Play of the gameThe Red Sox got a big insurance run in the top of the eighth inning when Kevin Youkilis hit a line drive to left that the Rays’ Carl Crawford misplayed into a double, driving in Dustin Pedroia.Player of the gameDaisuke Matsuzaka looked like the pitcher the Red Sox expected when they gave him all that money to come over from Japan. Matsuzaka took a no-hitter into the seventh and ended up allowing just four hits and striking out nine in seven innings.Home cookingThe Rays went 57-24 at home in the regular season, best in baseball, and won both games on their field in the first round of the playoffs.The search for an explanation often goes to the Tropicana Field turf, with the logic that the Rays’ pitching-and-defense-and-speed emphasis plays well here. The surface is FieldTurf, which replaced the old artificial turf before this season.Ground balls don’t play as fast as they did on the old stuff, but it’s still quicker than natural grass.“It used to be very, very fast,” said Rays’ outfielder Rocco Baldelli. “We thought, ‘Now it’s going to be a lot slower and we’re a very, very fast team and this could hurt us.’ But it didn’t.”Unlikely MVPLots of baseball fans scoffed when shortstop Jason Bartlett was voted team MVP this year by the members of the Tampa chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.The numbers certainly invite the scoffing. Bartlett batted .286 with one homer and 37 RBIs this year. But Rays manager Joe Maddon thinks the trade for Bartlett — who came over from Minnesota along with pitcher Matt Garza for outfielder Delmon Young — was one key for the team’s success.Trade talkHere’s something to think about if you like what-ifs: Would the Red Sox be even more formidable in this series if not for the trade that brought Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell from Florida?Lowell is out because of an injury, and Beckett hasn’t been his usual dominant self because of a lingering oblique strain. Plus, the Red Sox would presumably add slugging shortstop Hanley Ramirez to their lineup.

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Posted on Fri, Oct. 10, 2008 10:15 PM

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ALCS notebook: Rays comfortable at home

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Play of the game

The Red Sox got a big insurance run in the top of the eighth inning when Kevin Youkilis hit a line drive to left that the Rays’ Carl Crawford misplayed into a double, driving in Dustin Pedroia.

Player of the game

Daisuke Matsuzaka looked like the pitcher the Red Sox expected when they gave him all that money to come over from Japan. Matsuzaka took a no-hitter into the seventh and ended up allowing just four hits and striking out nine in seven innings.

Home cooking

The Rays went 57-24 at home in the regular season, best in baseball, and won both games on their field in the first round of the playoffs.

The search for an explanation often goes to the Tropicana Field turf, with the logic that the Rays’ pitching-and-defense-and-speed emphasis plays well here. The surface is FieldTurf, which replaced the old artificial turf before this season.

Ground balls don’t play as fast as they did on the old stuff, but it’s still quicker than natural grass.

“It used to be very, very fast,” said Rays’ outfielder Rocco Baldelli. “We thought, ‘Now it’s going to be a lot slower and we’re a very, very fast team and this could hurt us.’ But it didn’t.”

Unlikely MVP

Lots of baseball fans scoffed when shortstop Jason Bartlett was voted team MVP this year by the members of the Tampa chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

The numbers certainly invite the scoffing. Bartlett batted .286 with one homer and 37 RBIs this year. But Rays manager Joe Maddon thinks the trade for Bartlett — who came over from Minnesota along with pitcher Matt Garza for outfielder Delmon Young — was one key for the team’s success.

Trade talk

Here’s something to think about if you like what-ifs: Would the Red Sox be even more formidable in this series if not for the trade that brought Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell from Florida?

Lowell is out because of an injury, and Beckett hasn’t been his usual dominant self because of a lingering oblique strain. Plus, the Red Sox would presumably add slugging shortstop Hanley Ramirez to their lineup.

| Sam Mellinger; smellinger@kcstar.com

Posted on Fri, Oct. 10, 2008 10:15 PM

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