Well the National Anthem was much much better with Los Lonely Boys tonight than yesterday's dramatic reading by Back Street Boys. The game itself wasn't a entertaining as yesterday's game. Everyone's favorite Phillies starter Brett Myers wasn't terrible going 7 innings but the 3 runs he gave up in the first 2 innings was enough for the Rays.

James Shields pitched 5.2 to get the win giving up 7 hits but when runners were in scoring position he was unhittable. Dan Wheeler pitched a good inning of relief and David Price pitched the last 2.1 innings giving up a solo homer to Eric Bruntlett and an unearned run in the 9th after an error by Evan Longoria on a really hard hit ball.

The Phillies got robbed on 2 calls that might have changed the outcome. In the 2nd, Rocco Baldelli took what looked like a swing at a full count pitch and the umpire behind the plate seemed to call him out, but then took the appeal from the first base umpire who really missed the call, signally safe on a clear swing. The Rays got their 3rd run after that. How Charlie Manuel didn't get himself thrown out after that, I don't know. I'd have been yelling for 15 minutes.

Then, in the 9th, after a Carlos Ruiz double, Jimmy Rollins was clearly hit by a pitch but the plate umpire didn't see it. Again Manuel must have been really steamed but he didn't come out to argue. Rollins popped out and instead of having 2 on and none out, the Phillies had 1 on and 1 out.

Former Jays in the game, well there was only Jayson Werth who went 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts. He did reach base in the 9th on Evan Longoria's error. Rays of the Day: Shields (.230 WPA) and BJ Upton (.116). No Suckage Rays today. Philly of the Day: Carlos Ruiz (.164). Suckage Phillies: Myers (-.169), Chase Utley (-.151), Pedro Feliz (-.147) and Rollins (-.136). Philly fans, I'm sure, would like to add the home plate umpire to the Suckage list.

Great first game, it is going to be a fun series. Cole Hamels was terrific yet again, 7 innings 5 hits, 2 earned. Madson and Lidge finished off the game with a perfect inning each. Scott Kazmir was far less terrific, getting into trouble in each of his 6 innings, giving up 6 hits, 4 walks but only 3 earned. The Rays bullpen held the line there but the offense couldn't get the tying run.

Former Jays: Werth was 2 for 4 with a run and a walk. Stairs didn't get into the game, Chris Coste DHed against the lefty Kazmir and for some reason wasn't pinch hit for when the Rays brought in the right handers. Gross didn't play and Trever Miller struck out the one batter he faced.

Phillies of the Day: Hamels (.280 WPA), Brad Lidge (.209), Chase Utley (.204) and Ryan Madson (.146) and Pedro Feliz (.096). Suckage Rays: Jimmy Rollins (-.144), Ryan Howard (-.116, 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts, and some crappy fielding) and Chris Coste (-.095). Ray of the Day: Akinori Iwamura (.188). Suckage Rays: BJ Upton (-.337), Carlos Pena (-.168 and an error), Evan Longoria (-.140) and Dioner Navarro (-.096).

We had a lot of fun in the game thread tonight, with 404 comments, including, amazingly enough, at least a handful that were about the game. And we had a new member in the thread, with the great name No Bunting. Hope to see you again in the thread. So if you missed out, join us in the thread tomorrow night.

Tomorrow's pitchers are Hugo's favorite Brett Myers for the Phillies and James Shields for the Rays.

Boston 4 Tampa Bay 2

Do you get the feeling the Sox don't start getting interested in a playoff series until they are a loss away from from being eliminated? They were terrible this series until the 7th inning of game 5 when they seems to decide "ok we are down by 7 with 3 innings to go, it is time to start playing".

Today, Beckett still didn't look right but worked his way thru 5 innings and only gave up the 2 runs on solo homers. Okajima, Masterson and Papelbon pitched the last 4 innings and didn't give up a hit.

Offensively Youk drove in 2 with a solo homer and a ground out with runners on 2nd and 3rd. Varitek came out of a deep slump (season long) long enough to hit a solo homer and Ortiz drove home 1 with a 2 out single. Crisp went 3 for 4 with a walk and was picked off once. Ortiz and Drew each went 2 for 4 with a walk.

For the Rays James Shields fought thru 5.2 innings with poor control, gave up 9 hits, 4 runs, 3 earned and 3 walks. The Ray's pen shut down the Sox for 3.1 inning, but by then it was too late. Offensively, other than Upton (man is he amazing or what) and Bartlett's (??) solo homers they did nothing.

Canadians and former Jays: Bay went 0 for 3 with a walk and looked bad at the plate. Gross was 0 for 1 with a strike out, looked awful in the field and was removed for a pinch hitter his second time up. He has been terrible this series, I very much doubt we'll see him tomorrow. Trever Miller, who pitched for the Jays a few years, back got the final out for the Rays. Hinske still hasn't appeared in a game.

Sox of the Day: Ortiz (.178 WPA), Okajima (.097) and Masterson (.093). Suckage Sox (Sock?) Lowrie (-.090). Ray of the Day: Bartlett (.265). Suckage Rays: Iwamura (-.143), JP Howell (-.098) and Longoria (-.096).

Tomorrow night, Game 7, has Jon Lester, who was thumped in game 3, against Matt Garza, who was great in the same game and who we saw way too much of against the Jays this season. It should be a great game.

Rays 3500 Red Sox 4

What? That wasn't the final? I'll admit I gave up on it by about the 5th. Sox have given up 31 runs in the last three games. Who would have thought they would be this awful? Can't pitch and can't hit and there isn't that much more to the game than that.

