Split Decision

David Ortiz played the hero in Game One of Monday's doubleheader in Detroit but Tigers ace Justin Verlander shut down the Sox potent offense in the nightcap to spoil any chance of a clean sweep for Boston. 

You know what they say. 

Good pitching always beats good hitting. 

Proving the case once again, all that could stop the Sox from taking both games of a doubleheader Sunday in Detroit and sweep the three game series was the golden arm of Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander.

After David Ortiz hit a pinch-hit homer in the 9th to give Boston the first game 4-3, the Tigers bounced back in the night cap to secure a 4-0 victory thanks to a spectacular performance from the Tiger ace. 

With the split, the Red Sox finish their seven-game road trip through Cleveland and Detroit with an impressive 5-2 record. The overall record stands at 30-23, one game up on the hated Yankees for first place in the AL East. 

In the first game, the Red Sox picked up an early lead after home runs in the first two innings from Dustin Pedroia and Mike Cameron, who has gone 4-6 in his last two games. 

Sox starter Clay Buchholz seemed to be cruising until the bottom of the 6th when he surrendered a 3-1 lead by giving up a solo home run to Brennan Boesch and then an RBI single to Johnny Peralta. 

The game remained tied 3-3 until the top of the 9th. 

Luckily for the Sox, manager Terry Francona elected to pinch-hit David Ortiz in place of Jarrod Saltalamacchia. 

The move paid immediate dividends as Big Papi took Jose Valverde (2-2) deep for the game-winning, pinch-hit home run. 

"It's not like I have too many options coming off the bench to pinch hit," admitted Big Papi after the game. "I just looked for one pitch."

The pinch-hit homer was the first for Ortiz since 2003 when he hit his first career home run with the Sox as a pinch-hitter in the 14th inning of a game against the Angels.

"He made Tito look like a genius," mused Buchholz. "He threw him out there at the right time."

Matt Albers (1-2) came on in relief of Buccholz to pick up the win.

The Tigers snapped the Red Sox five game winning streak in the night cap thanks to a sparkling performance on the mound from Justin Verlander (5-3). The Detroit ace threw a career-high 132 pitches and over 7 2/3 quality innings, allowing just four hits to silence the potent Boston offense and shutout the Sox 3-0. 

"He had everything," said Francona of Verlander. "Velocity, breaking ball, changeup. Shoot, he got up in his pitch count and he started throwing harder. 

Verlander's final pitch was clocked at an astounding 100 miles-per-hour. 

Josh Beckett (4-2) was the hard-luck loser for the Sox, allowing just two runs over six quality innings. His ERA remains at a microscopic 1.80.  

It may have taken longer than fans wanted it to, but the Red Sox appear to have hit their stride. 

After all, they're in first place for the first time all season. 

From where they began the year, that's saying a lot. 

The Dream Lives On

The Boston Bruins pose with Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly and the Prince of Wales trophy Friday night after defeating the Lightning 1-0 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals.

For the first time in 21 years, the Boston Bruins are headed back to the Stanley Cup Finals.

In one of the most epic, gut-wrenching, back-and-forth playoff games in team history, the Bruins edged the Lightning by the skin of their teeth Friday night, earning a 1-0 victory in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals to win the Prince of Wales trophy for the first time since 1990.

Once again, Nathan Horton played the hero when he tapped home a cross-ice feed from David Krejci at 12:27 of the third period for his team-leading 8th goal of the postseason. That would be all the offensive support Tim Thomas would need as he made 24 saves to pitch his third career playoff shutout.

The Bruins now advance to the ultimate stage, the Stanley Cup Finals, to take on the mighty Vancouver Canucks with a shot at hoisting their first Holy Grail of hockey since 1972.

"I'm just happy to see those guys smiling in the dressing room right," said head coach Claude Julien. "Right now we're four wins from winning the Stanley Cup."

For the Bruins and their fans, the once-in-a-generation accomplishment feels so rewarding simply because of the hardship and heartache that the team and its supporters have endured the past two decades.

In 1996, Cam Neely was forced to retire with a bad hip way before his time. In 2000, then-GM Harry Sinden shipped Ray Bourque to the Avalanche and, while Bruins fans were happy to see #77 finally hoist the cup, it came in a Colorado uniform. In 2005, golden-boy Joe Thornton was traded to the Sharks when it became apparent he wasn't the guy to bring a cup to Boston.

