Lester Shuts Down Yankees In Easy Win (59-62)

Lester lowered his ERA to 5.03

It's always nice to beat the Yankees, and especially when it's a relatively easy and stress free win powered by strong starting pitching and decent offense. The Red Sox got all of that in a nice win in the middle game of this weekend's series in New York. The Red Sox bats got off to a quick start off Yankees' rookie David Phelps, putting Carl Crawford at second base with two outs in the first. Adrian Gonzalez came up and promptly powered a low and away fastball to the opposite field for a two-run homer to make it 2-0. It took them a few innings, but the Yankees finally benefitted from a home run of their own in the fourth inning. That was when Curtis Granderson took advantage of a two-out two-strike mistake fastball by Jon Lester, left up and over the plate, pounding it into the bleachers in center field.

Gonzalez had a two-run homer

Luckily, the Red Sox got that run right back in the top of the fifth-- putting Pedro Ciriaco on first base with one out. An unusual suspect in Nick Punto got the RBI here, driving a liner into the corner in right field. Right fielder Andruw Jones bobbled the ball which allowed Punto to coast into the third after making it 3-1. After that, both starting pitchers really settled down and pitched great ball games. David Phelps (3-3, 2.53) actually put up the longest start of his young career-- going 6.2 innings and allowing 3 runs on 7 hits while striking out 7 in the game. However, he would get the loss due to the fine work done on the other side of the ball by Jon Lester-- who allowed a run on 5 hits in 7 innings. The Red Sox got an insurance run on a wild pitch in the ninth, but they coasted Lester's fine start to a 4-1 win.

Bright Spots:
Jon Lester- 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K, W (7-10)
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K, SV (25)
Adrian Gonzalez- 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Pedro Ciriaco- 4-4, 1 R, 1 2B
Nick Punto- 1-3, 1 BB, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Jacoby Ellsbury- 0-5, 1 K, 4 LOB
Cody Ross- 0-4, 4 K, 3 LOB
Ryan Lavarnway- 0-4, 1 K, 3 LOB

Player of the Game:
Jon Lester- The Red Sox really took advantage of a great start here today by Jon Lester, who went seven strong innings to earn the win-- he is now 7-10, 5.03.

Buchholz Keeps Sox From Being Swept By O's (58-61)

Buchholz was great

Just a year ago, it would seem pathetic to be happy about just barely avoiding a sweep at the hands of the Orioles. However, with the Red Sox in fourth place and below .500 and the Orioles leading in the Wild Card race, it now seems good. The Orioles started out very fast after the Red Sox went down scoreless in the first, starting things off with back to back singles. They would advance to second and third on a groundout and both runners would score when Adam Jones doubled down the first base line. It didn't take the Red Sox long to answer, as they put runners at the corners with two outs in the top of the second. A pitch after working Chris Tillman to 50 pitches in the first two innings, Scott Podsednik drove a single up the middle to make it 2-1. However, the Orioles got that run right back in the bottom of the second on a homer to center by Mark Reynolds.

He threw eight strong innings

  It took them until the fifth, but the Red Sox finally came roaring back-- putting two runners in scoring position with one out. One run would score when Chris Tillman threw a wild pitch that allowed Carl Crawford to score from third. Dustin Pedroia would score when Adrian Gonzalez lifted a fly ball that wound up as a sacrifice fly to center field to tie things up at 3-3.They kept on rolling in the sixth inning, putting runners at the corners with two outs. Dustin Pedroia hit a slow roller on the ground to third base. It was about to be a groundout, but it kicked off the heel of third baseman Manny Machado's glove for an infield single. That scored one run, and two more scored in the inning on RBI singles by Adrian Gonzalez and Cody Ross to make it 6-3. It stayed at 6-3 for quite a while and the Red Sox eventually won by that score.

Bright Spots:
Clay Buchholz- 8 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 7 K, W (11-3)
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 K, SV (24)
Carl Crawford- 2-5, 2 R, 1 2B
Dustin Pedroia- 2-5, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Cody Ross- 3-5, 1 RBI
Scott Podsednik- 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Nobody!

Player of the Game:
Clay Buchholz- Despite a shaky start, Buchholz really settled down and turned in eight good innings-- he is now 11-3, 4.19 this year.

Morales, Gonzalez Power Sox To Avoid Sweep (54-55)

Morales got his third win

If the Red Sox had been swept by the Twins today, it would be about time to punt this season and sell on the waiver wire. However, with Franklin Morales going for them, they managed to pull off a solid win in Boston. It took them a few innings, but they finally got an early rally going in the third inning. A single and a double put runners at second and third with no outs. They would score one in the inning when Carl Crawford grounded out to shortstop and another when Adrian Gonzalez drove Jacoby Ellsbury in with a bloop single to center. The Twins finally cracked the scoreboard after a leadoff walk and stolen base for Alexi Casilla. He would eventually score on a deep sacrifice fly by Ben Revere. However, the Red Sox would more than make up for that run as Adrian Gonzalez powered a two-run homer over the monster in the bottom of the fifth to make it 4-1.

Gonzalez drove in three runs

That fifth inning blemish was the only bad mark on a very strong start for Franklin Morales, seeing him go 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K. The Red Sox continued to add onto their lead, starting in the seventh inning. That was when they put runners at first and second with one out for Cody Ross. Ross delivered by driving a ground ball back up the middle to score a run and make it 5-1. A one out double by Ryan Kalish in the eighth set the Red Sox up to score some more. Kalish stole third and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Jacoby Ellsbury. Vicente Padilla came into the game in the ninth, with a five run lead. However, he did his best to cut that lead-- allowing a leadoff home run to Josh Willingham and later, a two-run homer to Ryan Doumit. Luckily, Alfredo Aceves did what he couldn't do last night-- shut the door with a 1-2-3 inning to put the Red Sox at just a game under .500.

