Red Sox Finally Finding Lady Luck on Their Side As Playoff Chase Heats Up

by abournenesn

Aug 1, 2012

Red Sox Finally Finding Lady Luck on Their Side As Playoff Chase Heats UpEditor's note: NESN.com is going to tell the story of the 2012 Red Sox in Bobby Valentine’s words. Each game day, we will select the best Valentine quote that sums up the day for the Red Sox.

Franklin Morales had just walked Jhonny Peralta to load the bases, bringing the game-winning run to the plate in the top of the sixth inning.

Boston's momentum appeared to be shifting in favor of the Tigers and the imminent evaporation of its 4-1 lead seemed to be on the horizon. But that's exactly when mother nature interfered.

The rain, which had been barraging down on Fenway Park all evening Tuesday, finally began to pour down like a faucet into an open drain and the skies opened up to a flood. The delay was immediate, as neither pitcher, hitters or umpires could even see clearly through the storm, and the silhouette of lady luck finally appeared on the side of the Red Sox — a sight yet unseen this season.

After nearly two hours the game was called and a fourth straight win went down in the books for the Red Sox. The Tigers were infuriated, as their entire clubhouse erupted in a furious rage over the "unfair" decision. But in that very moment the tables had finally turned for the Red Sox.

Bobby Valentine didn't seem upset by the call, even venturing to say "I think it's a great rule. Perfect," after the umpires made the 4-1 win final.

Red Sox Finally Finding Lady Luck on Their Side As Playoff Chase Heats UpAll season long, up to Ryan Sweeney's unfortunate door fight on Monday night, it seemed that there was some type of spell manipulating the Red Sox at every turn. Whether it was untimely injuries, unexpected setbacks, missed calls or merely just bad timing, Boston was doomed to suffer.

Carl Crawford's spring training setback was the first in a series of chain-link offenses. Jacoby Ellsbury's shoulder injury followed just eight games into the season, and Dustin Pedroia's thumb, Cody Ross' foot, David Ortiz's Achilles, Josh Beckett's shoulder and back, Clay Buchholz's esophagitis and the list goes on. The misfortune just never stopped, all the way up to Sweeney's disabled list trip on Tuesday. Yet there is finally a light shining down, and it appears to be creating some hope, after all.

The weekend series win in New York was just the start of the trend, as unlikely hero Pedro Ciriaco came through with a pair of game-winning hits and the bullpen held up in the face of a juiced Yankees lineup. But as the Sox returned to Fens for a gritty Tigers team, the positivity remained.

Clay Buchholz escaped imminent disaster after an early-inning slip up on Monday, en route to a 7-3 win. And even Beckett's third-inning exit (back spasm) couldn't hold Boston back from yet another victory on Tuesday.

The tides slowly look to be turning in favor of the Red Sox, and maybe the passing of the trade deadline without any significant roster shift has alleviated the anxiety from the players in the clubhouse. It may have altered the perception of many players and finally united a team wrought in controversy and uncertainty.

The old adage may ask for the "rain, rain" to "go away," but on Tuesday that very rain may have brought new life to a Red Sox team desperately in need of some luck.

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