Most recently, it's been horrific Game 7 losses to Montreal in 2008, Carolina in 2009, and the epic-collapse-that-shall-not-be-mentioned to the Flyers in 2010.

In the city of Boston, where the Sox, Patriots and, most recently, the Celtics have reigned supreme the past decade, the Bruins have become somewhat of an afterthought in the grand scheme of things.

Not anymore.

"It is hard to explain how good this feeling is," explained Horton, who had never played in a postseason game until coming to Boston from Florida.

"This feels incredible," added Thomas, who picked up his 22nd career postseason victory. "I can use all the words everyone uses; incredible, unbelievable. We found a way to do it again. I'm sure everybody else's blood pressure is up, our was too but we've just got such great character on this team. We got it done."

Oftentimes, when such monumental games take place, we tend to focus on the end result almost exclusively.

The Bruins won. They're going back to the Finals. They did it.

But what's most remarkable is how they got it done.

Simply put, Friday night's Game 7 was one for the ages that will go down in Bruins folklore forever. My father, a die-hard Bruins fan who instilled in me at birth the unconditional love for the Black and Gold, said afterward that it was the most intense Bruins game he's ever seen.

Ever.

Better than all those 1970s hey-day matchups with the Canadiens. Better than Bobby Orr flying through the air.

The reason why?

Because of the pace of the game.

A rarity in today's sport, not a single penalty was called on either side. As a result, there were very few whistles or breaks in play to delay the action. For sixty full minutes, the Lightning and Bruins gave it absolutely everything they've got, racing up and down the ice with such passion and vigor that every single check, shot and save sent chills down your spine.

Scoreless for the majority of the contest, Thomas and Roloson (37 saves) exchanged heart-stopping saves to keep the game deadlocked 0-0.

"I wasn't concerned about my team," admitted Thomas after the game. "I was concerned about Roloson playing so well. He played an unbelievable game today. It put a lot of pressure on me."

Then, just past the midway point in the third period, the Bruins finally broke through against Roloson.

Taking a break-out feed from defenseman Andrew Ference, center David Krejci entered the Tampa zone with speed, took the puck wide, then feathered a perfect cross-crease pass right on the stick of Horton who tapped it home for the eventual game-winner.

It marks the second Game 7-winning goal of the playoffs for Horton, who also eliminated the Canadiens in the second round.

"It felt like overtime the entire game," admitted Tampa coach Guy Boucher. "It was going to be who made that one mistake, and it was us."

Infused by the lead and reality of the situation, up 1-0 with less than seven minutes remaining, the sell-out crowd of 17,565 at the TD Garden began chanting "We want the Cup" in deafening unison.

Then, after Tampa pulled Roloson in the final minute but could not sustain any offensive pressure, the clock ticked down to 0:00, and it finally began to sink in that the Bruins had really done something legendary.

"It's great to be a part of something amazing," explained Patrice Bergeron. "That was the highest level of concentration I have experienced. I couldn't wait to jump on Timmy and enjoy the moment."

After the celebration subsided, the two teams shook hands in a customary show of sportsmanship. When Thomas reached Martin St. Louis in line, the two former UVM teammates embraced in an extra-long hug.

"I told him he's a warrior and I love him," said Thomas. "And he said-- he was obviously emotionally distraught because he gives everything he has out there-- but basically he said, 'Go win the whole thing.'"

Congratulations, Bruins fans.

Some of us have waited a lifetime to say this, others the majority of their adult-hood: The Big Bad Bruins are back in the Finals.

Sox in the World Series? Patriots in the Super Bowl? Celts in the Finals?

Forget it.

It simply doesn't get any better than this.

Teeing Off

Led by the spectacular two day hitting performance of Carl Crawford, the Red Sox made history on Wednesday and Thursday by putting up 14 runs in back-to-back games for the first time since 1998. 

Remember that feared offensive lineup Theo Epstein was talking about when he acquired Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford this past offseason?

It looks like it has officially arrived. 