Bright Spots:
Franklin Morales- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K, W (3-2)
Mark Melancon- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, SV (23)
Jacoby Ellsbury- 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Carl Crawford- 3-5, 2 R, 1 SB, 1 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Cody Ross- 2-4, 1 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 2-4, 1 SB
Ryan Kalish- 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 SB
Mike Aviles- 2-3, 1 R, 1 BB

Dull Spots:
Vicente Padilla- 0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 BB
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-4, 1 K, 4 LOB

Player of the Game:
Adrian Gonzalez- Gonzalez's bat powered the Red Sox in this game as he went 2-3 with a two-run homer and an RBI single and is now .304/11/66 this season.

Ciriaco The Hero As Sox Return To .500 (51-51)

Doubront held the Yankees to a run

Both this game and this series were must-wins for the Red Sox-- and despite quite a bit of difficulty over the series, they won. With this series win over the Yankees, the Red Sox are back somewhat to respectability at .500. Plus, with Felix Doubront (10-5, 4.54 ERA) and Hiroki Kuroda (10-7, 3.34) going against each other, it didn't look quite so promising. Luckily, the Red Sox had the first blow after an Adrian Gonzalez single and Jarrod Saltalamacchia walk would put runners at first and second with two outs. The struggling Ryan Sweeney (1-16 since the All-Star Break) stepped up to the plate and drove a ball into the gap in left-center. It was going to score Gonzalez anyways, but Andruw Jones took a bad route in left field that allowed Saltalamacchia to score from first and give the Red Sox a 2-0 lead.

Ciriaco had the go-ahead RBI single

It stayed at 2-0 for quite a while as Doubront and Kuroda each pitched well for some time. The Yankees finally got on the board in the seventh inning when Russell Martin led things off with an opposite field home run to right. Two batters later, Doubront was pulled with a line of 6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 5 BB, 8 K. The Yankees would strand two in that inning, but got right back to business in the eighth. After a two-out double by Andruw Jones, it was Martin again with a single up the middle to tie things up at 2-2. Neither team scored in the ninth, so it took them until the tenth to get going. A leadoff walk by Jarrod Saltalamacchia and a single for Will Middlebrooks (after a questionable call on a hit by pitch which led to Bobby Valentine being ejected) led runners at the corners with an out. It was Pedro Ciriaco with the key hit-- a blooper to right-- to give the Red Sox a 3-2 lead and eventually the win.

Bright Spots:
Felix Doubront- 6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 5 BB, 8 K
Alfredo Aceves- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K, W (2-6)
Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-5, 1 2B
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4, 1 R
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-2, 2 R, 2 BB
Ryan Sweeney- 1-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Pedro Ciriaco- 1-4, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Andrew Miller- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 K
Dustin Pedroia- 0-4, 4 LOB

Player of the Game:
Pedro Ciriaco- Ciriaco continues to rack up hits against the Yankees with a very clutch RBI single last night to give the Sox a late lead-- he is now .349/0/8 since being called up.

Red Sox Start And Finish Strong In Clutch Win (50-51)

Lester was good apart from the fifth

It's such a relief to finally get a win in a tough stretch like this, and the Red Sox finally got one yesterday. They started out very strong as Pedro Ciriaco and Dustin Pedroia each singled with one out in the first. Ciriaco would score when Adrian Gonzalez doubled to right, also pushing Dustin Pedroia to third. Both Pedroia and Gonzalez would score on a double by Will Middlebrooks to make it 3-0 in just the first inning. The Yankees would get on the scoreboard in the third inning on a home run by Chris Stewart to cut it to 3-1 off Jon Lester. However, the Red Sox would give Lester a little bit of insurance in the fifth inning when Pedro Ciriaco singled and Dustin Pedroia walked with two outs. Adrian Gonzalez came up and promptly hit one up and over the short porch in right field to make it 6-1.

Ciriaco's three runs and Gonzalez's
four RBIs were huge in this game

However, Lester would cough that lead back up almost immediately as he allowed a leadoff walk to Andruw Jones. That walk would quickly turn into two runs as Jayson Nix got ahold of one for a two-run shot to right. After putting two runners in scoring position with one out, the Yankees took another run on an RBI groundout by Derek Jeter to cut it to 6-4. It took until the eighth inning for the Yankees to finish what they had started, after a leadoff single by Raul Ibanez. The next two batters struck out, to bring up Mark Teixeira with a man on first and two outs. Teixeira did what he does best and crushed one to deep right to tie the game at 6-6. Luckily, the Red Sox came storming back in the ninth on a one-out walk by Jacoby Ellsbury. He would score when Pedro Ciriaco hit a fly ball to center that was misplayed by Curtis Granderson and fell for an RBI triple. Dustin Pedroia knocked Ciriaco in with a sac fly and the Red Sox would win 8-6.

Bright Spots:
Matt Albers- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, SV (22)
Pedro Ciriaco- 3-5, 3 R, 1 3B, 1 RBI
Dustin Pedroia- 1-3, 2 R, 1 RBI, BB
Adrian Gonzalez- 3-5, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 2-3, 1 BB, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Daniel Nava- 1-3

Dull Spots:
Vicente Padilla- 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 K
Kelly Shoppach- 0-4, 2 K, 3 LOB
Mike Aviles- 0-4, 3 K, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Adrian Gonzalez- Gonzalez continues to ride his hot streak, as he went 3-5 with a home run, a double, and four RBIs yesterday-- he is now .294/10/62 on the year.

Aviles, Buchholz Lead Sox In Clutch Win (49-49)

Buchholz allowed a run in seven strong

With Clay Buchholz going against rookie Martin Perez, it didn't really look like a potential pitching duel. Buchholz has been good lately, but his ERA was 5.19 entering play, and Perez had just been brought up for triple-A and was struggling down there. However, it quickly emerged as a definite pitchers duel after three shutout innings on both sides. The Red Sox had gotten to Perez a bit, loading the bases in the second inning, but he had been impressive nonetheless. Anyhow, it was in the fourth inning that the Red Sox finally got a bit going after a leadoff walk for Cody Ross. Will Middlebrooks flew out and Carl Crawford struck out, leaving Ross at first with two outs, but Kelly Shoppach came through. Shoppach lifted one to right center that just evaded David Murphy's reach as it became an RBI double.

