who's hurt."

Losing out on Manny Ramirez is one thing (the Rays reportedly tried to claim him off waivers, but the White Sox claimed him first) but losing the opener of this series was quite another. Isn't this supposed to be where the Rays shovel dirt on Boston?

Instead, there was Victor Martinez, hitting two homers and there was Evan Longoria, stranding six runners with three strikeouts and a double play.

Instead of Price, there was Jon Lester, who is among baseball's best pitchers on any given night and who decided Friday would be one of those nights, escaping jams with 10 strikeouts.

Instead of Rays ball, there was B.J. Upton, thrown out bang-bang at home plate in the sixth when he initially froze off second base on a line single to center and Rays third base coach Tom Foley decided, too late, to test the generally average arm of Sox center fielder Darnell McDonald.

Instead, there were futile Rays bats.

It made us think of Manny.

Instead, the Rays landed Hawpe for left-handed DH duty. Hawpe is a quality big-league hitter, though he's no Manny and in more ways than one. Fact: He doesn't wear a do-rag.

"No, it hasn't crossed my mind yet," Hawpe said with a smile.

Hawpe Being Hawpe.

I still love where the Rays are this morning. It's a good position.

"But I've been in situations with teams that have lost leads like that," Maddon said. "I know it looks stacked in our favor, but if you start looking at things that way, it can go away."

Matt Garza goes for the Rays today. He loves pitching against Boston (7-3). Maddon isn't concerned. He always thought this would be a three-team deal, even as the Boston padded its major-league lead in MRIs.

September is coming, and the Rays manager is good with that.

"The one thing I really like is when you're outside, and you're in the Northeast or another part of the country, the weather starts getting cooler and it smells a little different."

Funny, but you almost felt a chill in the Trop late Friday night. A slight one, mind you, but it was there.

The Red Sox are still warm.

Who can sit?