For the first time since 1998, the Sox scored at least 14 runs in back-to-back games, destroying the Indians 14-2 on Wednesday and obliterating the Tigers 14-1 on Thursday.

Not only do the consecutive road victories improve Boston's overall record to 28-22 (a season-high six games over .500), but more importantly, it brings the Sox into a virtual tie with the Yankees for first in the AL East. 

Talk about picking yourself up by your boot-straps. 

After starting the season a dreadful 0-6, the Sox have gone an MLB-best 28-16 since, winning 11 of their last 13 games. 

"I'm glad we had two good days in a row," said manager Terry Francona. "It's nice to have games like that every once in a while." 

At the center of the recent turnaround is none other than the once eternally snakebitten, $142 million dollar man, Carl Crawford. Mired in a season-long slump that has been agonizing at times, the ultra-talented left fielder entered Wednesday's contest against Cleveland hitting just .212. 

Oh what a difference 48 hours can make. 

On Wednesday, Crawford just missed out on hitting for the cycle, but still went 4-4 with two doubles, a homer and two runs batted in. Then, on Thursday Crawford followed his stellar performance up by going 4-5 with two triples and three runs batted in.

Remarkably, Crawford now joins Sox legends Ted Williams and Carl Yazstremski as the only players in team history to ever record four hits and two triples in one game. 

He also became the first Sox player to record four hits in back-to-back games since Dustin Pedroia did it in 2008. 

And, oh yeah, Crawford's average now rests at a respectable .244. 

"Just going up there feeling a little bit more comfortable at the plate, trying to get my pitch to hit and not missing it when I do get a chance," explained Crawford. "It feels real good, just to be able to hit the ball and be yourself. I haven't felt that way in a long time. To have that feeling back felt great."

Red Sox fans can't help but hope and pray that feeling stays with Crawford for the rest of the season. 

"We all believe in him and I know he believes in himself," said Francona of Crawford. "It's nice to see him swing the bat like he did, that's for sure."

Watch out, American League opponents. 

The Red Sox have officially arrived. 

And Carl Crawford is at the center of it all.

Just like Theo Epstein had in mind all along. 

Giving In

Zdeno Chara and the Bruins blew a golden opportunity to close out the Lightning Wednesday night and now must play a winner-take-all Game 7 in Boston with a trip to the Finals on the line. 

Not even a hat trick from David Krejci could save the Bruins Wednesday night.

Victims of horrific special teams play and several back-breaking defensive collapses, Boston fought valiantly in Game 6 but no no avail, losing to Tampa 5-4 before a sell-out crowd of 21,426 at the St. Pete Times Forum.

Forwards Teddy Purcell and Martin St. Louis scored two goals apiece for the Lightning, who also notched three power-play goals within a 12-minute-span late in the second period and early in the third period.

With the clutch victory, Tampa evens the Eastern Conference Finals 3-3 and forces a do-or-die Game 7 in Boston Friday night with the winner punching their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals.

"It all comes down to one game now," said Patrice Bergeron after the painful loss. "So it's about making sure we're keeping our chins up and heads up and make sure we're ready for that game."

Despite surrendering a goal to Purcell just 34 seconds into the game, the Black and Gold fought back to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.

Milan Lucic put the Bruins on the board first when he ripped a wrist shot from just outside the hashmarks that eluded Dwayne Roloson (16 saves) high, glove side. The goal marked the first point of the series for Lucic.

Then, with less than four minutes remaining in the opening period, Krejci put the Bruins on top with his first of three goals on the night.

However, the difference in the game was the second period. While the Bruins went scoreless in the middle frame, the Lightning scored a pair of power-play goals to take a 3-2 lead.

Then, just 34 seconds into the third period, Steven Stamkos notched a power-play goal of his own to extend Tampa's lead to 4-2.

Krejci would tip in a feed down low from Nathan Horton on the power-play midway through the final period to cut Tampa's lead to 4-3. But at that point, it was clear that Tampa's string of three power play goals within a 12 minute span decided the game for the Lightning.

"Obviously [special teams] was a difference maker," admitted Julien. "They scored three goals on the power play and it took us a long time to get our first one, and that certainly dictated the game."

The Lightning would reclaim their two goal lead just 29 seconds later to make it 5-3. Once again, it was St. Louis picking up the goal, his second of the game and league-leading 10th goal of the playoffs.