Aviles had the go-ahead RBI single

Clay Buchholz actually held that lead for a few innings, as he was very good last night. Finally in the sixth inning, though, it was Elvis Andrus who broke out with a one-out double. Andrus got to third on a wild pitch and despite the infield being in, scored on a soft grounder by Josh Hamilton to tie it at 1-1. It stayed tied for one more inning before Clay Buchholz was taken out of the game after seven with a line of 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 K. For the first time this season, Buchholz's ERA is below 5.00-- as he's really come a long way since April. Neither team scored in the eighth, but the Red Sox put together a two-out rally in the ninth. Two two-out walks off Joe Nathan put them in a position to score with Mike Aviles at bat. Aviles worked a long at bat before blooping a soft line drive just over the head of Elvis Andrus. The run scored and the Red Sox won 2-1.

Bright Spots:
Clay Buchholz- 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 K
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K, W (4-0)
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, SV (21)
Will Middlebrooks- 2-4
Kelly Shoppach- 1-2, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Mike Aviles- 1-4, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Pedro Ciriaco- 0-4, 1 LOB
Dustin Pedroia- 0-4, 1 LOB
Carl Crawford- 0-3, 1 K, 4 LOB

Player of the Game:
Clay Buchholz- Despite some last minute heroics by Mike Aviles, he wouldn't even have had a chance if Buchholz wasn't quite so good in his seven innings-- he is now 8-3/4.93/73.

Red Sox, Gonzalez, Spoil Youkilis's Return (46-44)

Cook was great but did not receive a
win last night

Last night's game was an unlikely pitching duel with Aaron Cook going up against youngster Dylan Axelrod. However, it certainly didn't start out that way for either team. With one out in the top of the first inning, familiar face Kevin Youkilis came up and received a huge standing ovation from the home fans. Afterwards, he worked out a long at bat before singling up the middle. Youkilis showed his all out hustle on the next play as Adam Dunn hit a slow roller to second. Pedro Ciriaco threw it to first to record the out as usual, but as a part of the shift they had played on Dunn-- nobody was covering third. Youkilis took sight of this and took off for third, Adrian Gonzalez's throw to the nearest man was errant and Youkilis scored. In the bottom of the first with one out, another familiar face-- Carl Crawford came up and singled up the middle. After a David Ortiz single brought him to third, he would tie the game on a line to right by Adrian Gonzalez to make it 1-1.

Gonzalez had a huge home run

However, Aaron Cook (who wasn't deserving of that run anyway) and Dylan Axelrod both settled down tremendously after that point. The score was still 1-1 when Axelrod was taken out after 6.2 strong innings of work and when Cook was taken out after 7. However, the Red Sox were not so kind against the White Sox bullpen in the following innings. After a pair of walks to lead off the eighth against Leyson Septimo, Adrian Gonzalez stepped up to the plate. He displayed some of that power that we acquired him for when he crushed a pitch over the deep part of the Green Monster to give the Red Sox a 4-1 lead. However, David Ortiz was injured rounding second and is having an MRI today-- we all hope the best. Anyways, a Mike Aviles RBI single later in the inning would score the final run to close out a strong 5-1 win.

Bright Spots:
Aaron Cook- 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, W (3-0)
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB
Carl Crawford- 1-3, 2 R, 1 BB
David Ortiz- 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI
Cody Ross- 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B
Mike Aviles- 1-4, 1 RBI
Pedro Ciriaco- 3-4, 1 2B

Dull Spots:
Jacoby Ellsbury- 0-4, 1 K, 3 LOB
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-4, 3 K, 4 LOB
Will Middlebrooks- 0-4, 2 K, 1 LOB

Player of the Game:
Adrian Gonzalez- If not for Gonzalez, the Red Sox may not have even won this game as he went 2-4 with two of the biggest hits of the night-- an RBI single and three-run homer, he is now .288/7/50.

Red Sox Rally Late To Outlast Jays (39-35)

Dice-K pitched very well but did
not earn the win

With a win tonight and a Rays' loss, the Red Sox would move out of last and just a game out of third place-- and they got it with an exciting win over the Blue Jays. Daisuke Matsuzaka was the beneficiary of some bad defense in the first inning as, after a leadoff double by Brett Lawrie, Colby Rasmus seemingly grounded out to short. Mike Aviles took a chance (rightfully) at getting Lawrie at third but a bad throw allowed him to score. Later in the inning, Edwin Encarnacion seemingly grounded out to third but he made a bad throw that allowed Lawrie to score and give the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead. The score stayed at 1-0 for a long time as Dice-K settled down nicely and Aaron Laffey really kept him in check. The score was still 1-0 when Dice-K was taken out of the game with a line of 5.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K. And when Laffey was taken out of the game with a line of 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K.

Pedroia had a tie-breaking two-run
single in the seventh

It would be the inning after Laffey left that the Red Sox' bats really got going. With two outs and nobody on base, Jarrod Saltalamacchia lifted a high line drive to left-center that got out of the ballpark to tie things up at 1-1. That homer evidently lit a fire under the Red Sox' offense as the batter after him, Ryan Kalish doubled down the first base line. Daniel Nava was hit by a pitch and Mike Aviles worked a walk to load the bases with two outs off of former Red Sox' reliever David Pauley. On an 0-1 count, Pedroia lined one right back up the middle to score two runs and give the Red Sox a 3-1 lead-- Aviles was caught in between second and third to end the inning but we'll take it. After a leadoff double by David Ortiz and a single by Cody Ross to follow him up, Adrian Gonzalez doubled off the monster in left-center to score Ortiz. Later in the inning, a Will Middlebrooks sacrifice fly would make it 5-1. That would be the final score in a good game for the Red Sox.

