Percentage points to go

The Red Sox played like champions tonight, beating the upstart Rays 13-5 to pull into a virtual tie for first. We shouldn't get too giddy; these Rays aren't like the Yankees or Mets, they don't choke or quit. Even tonight, down 13-1, they tried to make a game of it, scoring four more runs.

Daisuke Matsuzaka had his typical 104-pitch, five-inning start. But when he gets 13 runs, who cares? Congrats on setting the record for most wins in a season by a Japanese pitcher. David Ortiz (2-4) led the way with a three-run homer in the 1st, and all starters except Jed Lowrie, who had three walks, had a hit. Most of them earned some time off toward the end of the game.

The win means that after 148 and 150 games respectively, the Rays and Red Sox are separated by percentage points. Head to head, they're 8-8, which means if the Sox can finish the job the next two games, they'll have a commanding two-game lead, which would essentially be three because of the head-to-head tiebreaker. I know, I should only worry about tomorrow's game - Josh Beckett vs. Andy Sonnanstine.

National(s)/League: The Phillies are so hot right now that they were able to gain ground on one team and wreak havoc on another despite having an off day. The Nationals beat the Mets, so the Phils are a half game from overtaking them. Every Mets fan I talked to today certainly seemed nervous. And, after being swept in Philly, the Brewers fired manager Ned Yost even though he had them tied for the Wild Card with 12 games to go. I think he got a bum rap; Christine thought he was doing an excellent job.

Fantasy update: Despite Jon Lester's brilliant performance, the SoxandPhils fantasy team held on to advance to the finals. My opponent in that round had a great strategy, using only starting pitchers against me. It was probably a bit of luck that all his starters pitched well, but I give him credit for the tactical move.

No credit to my final opponent, whom I learned was welching on the league's ante until he suddenly realized he might win the whole thing. Seeing as I will retire from fantasy after this season, I was hoping for one last matchup against Change is Good, but it wasn't meant to be.