With just under eight minutes remaining in the period Krejci would complete the hat trick to cut Tampa's lead to 5-4. It marked the first hat-trick from a Bruin in the playoffs since Cam Neely accomplished the feat in 1991.

Suddenly, Boston began pouring it on and dominating the final ten minutes of regulation in search of the equalizer. They even pulled Thomas in favor of an extra attacker in the final minute but, in the end, came up just short.

Just like the Montreal series, the Bruins fail to close out an opponent and, as a result, must venture into the dangerous territory of a do-or-die Game 7.

All of a sudden, Boston's epic collapse in Game 4 is hanging over their heads like a death date on their playoff tombstone.

"The fourth win, they don't give it to you, as we learned once again," admitted Thomas, who finished with 21 saves after playing the game of his life in Game 5. "Not that we were looking for them to give it to us. It's just more proof that's the way it goes."

However, if the Bruins can hang their hats on anything, it's the fact that they've done well under these high-pressured, do-or-die scenarios thus far in the postseason.

"We've been in this situation before," added Thomas. "We were up 3-2 against Montreal on the road and couldn't close it out, so we went back home in Game 7 and got the job done."

So here we are, in late May, entering yet another one-game season.

But this time, the stakes couldn't be higher for the Bruins. Their season is on the line. A trip to their first finals appearance in 21 years is on the line. Their overall reputation is on the line.

Should the unthinkable happen and the Bruins lose, it would mark the fourth consecutive year that the've had their season end in a Game 7, but at a progressively deeper stage of the playoffs, making it that much tougher to swallow. Claude Julien would likely get the boot. Maybe even Peter Chiarelli, too.

But, if they win, the 2011 Bruins will be touted as Gods in the city of Boston, restoring pride to the Hub for the first time in a generation.

"You've got to be excited for it," admitted Milan Lucic. "You've got to enjoy it and you've go to be looking for to that challenge, because for almost all of us it's the biggest game of our careers. You've got to go out there, have fun and have no regrets."

Keep the faith and believe in the dream, Bruins fans.

We're living on a prayer that will change dramatically Friday night, one way or another.

Game-Saver

Infused by an off-the-charts stick save from Tim Thomas late in Game 5, the Bruins hung on to knock off Tampa 3-1 Monday night and grab a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. 

While the pursuit of Lord Stanley's Cup has been anything but smooth and uneventful for the Boston Bruins this postseason, the Black and Gold continue to have one major thing going for them along the way.

With their backs to the wall, the Bruins have yet to find themselves pushed off the proverbial playoff cliff.

Answering the call just two days after blowing a commanding lead and suffering a heartbreaking collapse to the Lightning in Game 4, the Bruins responded Monday night to play one of their most complete games of the postseason.

Led by the spectacularly untouchable goaltending of Tim Thomas, Boston picked up timely goals from Nathan Horton and Brad Marchand (as well as an empty-net goal from Rich Peverly) to edge Tampa Bay 3-1 in Game 5 before a raucous sell-out crowd of 17,655 at the TD Garden.

With the victory, the Bruins now hold a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals and find themselves just one win shy of reaching the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1990.

"We are one win away," admitted Thomas (33 saves) after the game. "But that isn't what we need to focus on. What we need to focus on is playing the next game as good as we can and trying to get one win."

Most of all, despite being the most successful Bruins team in a generation, Boston knows that the most pivotal game of the series, and more accurately, their season, comes Wednesday night in Tampa. After being ejected from the playoffs the last three seasons with heartbreaking Game 7 losses to Montreal, Carolina and Philadelphia, the last thing the Bruins need is another do-or-die Game 7 with a trip to the Finals on the line.

"Our goal now is to not play a Game 7," said Bruins head coach Claude Julien. "It's going to take our best game."

On Monday night, the Lightning jumped out to a fast start like they have in previous game to grab a 1-0 lead just 69 seconds into the first period. After finding himself on a two-on-one break with linemate Steven Stamkos, Simon Gagne, who also scored the game-winner in Game 4, one-timed a return feed through the legs of defenseman Johnny Boychuk and past Thomas for his 39th career playoff goal.