Bright Spots:
Daisuke Matsuzaka- 5.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K
Scott Atchison- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R
Dustin Pedroia- 1-3, 2 RBI
David Ortiz- 2-4, 1 R, 2 2B
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4, 2 2B, 1 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Ryan Kalish- 1-2, 1 R, 1 2B

Dull Spots:
Brent Lillibridge- 0-2, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Dustin Pedroia- Pedroia's clutch two-run two-out tie-breaking single in the seventh was really a great moment as he appears to be breaking out of his slump-- he is now .272/5/30.

Red Sox Sweep Marlins Behind Middlebrooks (36-33)

Matsuzaka did not have a
particularly good start

The Red Sox won this game against all odds: the pitching matchup, the score in the eighth inning, etc.; but they did manage to pull off a key sweep of the Marlins. The Marlins started off fast when they put two runners in scoring position with two outs in the first. Greg Dobbs delivered with a two-run single on a liner into right. Later in the inning, Omar Infante drove in Dobbs with an RBI single of his own to put the Marlins up 3-0 early. The Red Sox put together their first rally of the night when Cody Ross and Jarrod Saltalamacchia were each hit by a pitch to start the inning. Will Middlebrooks would deliver with an RBI single on a line drive into right to score Ross and cut the Marlins' lead to 3-1. Ryan Kalish grounded into a forceout to put runners at the corners with still only one out. A Mike Aviles sacrifice fly would score Saltalamacchia from third to come within a run of the tie. After putting runners at the corners with two outs, they reached the tie when Will Middlebrooks on a bloop single to right to make it 3-3.

Middlebrooks had a fantastic game

The tie would quickly be broken in the sixth, though, as Giancarlo Stanton hit a line drive that just barely got over the monster to make it 4-3 Marlins. After a two-out single by Greg Dobbs later in the inning, it was Infante again with a double to center to score Dobbs all the way from first and make it 5-3. The Red Sox would make a plea at tying the game in the eighth inning when Jarrod Saltalamacchia led off the inning with a double off Marlins' reliver Edward Mujica. As it had been all game long, it would be Will Middlebrooks that had the decisive blow though. Middlebrooks would quickly deliver with a clutch game-tying home run on a high fly ball to dead center to make it 5-5. A Ryan Kalish single would become a triple as he went first to third on a ball in the infield. And it was a good thing that he did as Daniel Nava hit a weak line drive to center for an RBI single to make it 6-5. That would be the key hit as the Red Sox held on to win 6-5.

Bright Spots:
Scott Atchison- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, W (2-0)
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, SV (18)
Daniel Nava- 2-4, 1 RBI
Cody Ross- 1-3, 1 R
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 1-3, 2 R, 1 2B
Will Middlebrooks- 3-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI
Ryan Kalish- 1-3, 1 R

Dull Spots:
Daisuke Matsuzaka- 5.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K
Andrew Miller- 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R
Dustin Pedroia- 0-5, 4 LOB

Player of the Game:
Will Middlebrooks- Middlebrooks powered the Red Sox to a win last night with a 3-4 night plus two RBI singles and a game-tying homer in the eighth; he is now .316/8/31 this season.

Red Sox Nail Three Homers On Fishing Trip (34-33)

Buchholz allowed five runs in
six innings, but earned the win

Once again, the Red Sox have surpassed the .500 mark after a win against the Marlins and are now 34-33 this season. Things didn't start off too great for the Red Sox, as Clay Buchholz was not on and surrendered a two-run homer to Logan Morrison in the first inning. Luckily, the Red Sox offense would bail him out as David Ortiz hit a two-run homer of his own on a line to right field to even the score at 2-2. The Red Sox continued to pile up the two-run homers in the second inning as Kelly Shoppach nailed one over the monster, also scoring Will Middlebrooks, to give the Red Sox a 4-2 lead. However, the Marlins got a little rally going in the third after Hanley Ramirez walked and Giancarlo Stanton was hit by a pitch with two outs. Once again, it was Logan Morrison tearing up the Red Sox' offense as he doubled to left to score Ramirez and cut the Red Sox lead to one run. The Red Sox got that run back in the fourth, though, as Cody Ross (in his first game back) crushed a ball to left for a solo home run to make it 5-3.

Ortiz was 2-4 with a two-
run homer

The Marlins would get another rally going that was startlingly familiar to their last one as Hanley Ramirez and Giancarlo Stanton each singled with two outs. Again, it was Logan Morrison providing all of the offense as he doubled off the deep part of the monster in left-center to score both of them and tie the game. In the bottom of the fifth, the Red Sox continued to scrounge for runs as Mike Aviles doubled to lead off the inning. Dustin Pedroia bunted him to third and Adrian Gonzalez drove him in with a sacrifice fly to make it 6-5. Back-to-back doubles leading off the sixth by Kevin Youkilis and Will Middlebrooks netted the Red Sox another run to make it 7-5 in the sixth inning. That would be Clay Buchholz's last inning and it was not his best start as he went 6 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 3 K but still left with a lead. The Red Sox' bullpen saved the lead as Vicente Padilla picked up his 16th hold (T-3rd in baseball) and Alfredo Aceves picked up his 17th save (4th in the AL) in a 7-5 win.

Bright Spots:
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K, SV (17)
David Ortiz- 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 2-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Cody Ross- 1-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Kelly Shoppach- 1-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Dull Spots:
Clay Buchholz- 6 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 3 K, W (8-2)

Player of the Game:
David Ortiz- Papi led the offense again as he went 2-4 with a two-run home run to help the Red Sox on their way to a win, he is now .314/17/45.

