October 11, 2008

Ortiz Sees Rays Under Pressure

While the Red Sox were in the field, David Ortiz was watching the Rays:
I'm the kind of guy that I watch everybody's faces. I've got the opportunity because I don't have to go out there and play defense. I'm telling you, I saw faces tonight different than what I see in the regular season. I don't blame nobody. It's a lot of pressure out there right now in this game because you have to win; otherwise, you go home. That relaxed type of thing that you have during the regular season, that wasn't out there tonight. ...

My first time in the playoffs, I was playing for the Twins so you have, what, two dozen people? You go to the playoffs, you have 40-50,000 thousand people and that Metrodome gets loud so it was a totally different feeling. ...

I don't know if they were tight. You know, that one situation when you come with men on base and you get that hit or you get that run in that you saw all year round from those guys where they'd say, "OK, we're down one run or two runs, we're going to get it done." It wasn't out there tonight. I don't think we saw that. ...

We're kind of used to playing in these games. When we played in the regular season against the Yankees or these guys, it's this type of feeling. We're kind of used to it. Nobody panics.
Jonathan Papelbon, while not talking about the Rays, echoed Flo's thoughts:
It's produce or go home ... During the season, you get to the play the next day still. This is not like that.
And when it comes to watching Daisuke Matsuzaka, Ortiz understands our discomfort:
I would be dying out there, watching on TV. ... When you watch Daisuke pitch, at one point you kind of run out of patience, but then they hit like .164 off him. I don't know how he does it, but he does it.
By retiring the Rays in order in the ninth inning Papelbon set a major league record with 20.2 scoreless postseason innings to start a career, breaking Joe Niekro's old mark of 20. Once he learned that, he went and fished the baseball out of the trash.

11 comments:

Amy said...

Great quote from Papi. I am not sure I have ever seen as long a quote from him. Very interesting and insightful.

On to Game TWO!

andy said...

This is what I have been trying to say all along. This team is a playoff team. Those regular season wonders are not. Hell, the Rays had absolutely nothing to lose during the regular season. People expected them to fold.

9casey said...

andy said...
This is what I have been trying to say all along. This team is a playoff team. Those regular season wonders are not. Hell, the Rays had absolutely nothing to lose during the regular season. People expected them to fold.



I'm lost what team is a playoff team and who are the regualr season wonders.......

I think what you are saying is the Red Sox are a playoff team and the Rays aren't.

The Rays are they won a playoff series already, something I thought I would never see........The Cubs weren't a playoff team

andy said...

Rays were riding the momentum. And they hadn't yet felt pressure. Now they fell it. Nobody expected them to get to the playoffs and then win a series. Now they know they are the favorites and it all became real to them. Look I am just reiterating my own points with Ortiz' observations. People keep hyping these rays. I just don't see it.

Rob said...

Angels weren't a playoff team either.

Really what it comes down to is depth of starting pitching. The Red Sox have three pitchers that, on any team could be called The Ace. Three pitchers! (Or if you'd like, an ace and a couple of 2's, with Beckett's 2008 and the type of pitcher Dice is...)

Milwaukee had one ace and the rest were 3's.

The Angels had an ace (or #2 - opinions would probably vary on Lackey), a 2-3 with Santana, and a 3 with Saunders.

The Cubs had three #2's. Zambrano, Harden, and Lilly. All could be #2's on most teams.

The Phillies have an ace (Hamels), a #2 (Myers), and a couple of 3-4's (Moyer and Blanton)

The Dodgers have three #2's (Lowe, Billingsley, and Kuroda)

The White Sox had a bunch of 3's. Buerhle, Floyd, Danks, Vazquez, etc etc.

The Rays, finally, have three #2's with Shields, Kazmir and Garza. Shields and Garza could both be aces next year and 2010.

Back to the Red Sox. With Matsuzaka, Beckett, and Lester, this looks more formidable at this point than in 2004 with Schilling, Pedro and Lowe (and originally, Arroyo). More formidable than last year's biblical Beckett, Schilling and Matsuzaka (who, last year, was between a #2 and #3, with Schilling a #3 at that point).

andy said...

I think you are getting closer to what I am saying. The Angels were actually offended that the Sox beat them after killing us in the "makes no difference season."
The Rays, kinda like the Rockies, are running on momentum but with the real postseason team that the Red Sox are, that momentum is derailing. The Rays can prove something here if they regroup and play within themselves. I am just not sure if they can match up well against our 3 really good pitchers. Now if Ortiz would go hit the ball off a tee or something to improve his at-bats instead of watching the other team's faces I would be happy.

andy said...

I think the Phils are a playoff team. Those hitters step up. They have that extra gear. The dodgers aren't too bad either. Manny alone makes them a playoff team. I wish the White Sox had played like they can, at least hit like they can.

9casey said...

andy said...
I think the Phils are a playoff team. Those hitters step up. They have that extra gear. The dodgers aren't too bad either. Manny alone makes them a playoff team. I wish the White Sox had played like they can, at least hit like they can.



Manny alone may make them a playoff team , but thats it....I believe I said it a week ago...If Beckett is Beckett we will not be stopped....Once again we are at that crossraod tonight......In a longer series we need him, no doubt, so after one game, we as Red Sox fans should know this best, It is hard to say the Rays are not a playoff team, and at no time during the season did anyone call Dice-K an ace, he scared the bejeebus out of everyone......Last night was bonus Dice-K. The 2pitchers we need are coming up....

9casey said...

andy said...
I think the Phils are a playoff team. Those hitters step up. They have that extra gear.


I don't like that ballpark....too many outs leave the park...Those hitters have never stepped up before this year.no track recored.I believe Utley took the collar last year.....

andy said...

Although I am all for saying the only real playoff team is Boston, it would be extremely biased of me to do so. There has to be more than one playoff team or there are no playoffs. I just don't vote for the Rays.

Exactly my point about the extra gear, whole different team thing. In the regulars our team played down a level from where they are now.

Rob said...

Phils are definitely a playoff team.

Just ask Brett Myers' baseball bat.