Any type of baseball game’s outcome in which the final tally compares to that of an NFL score is a thrilling game to watch — last night’s Red Sox/Rangers game lived up to it as the Sox edged the Texas bombers, 19-17.

The Red Sox exploded with a 10-run first inning, capped off by David Ortiz’ 2 HR’s and 6 RBI’s. I started to see remnants of the Red Sox/Marlins game back in ‘03 in Fenway. The Red Sox scored 14 runs in the first inning of the game off Carl Pavano, and Mike Lowell was on the other side of the spectrum, playing third base for the soon-to-be World Champion Florida Marlins team.

Only this time the Red Sox managed to blow their massive lead. Here’s an interesting fact from Yahoo Sports: The last time a team came back from a 10-run deficit was May 8, 2004, when the Rangers rallied from a 14-4 deficit to win 16-15 in 10 innings, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. I’m not sure what it is about Texas, but their teams have been notorious for being able to rake. We all remember this game from last year.

One might question Francona’s decision of leaving the rookie Charlie Zink in for too long. Quite honestly, Zink was pitching well up until the fourth — maybe Francona should have given the hook to Zink earlier in the 5th, but I don’t blame him for not.

What really makes Sox fans worry is the inconsistency of the middle relievers. Javier Lopez has been fairly solid throughout the year, so a shake-up from him here or there is bound to happen. I have to question whether or not David Aardsma is healthy. Last week we witnessed his resurgence back into the Boston bullpen from a DL stint, but, he hasn’t pitched too well since then.

As for Manny Delcarmen, his up-and-down struggles continued last night. It’s surprising to me because I honestly felt after last year’s performance, Delcarmen was set as a force and fixture in the 7th or 8th innings. It seems as though he’s taken a step back. Red Sox Nation has to hope he can regain his confidence and be the Delcarmen of ‘07.

All in all, the middle relief last night decided to take the day off, only they couldn’t weasel their way past Mr. Rooney & company.

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Three guys saved us last night — Okajima, Papelbon, and Youkilis. Youk’s quickly transforming into a power-hitter by our very eyes. Don’t be surprised to see Youkilis hit an average of around 25 HR for the next few years.

Oki, criticized for his inability to shut down inherited runners in 2008, pitched 1.2 innings of scoreless frames. After Youkilis launched his second HR of the night, Papelbon came in and closed the door.

It was entertaining, certainly not pretty, but the Red Sox managed to pick up the W — isn’t that all we can ask for?

*On a side note: Chris Davis of TEX is a beast. I have him on both of my fantasy squads and it has paid dividends. He’s only 22 and the kid can flat out hit. In 41 Major League games this year, he has walloped 11 HR and 32 RBI, while maintaining his average close to .300. In the minors he’s hit 74 HR in 275 games. This kid is for real*

Earlier this year my girlfriend’s father decided to take a trip to Canada to catch the Red Sox play in Toronto. The night before game 2 of the series, he was at a club and decided to go upstairs to check out the VIP section. Who was there? None other than Sox pitcher Manny Delcarmen. He witnessed Delcarmen consume a fair amount of alcohol during this time.

The night happened to be an omen for Manny D & the Sox, because the day after sippin’ on gin & juice, YAGERBOMBS, and “Making Love in This Club”, it all unfolded in the Rogers Centre. It was April 6th and the Sox were in the lead before Delcarmen got the call out of the bullpen with the bases loaded. Delcarmen then served up a softy to former Blue Jay outfielder Frank Thomas for a grand slam. Now it all makes sense, he must of been hungover like a mother. This was part of an early season slump for Delcarmen in which he appeared in 13 games for the Red Sox in April while posting a 6.75 ERA during the span.

It seemed after that grueling afternoon in Toronto, Delcarmen decided to turn it around. Through May and up to today, June 20th, Delcarmen has posted an ERA of 1.97 giving up 0 longballs in the process. And it wasn’t until recently have we seen Delcarmen’s dominance on the mound. He has yet to allow a run in the month of June while striking out 10 in 8.1 innings.

It’s a great story for “The Pride of Hyde Park.” How many kids dream of pitching for their hometown team? Delcarmen was born in Boston and attended West Roxbury High School before he was drafted in the 2nd round by the Sox in 2000. I’m sure he dreamed of pitching in the majors while dominating hitters in high school, but I bet Delcarmen never would of dreamt he’d be pitching inside the historic friendly confines of Fenway Park; especially since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2003. Delcarmen persevered and is still pitching in the mid-90’s.

Now in his 3rd year with the team, Delcarmen is building upon the success of his 2007 campaign in which he finished with a 2.05 ERA and 41 K’s in 44 innings of work. The guy already has a championship ring and is probably one of the hottest relievers in baseball at the moment.

Manny Delcarmen is an important piece of the puzzle that is the Red Sox bullpen, which more often than not has been sub-par recently. I sure wish he was called on for duty more often.

Give the Pride of Hyde Park more opportunities.