Here They Come

The Los Angeles Dodgers got their lesson in how quickly momentum can shift in a League Championship Series. They had just clobbered the Phillies in Game 3, and it was looking like a Game 4 win was in the bag as well, were it not for dramatic late-inning homeruns by Shane Victorino and Matt Stairs, bursting the Dodger bubble. The momentum the Phillies gained by that comeback carried over to Game 5, where they punched LA in the mouth and walked away with the National League pennant.

Could it be that a similar momentum shift took place in Boston last night? Game 4 was a laugher for the Rays. I turned on the radio last night and heard that the Rays were leading 5-0, and I laughed again. "So much for the comeback," I thought. Next time I checked it was 7-0. I chuckled. But, before I went to bed, I looked to see the final score and saw that the Red Sox had tied the game at 7-7. So, I wasn't too surprised to see that they had completed the Game 5 comeback in the ninth inning.

So, here's the million-dollar question: Did the momentum just shift in this series. It now stands 3-2 in the Rays favor, but it has to have been demoralizing to think that they were nine outs away from their first World Series and up seven runs to zip. David Ortiz finally made an appearance. If he gets back on track, the Rays could be in trouble. Also, take this in account: The next two games are slated for Josh Beckett and Jon Lester, two of the Red Sox's best pitchers when they're on. This series isn't over yet (but there were a few times last night when I thought it was).