Unlike the Rays, I don't need to tell you that the Red Sox have a chance tonight. Everyone knows this team has a chance in Game 7. There are a number of places to start when discussing why the Red Sox can win this game tonight but I'm not starting with any "They have so much momentum!" voodoo. No, the best reason the Red Sox will win this game tonight is their starter: Jon Lester.
OK, so Lester got pounded in Game 3 against the Rays. But the Rays would've pounded the crap out of Lefty Grove in Game 3 with the way they were swinging the bats. Over the second half of the season and the ALDS, Lester was dominant. He destroyed the Rays this year during the regular season, holding them to just three earned runs over 18 innings in three starts.
On top of having Lester, the Sox have a huge psychological advantage right now. If the Rays get a lead and the Sox start to score, it's "Oh no, here we go again." If the Sox take the lead, it's "How are we ever coming back with the way these guys are playing?" Maybe you believe in momentum and maybe you don't, but I think there's a very real mental aspect to games like the one that's going down tonight.
Of course, there's also this: the Red Sox can hit. Dustin Pedroia's bat has come alive after an ugly Division Series and Jason Bay, J.D. Drew, and Kevin Youkilis all boast an OPS of over 1.000 on the series. David Ortiz's Game 5 homer and two hits in Game 6 indicate his bat might be coming alive as well. If they can get Garza into trouble early and break into the struggling Tampa Bay bullpen, we might get a Game 7 that resembles Game 7 of last year's ALCS: a game that's close early and turns quickly in to a rout.
The Sox have their ace on the mound. Their lineup is showing some life after an ugly stretch earlier in the series. They've won two in a row and have now doubled their season win total at Tropicana Field in this series. Beyond the subjective momentum argument, the cards have all lined up for the Red Sox tonight.