Tampa continued to carry the play until the first intermission gave the Bruins a much-needed breather.

"We told ourselves that we're actually pretty lucky to be only down one-nothing with that first period," explained Patrice Bergeron. "So we had to wake up and step it up and be desperate."

Boy did they step up.

Displaying their trademark resiliency, the Bruins bounced back to tie the score 1-1 with less than five minutes gone in the second period when Horton, who previously committed a pair of questionable interference penalties, corralled a beautiful cross-ice feed from Milan Lucic and blasted it past Lightning goaltender Mike Smith (17 saves) for his seventh goal of the postseason.

"It was a little bit frustrating up until that point because they scored first and I had a couple of penalties," said Horton. "But all you can do is keep working, keep playing hard, and hopefully things begin to go you way."

Luckily for the Bruins, it did.

Continuing to surge, Boston extended the lead to 2-1 late in the second period. After a clutch keep-in by Zdeno Chara, the captain cycled the puck along the sideboards to Patrice Bergeron. Almost instinctually, Bergeron took one look over his left shoulder, noticed Marchand streaking to the net, then feathered a beautiful rocket-pass directly on the tape of Marchand who tapped the puck home.

"I was just waiting for [Marchand] to get open," explained Bergeron. "I knew he was going to beat him with speed and I was just taking my time to kind of suck that defenseman to me too and I just tried to put the puck on his stick."

For Bruins fans, Bergeron's play represented yet another reason why the team's 25-year-old assistant captain is so vital to the team's success. Sure, he does all the little things correctly that rarely show up in the box score, but what sets him apart is his vision on the ice.

Simply put, he knows where everyone else is on the ice.

"He's pretty good at that," said Julien. "He's been playing so well for us and Patrice is capable of making those plays. We've seen goals this year from him and even Marchand driving the net and with Recchi, that line, they seem to find each other pretty nicely. There's some chemistry there and they've made some  of those plays."

In addition, Marchand's goal was so pivotal because of its timing. Before the goal, the Bruins were on their heels as the Lightning kept attacking in waves.

"Obviously tonight this is a winning goal for us and at a great time," admitted Julien. "I think it really gave us some confidence because, you know, I felt our team tightened up in the first period. When we scored that second goal, it kind of loosened our guys up a bit."

Then, the play of the century came midway through the third period with the Bruins clinging to a 2-1 lead.

With the Lightning pouring it on in search of the equalizer, Tampa forward Steve Downie found himself all alone with the puck on his stick and a wide open net to shoot at.

"I thought for sure it was going to be a goal," admitted Marchand. "Those are usually pretty easy tap-ins."

Nevertheless, Thomas reached back, full extension, with his right arm and caught a piece of the puck with the blade of his stick to rob Downie and secure the Bruins lead.

"I saw the replay on TV," said defenseman Adam McQuaid. "It was amazing. He stole one. That was a game-saver."

Needless to say, it was one of the greatest saves Bruins fans, and hockey fans alike, have ever seen.

"It was just a reaction and desperation," explained Thomas of his career-defining save. "I'll admit I got a little bit lucky there. A little bit."

Thomas could be seen watching the replay from his crease and smiling as the TD Garden faithful marveled at his game-saving stop.

"That's just a confident swagger. He definitely has that," said Boston forward Chris Kelly of Thomas. "It's a game. You've got to have fun with it. It's a great opportunity for all of us. It you're not going to enjoy it, you might regret it."

From there on out, Thomas willed the Bruins to victory, making several spectacular saves before Peverly scored an empty-net goal with 12 seconds left to seal it.

So here the Bruins stand. One win away from a date with destiny in the Cup Finals with the mighty Vanvouver Canucks. And, with a 17-4 all-time record when leading a playoff series 3-2, the Bruins appear to have the odds on their side as well.

Just don't mention any of the heartbreaking collapses in recent years to the Bruins. They know exactly what they have to do Wednesday night in Game 6.

"Nothing should change from our attitude," concluded Lucic. "And the last two series and what we needed to do to get that fourth win. And they're going to fight for their lives an they are going to come out as determined as possible. Their backs are against the wall, but we know what we have to do."

Fasten your seatbelts, Bruins fans.

This is what it's all about.