Dragnet Deja Vu: Red Sox vs. Cardinals

While Fenway Park makes final green preparations for tonight's game honoring the world champion Celtics, and while WMYM tries to digest the possibility of a Curt Schilling-less future -- there's a sad development for media hype-heads everywhere -- there is that other event going on tonight: the first matchup with the St. Louis Cardinals since the 2004 World Series.


OK, we lied, it's not the first Cardinals faceoff since the four-game sweep that ended 86 years of misery. Still, despite a missing Albert Pujols from the Cards' power-hungry hitters, this weekends trio of games could provide interesting fodder for future introspection. Should the Sox take care of business, thus pushing their interleague record up toward the stratosphere of the 2005 interleague campaign, they would surely be in a much better position going forward in the division, particularly given the surging (8-2 in their last 10) Yankees. Fumble away a pair -- let alone all three -- and the complexion of the division race going forward could change dramatically.

So, time to check out that old adage, right? Momentum is the next day's pitcher, eh? Well, the Sox are rolling out Tim Wakefield tonight, going up against an impressive Kyle Lohse (8-2). While the disparity in records -- Wakefield is currently 4-4 -- might portend problems for the Sox, Wakefield has alternated between brilliant, virtually un-hittable starts and weighty, brutal losses. Which Wake shows up at home tonight may clear up whether the Sox are in the driver's seat in the series, a slippery slope that could keep rolling with Daisuke Matsuzaka making his return tomorrow against a neophyte and Jon Lester facing off against old friend Joel Pineiro on Sunday.

Then again, Matsuzaka hasn't pitching in a big league game in weeks. Lester has his share of rough patches, though they've been growing more rare as the season has developed. And the Boston lineup is still relying on speed, moxie and, more than anything else, profound power surges from both Manny Ramirez and the human torch that is J.D. Drew to keep afloat.

What's coming? Stay tuned. The next three days could provide a little breathing room or make things disappointingly dramatic. Either way, their impact shouldn't be diminished.

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