Willie Aybar hit a homer and drove in 5. Crawford was 5 for 5 and Pena and Longoria each hit one out. And anytime you thought the Sox were going to make a come back BJ Upton would run a ball down in center. Boy he has great range. Now this is how I remember the Red Sox doing at playoff time. The Rays are a good team, but they ain't this good. You think Theo really traded Manny for money to produce an off-Broadway play?

Wakefield was terrible in a game the Sox needed. His knuckle ball was up and it was hit hard. He gave up 6 hits, 5 earned runs and 3 homers in 2.2 innings. And yet, Manny Delcarmen was even worse giving up 5 runs while just getting 1 out.

Former Jays and Canadians in the game: Gabe Gross and Hinske sat out this one. I had forgotten that reliever Trever Miller of the Rays had been a Jay, he came in in the 8th, gave up a hit and got a strike out. For the Sox, former Jay prospect Kevin Cash went 1 for 3 with a solo homer in the 3rd, I'd think he'll get the start behind the plate Thursday night as Varitek hasn't hit a thing. Mike Timlin pitched the last 2 mop up innings giving up 2 more runs. And Canadian Jason Bay went 1 for 4.

Rays of the Day: Sonnanstine (.154 WPA) looked good though I get the feeling I could have thrown 5 innings against the Sox right now and pick up a win. Pena (.131) and Aybar (.114). Suckage Sox: Wakefield (-.300) and Coco Crisp (-.119).

The Sox have come back from being down like this before but I don't think it's going to happen this time. Thursday Dicek tries to extend the series and James Shields goes for the Rays.

The election? Well looks like we get Stephan Harper the Robotic Prime Minister again. Oh joy.

Another day, another 3 games.....I'm going to need help getting off the couch when this is over.

First Game: White Sox 4 Rays 6

Evan Longoria is amazing, 3 hits, 2 home runs. Former Jay Gabe Gross played in RF for the Rays and went 1 for 3 with a walk. The other famous former Jay on the Rays Eric Hinske sat this one out. James Shields pitched a decent 6.1 innings and Balfour, Howell and Wheeler did a great job coming out of the bullpen. Balfour and Cabrera had an interesting moment when Cabrera didn't like that Balfour threw a breaking ball off the plate. A few words were exchanged and Balfour took more then the normal amount of joy when he struck Orlando out.

Javier Vazquez was terrible for the Sox, 4.1 innings, 8 hits, the 2 homers and 6 earned runs. I'd guess that he won't be starting again in the playoffs. Clayton Richard did a nice job in relief but by then it was too late. Former Jay prospect Dewayne Wise hit a three run homer in the losing cause.

Second Game: Brewers 2 Phillies 5

Phillies up 2 games to none.

Sabathia was awful, we may have found the answer to the musical question 'how many times in a row can a pitcher be amazing on short rest? 3.2 innings and 5 earned for CC. How many games have you watched where the pivotal at bat was when the pitcher was hitting? With 2 out in the 2nd Brett Myers worked a 9 pitch walk, keeping the inning going. Another walk then a Victorino grand slam and the game was pretty much over.

Stairs didn't get into the game again today. Tomorrow former Jay Dave Bush starts for the Brewers in a do or die game.

Third Game: Dodgers 10 Cubs 3

Dodgers up 2 games to none.

Boy the Cubs were awful, 4 errors leading to 4 unearned runs. Zambrano wasn't terrible, he was hurt by all the errors but then he didn't get the outs when he needed them. Manny hit another home run. Canadian Russell Martin drove in 3 runs.

Saturday Canadian Rich Harden starts for the Cubs, they'll need a great start from him, cause they looked terrible in the first two games. I'd mention that they were my pick to win the series but I think that goes without saying. I can pick them.

6 wins in a row, 8 games over .500 for the first time since Oct. 2006. Too bad we couldn't do this back when it mattered, but still winning is more fun than losing. And it was a lot of fun in the game thread tonight.  Even had a friendly Red Sox fan join in (yeah apparently there is such a thing). Stop in anytime bs.uf15bosox9bears23 (and I thought I had a dumb name).

Yet another nice start by Doc, 7 innings, 7 hits, 7 k's, 3 runs only 1 earned, to get his 18th win of the season. Snakeface pitched a great 8th and BJ tested our blood pressure but got his 27th save.

Offensively Rios hit two out, to get to 13 on the year.  The two tonight equals the number of homers he had in May and June total. In fact only in July has he hit more in one month than he hit tonight. Overbay hit a two run double and Mac, batting second (yeah that's right batting second) hit a double just before Rios' second homerun.

The Fangraph:

Other than the 2 runs scored by the Rays in the top of the first, caused by a bad error by Inglett ending our errorless streak, the game was never in doubt. Though BJ did test our faith for a moment.

Jays of the Day: Rios (.172 WPA), Lyle (.130), Snakeface (.124) and Doc (.115). The inaugural Eric Hinske Award (formally known as the Suckage Jay) goes Joe Inglett for an 0 for 4 and the big error in the first. Moonraker also had an 0 for, but no one can be amazing every night.

Tomorrow we have Marcum making his comeback start going against James Shields (12-8, 3.66). It is a 1:00 Eastern Time start. Join in the game thread if you can, we've had lots of fun and you may come up with a new nickname for a player or name a new award.  Or just laugh for 10 minutes straight, causing your wife to stare at you, like my wife does with me. But we've been married awhile and she hasn't left me yet. I think that says more about her sanity than mine.

Tonight's title comes from the song Sweet City Woman, by my home town's Stampeders. It came up in the game thread and, well, was a favorite when I was very young. It made the banjo cool for a few moments. Yeah it's a terrible song but what song did you like when you were five.