Battery Powers Sox In Win Over Cubs (32-33)

Lester pitched very well
through six innings

The Red Sox really needed a win last night to take advantage of the worst team in the league and to climb within a game of the .500 mark. A two out walk by David Ortiz in the first inning could have started a rally. Jarrod Saltalamacchia carried on with that by doubling off the wall in right-center. As Ortiz rounded third and headed for home, the Cubs nabbed him at the plate to end the inning. Ortiz would redeem himself in the fourth inning, however, as he led off the inning with a double. Saltalamacchia kept his good game going by crushing a home run to dead right field to score Ortiz and himself and make it 2-0. The Red Sox couldn't make anything else out of the inning, though, as the next three batters all struck out. A pair of one out walks in the sixth put the Red Sox in a position to score and extend the lead. Will Middlebrooks would do just that when he singled up the middle to score Ortiz from second. Future opportunities to score would be squandered, though, when Jarrod Saltalamacchia was thrown out at third.

Saltalamacchia had a home
run and a double

The Red Sox offense kept piling it on in the seventh inning, when Mike Aviles led the inning off with  a double. After a Jon Lester strikeout, Scott Podsednik drove him in with a single up the middle to make it 4-0. That strikeout may have affected Lester in some way as he became startlingly inefficient in the seventh. Jeff Baker doubled to lead off the inning and was moved to third base on a groundout by Tony Campana. Wellington Castillo walked to put two runners on and bring the tying run to the on deck circle. They would both come in to score, plus one more, when Luis Valbuena of all people hit a high fly ball to left-center to cut it to 4-3. Lester struck out David DeJesus to finish his night and he was taken out with a line of 6.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 8 K. Scott Atchison would finish off that inning, Vicente Padilla came in for the eighth, then Alfredo Aceves came in for the ninth and earned his 16th save of the season.


Bright Spots:
Jon Lester- 6.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 8 K, W (4-4)
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K, SV (16)
Scott Podsednik- 2-4, 1 RBI
David Ortiz- 1-2, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 BB
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 2-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 1-4, 1 RBI
Mike Aviles- 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B

Dull Spots:
Dustin Pedroia- 0-5, 3 LOB
Ryan Sweeney- 0-4, 2 K, 3 LOB

Player of the Game:
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- Saltalamacchia played a great game both at and behind the plate, going 2-3 with a homer and a double and leading a great performance by Jon Lester-- he is now .254/12/32.

Red Sox Edge Marlins In Pitching Duel (30-32)

Buchholz was brilliant
last night

When it comes to the Boston Red Sox, we haven't seen a whole lot of true pitching duels in recent years. Last night, though, with Clay Buchholz facing Mark Buehrle-- not exactly a match up of aces-- we saw a big one. Neither team scored until the seventh inning (or after) and the Red Sox only managed a hit before the seventh. Buchholz escaped several jams-- even in the first inning, when Jose Reyes tripled to lead off the game, but Buchholz struck out the side to strand him. He got into another jam in the third inning, when a two out rally had put runners at first and second. Hanley Ramirez hit a slow grounder up the middle and beat it out for an infield single, but Jose Reyes had rounded third and was easily thrown out at the plate to end the inning. Buchholz was dominant after that, and the Red Sox finally got going in the seventh inning. With one out, Will Middlebrooks hit a slow line drive into right field that just avoided being caught by Giancarlo Stanton. Adrian Gonzalez flew out, so it was all up to Kelly Shoppach to drive him in.

He allowed a run in seven
innings for a win

Shoppach would drive a pitch directly into the gap. Middlebrooks easily came all the way around first and Shoppach had an RBI double to make it 1-0. However, the Red Sox weren't done yet as Mike Aviles stepped up to the plate and promptly delivered a bloop single to center to score Shoppach and make it 2-0. Darnell McDonald then singled on another blooper to center to put runners at the corners with two outs for Clay Buchholz. The Red Sox did not pinch-hit for Buchholz, and he almost delivered as it took a fantastic diving catch by center fielder Chris Coghlan to prevent an RBI single. The Marlins would get one of those runs back almost immediately as Logan Morrison crushed a line drive home run to deep right to cut the lead to 2-1. Clay Buchholz got out of the inning with minimal damage and left the game after with a 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 9 K line. Vicente Padilla and Alfredo Aceves-- picking up his 15th save-- each threw a scoreless inning to help the Red Sox win for the first time in a while.

Bright Spots:
Clay Buchholz- 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 9 K, W (7-2)
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K, SV (15)
Kelly Shoppach- 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Mike Aviles- 1-4, 1 RBI
Darnell McDonald- 2-4

Dull Spots:
Scott Podsednik- 0-4, 1 K, 1 LOB
Dustin Pedroia- 0-4, 1 K, 1 LOB
Kevin Youkilis- 0-3

Player of the Game:
Clay Buchholz- For his last seven times up, Buchholz had been fantastic and he was again tonight, allowing a run in seven strong innings-- he is now 7-2/5.38/55.

Dice-K's Return Spoiled By Lack Of Offense (29-30)

Matsuzaka made his first
start this year

After a stint both at and above .500, the Red Sox have fallen back below at just 29-30-- and Daisuke Matsuzaka, making his first start back from Tommy John Surgery, couldn't do anything about it. The Nationals got on the board first when Adam LaRoche took advantage of a first pitch fastball, leading off the second inning, that was down the middle,  and crushed it into the bullpens for a solo home run. However, the Nationals weren't nearly done as a Bryce Harper walk and Ryan Zimmerman single leading off the fourth put runners at the corners with no outs. Dice-K struck out Adam LaRoche after a long at bat, setting up the inning ending double play. Michael Morse would erase all thoughts of a scoreless inning, however, by lining a ball into right that fortunately would be a ground rule double and only score one. The Nationals upped it to a four run lead with the next batter as Ian Desmond singled sharply into right to put the Nationals up 4-0 in just the fourth inning. I'm sure many Red Sox fans and player alike were thinking that with the way Gio Gonzalez was pitching, that may be enough.

