Boston accomplished what they wanted to accomplish in Tampa Bay – and so did Tampa.  For the Red Sox it was about taking home field advantage away from the Rays.  For the Rays it was about proving that they weren’t going to fold up and go away no matter what Boston and their fans hoped that they would do at this point.

And it didn’t go as planned.  In game one of the ALCS James Shields, who mastered the BoSox during the regular season pitched a great game.  The problem was that Daisuke “Dice K” Matsuzaki pitched a better game, leaving the Rays down a game and feeling a wee bit desperate.

The Rays certainly didn’t want to go to Boston down two games to zero and they didn’t have to.  Against Boston ace Josh Beckett the Rays’ bats came to life.  Admittedly this Beckett isn’t a shadow of the Beckett that we have come to expect in the playoffs, but while he was throwing batting practice to the Rays, Scott Kazmir was serving up the fastballs that the Red Sox love to hit.

So in game two the Rays were supposed to have the advantage but it was the Red Sox that took advantage.  And in that game the Red Sox expected to hold the Rays to just a handful of runs but it turned into a slugfest that the Sox lost.  For want of a bat - maybe even Manny’s bat the game was lost.

Despite the behavior and issues Manny had with both teammates and managers the Sox offense is feeling his absence, and for the Rays that might be just what leaves the door open enough for them to steal this series.  Even if they don’t, Manny may still be a big part of the storyline, at least as long as the Dodgers continue to play.

After all, the Sox subtracted Manny and the Dodgers added him, and the Sox ate his salary to boot.  So if the Sox lose the fans and the media will point their fingers at the injuries to Beckett and Lowell, and the loss of Manny, and if the Dodgers move on, fans will point the finger at Manny and how the Red Sox gave him away.

That has to be haunting general manager Theo Epstein right now, especially with the momentum that the Rays built in game two.  It adds a lot of pressure to the whole scenario, especially with the series going back into Fenway and the possibility that things just might not turn out to be rosy for the Red Sox.

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