"Remember when it looked like there wouldn't be any real drama in late-September? Funny what a couple of crazy weeks can do.
After the Red Sox lost to the Orioles on Monday and the Rays topped the Yankees, we officially have a tie in the American League Wild Card race with just two games left on the calendar.
Josh Beckett came up small in Monday's loss, allowing six runs over six innings, the big blow of which was a three-run inside-the-park home run by Robert Andino. The Red Sox had their chances to catch up, loading the bases in the eighth inning and bringing the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but failed to close the gap. With the loss, Boston dropped to 6-19 in September.
As for the Rays, they got yet another huge performance from "Big Game" James Shields. While he got off to a shaky start, the 29-year-old right-hander limited the first-place Yankees two runs over 8 2/3 innings in the victory, falling just one out short of his 12th complete game of the season. After posting a 5.18 ERA last season, Shields will finish the regular season with a shiny 2.84 ERA and 1.04 WHIP.
The Red Sox will send Erik Bedard to the hill Tuesday night against Zach Britton while Jeremy Hellickson will go for the Rays against Bartolo Colon. Jon Lester is expected to pitch Wednesday's game, but if there's a tie-breaker on Thursday, it would likely be all hands on deck for Boston. Though at this point, the Red Sox would probably be thrilled if they were even still alive on Thursday.
While the Red Sox continue to make history with their stunning September collapse, here are some more news and notes from a busy Monday around the baseball world.
* It appears the Marlins are finally close to getting their man.
The White Sox announced following Monday's game that manager Ozzie Guillen was released from his contract in order to pursue other opportunities. The outspoken skipper had one year left on his contract, but made it clear on a number of occasions that he wanted an extension. This may not officially go down as a trade, as reported in various outlets Monday night, but the White Sox will receive compensation if Guillen manages elsewhere in 2012.
While there's nothing official yet, Guillen is widely expected to be named as the Marlins' new manager as they prepare to open a new ballpark next season at the site of the former Orange Bowl. It's probably no coincidence that interim manager Jack McKeon announced Monday that he intended to retire while the Marlins held interviews with multiple candidates, including Nationals third base coach Bo Porter.
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* I would be remiss if I didn't give the National League Wild Card its just due in this space, as the race between the Braves and Cardinals has been plenty exciting.
The Cardinals actually had a chance to grab a share of the Wild Card lead after the Braves fell to the Phillies on Monday night, but they failed to take advantage against the last-place Astros. After tying the game with two runs in the top of the eighth inning, they ultimately lost on a squeeze bunt by Angel Sanchez in the bottom of the 10th inning. "