He only really had one
bad inning in the loss

Dice-K was taken out of the game after a scoreless fifth, and his final line was an unimpressive 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 8 K. However, he had good stuff with all his pitches moving to a degree and if he had stayed away from the one bad inning, he would've been fine. Franklin Morales came into the game and pitched a couple scoreless innings until the Red Sox got on the board in the seventh inning. That was when the Red Sox loaded the bases with one out for pinch hitter Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Salty was first pitch swinging and crushed the ball in the air to left for what could've been a home run in many ballparks. However, this time the green monster took a homer away-- luckily, the Red Sox still scored two and the Red Sox still had runners at the corners down by only two. However, Daniel Nava struck out looking on a generous called strike and Dustin Pedroia popped out to end the inning with a 4-2 deficit. Franklin Morales continued to dominate out of the 'pen, throwing three perfect innings with three strikeouts. It would be all in vain, however, as the Red Sox lost 4-2.

Bright Spots:
Franklin Morales- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 K
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 1-2, 2 RBI

Dull Spots:
Daniel Nava- 0-4, 1 K, 2 LOB
Adrian Gonzalez- 0-4, 1 K, 1 LOB
Kevin Youkilis- 0-4, 1 LOB
Kelly Shoppach- 0-2, 2 K, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Franklin Morales- Even though it's an odd decision to give the Player of the Game to a reliever, Morales deserved it with three shutdown innings-- he is now 0-1/3.04/20.

Red Sox Officially Out Of Last After Win Over Jays (28-25)

Doubront earned his sixth
win of the year

After long last and many tribulations, the Red Sox have finally moved into sole possession of fourth place and are out of last-- also, just 2.5 games out of first. After 1-2-3 innings for both sides in the first, the Red Sox got going in the second inning. They put runners at first and third with two outs, and that's when the two out rallies began to emerge. Will Middlebrooks hit a ball off the wall in right field, but only made it to first for a single-- still, he drove a run in to make it 1-0. Nick Punto then doubled into the corner in right field to score another run and put two in scoring position with two outs. Daniel Nava appeared to have ended the inning when he lined a ball to center fielder Colby Rasmus. However, it appeared the ball was knuckling as Rasmus dropped the ball, allowing two runs to score and make it 4-0. The Blue Jays slowly began to eat away at the Red Sox lead-- starting with a one-out homer to right for Jeff Mathis in the third. However, the Red Sox would render it meaningless-- answering when Jarrod Saltalamacchia drove in a run on a double play to make it 5-1.

The whole team was happy about
getting out of last place

The Blue Jays then started a two out rally of their own in the bottom of the fifth-- putting two on base with two outs. They'd score on a bloop single by Kelly Johnson but that was it in the inning. Jose Bautista and the Blue Jays would cut it to a two-run lead when Bautista drove a home run to center to make it 5-3. Felix Doubront held the Blue Jays to three runs and was eventually was taken out in the seventh with a 6.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K line. It stayed with the score of 5-3 until the eighth, when the Red Sox loaded the bases with just one out. Ryan Sweeney would sort of deliver on a slow groundout to the first baseman. The Red Sox scored on the play but did not score again in the inning. The Blue Jays scored one in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI single by Brett Lawrie. The Red Sox came through again in the ninth when Nick Punto, of all people, crushed a ball into the second deck to make it 7-4. Alfredo Aceves had a shutdown and the Red Sox had won to move out of last.

Bright Spots:
Felix Doubront- 6.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, W (6-2)
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, SV (14)
Daniel Nava- 1-3, 1 BB, 2 RBI
Kevin Youkilis- 1-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 BB
Ryan Sweeney- 1-2, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 1-3, 1 R, 1 RBI
Nick Punto- 3-4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Dull Spots:
Mike Aviles- 0-5, 2 K, 4 LOB
Adrian Gonzalez- 0-5, 1 K, 1 LOB

Player of the Game:
Nick Punto- Oddly enough, it was Punto who played the biggest part in the win today-- coming just a triple short of the cycle with a monster home run-- he is still a miserable .175/1/5 this year.

Clutch Rallies Help Sox Win Third Straight (26-24)

Lester settled down after a
shaky start

The Red Sox continue to play well of late-- beating the Tigers last night to move within 2.5 games of first place. The Tigers started quickly, loading the bases with three singles (Worth, Cabrera, and Fielder) and just one out. Delmon Young knocked one of them in with a slow bouncer to second baseman Nick Punto-- Punto got one, but it wasn't enough to turn two and the Tigers would score. After a scoreless second inning, the Tigers benefitted by a leadoff triple to center field by Tigers rookie Quintin Berry. Berry would score on a sacrifice fly when Danny Worth hit a fly ball to center to make it 2-0. However, the inning wasn't over on a one out double by Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera got to third on a wild pitch, then scored on a Prince Fielder groundout-- using some very good base running to take a 3-0 lead. With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, the Red Sox got a rally of their own going. Adrian Gonzalez doubled to right-center and was driven in when David Ortiz smacked a home run to dead center to cut the Tigers' lead to 3-2.

Adrian Gonzalez had a go-ahead
double 

The rally kept going though, as Kevin Youkilis hit a bloop single to right before Will Middlebrooks crushed a home run over the monster to give the Red Sox a 4-3 lead. It would stay at 4-3 for a while, but in the seventh inning, they put two runners on with two outs. One would score when Miguel Cabrera doubled him home to tie things up at 4-4. Two out rallies appeared to be the Red Sox' friend as with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, they put two runners on. The Red Sox scored one when Adrian Gonzalez hit a ground-rule double to right. They got one more in the eighth when Kevin Youkilis hit a homer to left field to make it 6-4. Alfredo Aceves shut down the Tigers in the ninth and the Red Sox won by that score.

Bright Spots:
Andrew Miller- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, SV (13)
Daniel Nava- 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4, 1 R, 2 2B, 1 RBI
David Ortiz- 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Kevin Youkilis- 2-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Dull Spots:
Matt Albers- 0.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB
Kelly Shoppach- 0-4, 2 K, 3 LOB
Nick Punto- 0-4, 2 K, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Adrian Gonzalez- Gonzalez was a key in two scoring opportunities as he went 2-4 with a pair of doubles, including the go-ahead one, driving in a run and scoring one-- he is now .273/4/27.

Red Sox Beat Verlander To Eclipse .500 (25-24)

Bard pitched well last night

After long last, the Red Sox have finally eclipsed the .500 mark-- winning last night to become 25-24 on the season and only 3.5 games out of first place. It's fair to say that the Red Sox were not expected to win this game with Daniel Bard against Justin Verlander-- but the Sox got going quickly in the second. A leadoff double for David Ortiz and a one-out single for Jarrod Saltalamacchia put runners at the corners with one away. Mike Aviles grounded into what should have been a routine double play, but he beat out the back end and the run scored to make it 1-0. The Red Sox struck again in the fourth when they loaded the bases on three singles (Youkilis, Aviles, Podsednik) and just one out for Nick Punto. In his traditional style, Punto lifted a pop fly that didn't even get out of the infield to make it two outs. Daniel Nava then worked a full count in a fantastic at bat before inside outing a 101 mph fastball down the third base line to score all three runs and give the Red Sox a 4-0 lead.

Ortiz went 3-4 with a home run

However, with one out in the fifth, the Tigers ended Bard's shutout when Jhonny Peralta lifted a home run to right-center to make things 4-1. The Red Sox answered for that when, after a leadoff single for Adrian Gonzalez, David Ortiz doubled him home off the monster to make it 5-1. Ortiz would be thrown out at third and that would be all the Sox would get in the inning. The Tigers ate away at the Red Sox' lead a little more in the fifth when Prince Fielder took advantage of a hanging change and crushed a home run to right field. Daniel Bard was taken out of the game after this-- having arguably his best outing with a 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K line. It would be Fielder again in the seventh inning, cutting it to a 5-3 lead when he drove Miguel Cabrera in with a single. It would all be good though, because David Ortiz continued his excellent game by belting a home run over the green monster to make it 6-3. Alfredo Aceves picked up his 12th save of the year and that was that.

Bright Spots:
Daniel Bard- 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K, W (5-5)
Vicente Padilla- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, SV (12)
Daniel Nava- 1-4, 1 2B, 3 RBI
David Ortiz- 3-4, 2 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Scott Podsednik- 2-4, 1 R

Dull Spots:
Andrew Miller- 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 K
Ryan Sweeney- 0-4, 3 K, 4 LOB

Player of the Game:
David Ortiz- Ortiz had a great game to lead to Sox over .500 here-- going 3-4 with two doubles, a home run, two runs scored, and two RBIs-- he is now .319/11/33 this year.

Red Sox Edge O's With Trifecta Of Homers (22-22)

Bard earned his fourth win

The Red Sox kept their hopes for a .500 record alive today by knocking off the Orioles in a tight series finale. The Orioles got going very quickly off Daniel Bard-- loading the bases with one out in the first. They would take a run on a sacrifice fly for Chris Davis but that would be all for the inning. The Red Sox quickly answered in the second by loading the bases with no outs. Scott Podsednik then had a somewhat bittersweet play, grounding into a double play to score the run and tie things up at 1-1, but there could've been much more in the inning. The Orioles then proceeded to answer their mini-rally when Nick Johnson led off the O's half of the second by crushing a 2-0 pitch to right field. The game would continue to see saw in the third when Will Middlebrooks drove Dustin Pedroia home on a double before Kevin Youkilis was caught at home easily by the left fielder Xavier Avery. The score would stay deadlocked at 2-2 up until the sixth inning.

Scott Podsednik made his
first Red Sox start big

The Red Sox would put a little rally up in the sixth after a fly out and a strikeout to lead off the inning. Daniel Nava would take a low breaking ball and golf a line drive into the seats in right field to give the Red Sox a 3-2 lead in the sixth. A Scott Podsednik single would keep the rally going and knock starter Jake Arrieta out of the game with a 5.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 2 K line. Off of new reliever Luis Ayala, Kelly Shoppach would hit the biggest blow of the inning as he knocked a two-run homer to dead left field to give the Red Sox a 5-2 lead late. Daniel Bard would start the sixth, but only pitch to a batter as he'd leave with a 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 2 K line. Andrew Miller came into the game and would allow his first runs of the year when Nick Johnson took him deep to right for his second home run of the game to make it 5-4. The Red Sox would get an insurance run in the eighth, however, when the light-hitting Scott Podsednik popped a homer to right-center to make it 6-4. The O's would score in the eighth as well, but still lose 6-5 as the Red Sox returned to .500.

Bright Spots:
Daniel Bard- 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 2 K, W (4-5)
Alfredo Aceves- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, SV (11)
Kevin Youkilis- 2-3, 1 R, 1 BB
Will Middlebrooks- 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Daniel Nava- 2-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Scott Podsednik- 2-3, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Kelly Shoppach- 2-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Dull Spots:
Andrew Miller- 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 BB
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K
David Ortiz- 0-5, 1 K, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Kelly Shoppach- Shoppach played a good game today, not only calling a good game for Daniel Bard, but also going 2-3 with a two-run homer-- he is now .281/2/8 this year.

Late Rallies Help Sox Strike Even (21-21)

Clay Buchholz wasn't too
good, allowing 5 runs

After long last, the Red Sox are back at the .500 mark. After being 11-11 and going on a miserable losing streak, they are finally back at 21-21. Tommy Hunter and Clay Buchholz threw two perfect innings each to start the game, and this was looking like a pitching duel. However, the Red Sox broke out in the third when a Daniel Nava single and Marlon Byrd double put two runners in scoring position with no outs. Mike Aviles singled up the middle to score Nava, and Byrd would score later on a sacrifice fly by Dustin Pedroia-- barely beating the throw by Nick Markakis to make it 2-0. The Orioles would take the Red Sox' two runs and raise them two more in the third when they loaded the bases to start the inning. After an 11 pitch at bat, Xavier Avery walked in a run, and the O's would get another cheapie when J.J. Hardy knocked an infield hit to tie it at 2-2. Nick Markakis would walk in a run to give the Orioles a lead before Adam Jones drove in a run on a double play to make it 4-2 in the third. The Orioles would score another in the fourth when Chris Davis led off the inning with a line drive home run to right-center.

David Ortiz hit his 10th
home run of the year

Things were looking bleak when the Orioles had a 5-2 lead heading into the sixth, but David Ortiz put all that behind him by hitting a moonshot onto Eutaw Street behind right field. Ortiz's slam would power the Red Sox' offense as a double and a single put a pair in scoring position with no outs. They would score two on a sacrifice fly by Daniel Nava as well as scoring on an obvious balk (even I picked it up!) by Tommy Hunter to tie the game at 5-5. The offense continued to roll for the Red Sox in the seventh when they loaded the bases with just one out. Adrian Gonzalez hit a deep fly ball to left, caught on the warning track, but it would drive in the speedy Mike Aviles to give the Sox a 6-5 lead. Will Middlebrooks proceeded to give the Red Sox an insurance run by driving a clean single up the middle to make things 7-5. The Red Sox would get another insurance run in the eighth when Dustin Pedroia drove in Che-Hsuan Lin on a single to make it 8-5. The O's took a run in the eighth but it didn't matter as the Red Sox won 8-6.

Bright Spots:
Andrew Miller- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K, W (1-0)
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, SV (10)
Mike Aviles- 2-5, 1 R, 1 RBI
Dustin Pedroia- 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI
David Ortiz- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 3-5, 1 R, 1 RBI
Daniel Nava- 2-3, 1 R, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Rich Hill- 0.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R

Player of the Game:
Dustin Pedroia- Pedroia had a very strong night last night, going 2-4 with a double to go with scoring a run and driving in two-- he is now .305/5/20 this year.

Red Sox Smash Four Homers, Beat Phillies (19-21)

Lester wasn't great but he earned the
win last night

This game was essentially the opposite of the game before, as the Sox took an early lead and just hung on the beat the Phillies. This game started off really fast for the Red Sox as Mike Aviles homered on a liner into left-center. The Sox got into another good position to score in the second, when they put runners at second and third with no outs. Daniel Nava drove one in one a bad play by Joe Blanton-- who made a bad throw to second. Another one game in on a double play by Jon Lester, so it wasn't pretty but the Sox had a 3-0 lead. The Phillies got a two-out rally going in the third, culminating in a Shane Victorino double to make it 3-1. The fifth would mark the Red Sox' biggest lead of the night as it went to 5-1 on back-to-back homers for Will Middlebrooks and Jarrod Saltalamacchia-- both to right-center.

David Ortiz had a two-run
shot, his ninth of the year

However, the Phillies would nearly come back in the very same inning as Carlos Ruiz scored on a near home run by Hector Luna. Freddy Galvis would promptly drive both Luna and himself home on a blast to left-center to cut the lead to 5-4 Red Sox. In the fifth, David Ortiz let Red Sox fans take a deep breath though. He absolutely hammered a two-run homer into pretty much dead center-- his ninth of the year-- to make it 7-4 in the fifth inning. After a couple more scoreless innings for Lester-- he was taken out before the seventh inning with a 6 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K line-- unimpressive, but he got the job done. Vicente Padilla came in and worked a scoreless seventh before he ran into some trouble in the eighth. With runners at second and third and two outs, Jimmy Rollins drove in one of them with an infield single to cut it to 7-5. However, Alfredo Aceves sent Red Sox fans home happy by working a four out save-- getting his ninth of the season to help the Red Sox win 7-5.


Bright Spots:
Mike Aviles- 1-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
David Ortiz- 2-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 3-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Ryan Sweeney- 1-3, 1 R, 1 2B
Daniel Nava- 1-4, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Adrian Gonzalez- 0-4, 2 K, 1 LOB

Player of the Game:
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- Salty had a fantastic game last night, going 3-4 and coming just a triple short of the cycle-- he is having a pretty good season at .283/6/16 this year.

Ross Drives In Four As Sox Edge Rays (18-20)

Doubront threw the 7th straight
 quality start for the Red Sox

It's very very comfortable to have a one or two run lead against the Rays, who always seem to have a knack to beat the Sox, but the Red Sox edged a close game last night. The Red Sox got going strong off of Matt Moore, loading the bases on two singles and a hit by pitch with just an out. Will Middlebrooks struck out looking on an outside fastball to put the Red Sox' scoring chances in jeopardy. However, Cody Ross came through by working an excellent at bat-- walking despite starting with an 0-2 count-- to push in the Sox' first run. The second run would come leading off the second inning when Marlon Byrd put a charge into a 3-2 fastball and hit his first Red Sox home run into left center field. Matt Moore appeared to have settled down after that, though, retiring five of the next six hitters before Cody Ross came to the plate. Ross belted a low change into dead center field for his seventh homer of the year, giving the Sox a 3-0 lead. However, the Rays would answer with a little rally in the bottom of the third.

Cody Ross had a homer
and four RBIs last night

With two outs and nobody on, B.J. Upton swung at the first pitch and popped it up to Adrian Gonzalez at first. A weird call took place though, as apparently Kelly Shoppach's glove interfered with Upton's swing, and they awarded Upton first base. The Rays made a rally out of this, eventually culminated in a Jeff Keppinger single to score Upton and make it 3-1. The Rays took another in the fourth when rookie Rich Thompson singled up the middle to drive in a run. The Rays would load the bases in the inning but the Sox would escape on a Luke Scott lineout. The next few innings were scoreless, and Felix Doubront was eventually pulled with a line of 5.2 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 6 H, 4 BB, 7 K. The Red Sox were in scoring position again in the eighth when they put two runners in scoring position with two outs. Cody Ross came up and drove them both in on a soft single up the middle to make it 5-2. The Rays scored in the eighth, but the Red Sox would edge this game out by a score of 5-3.


Bright Spots:
Alfredo Aceves- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R
Dustin Pedroia- 2-5, 1 R
David Ortiz- 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB
Cody Ross- 2-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 BB, 4 RBI
Marlon Byrd- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 K
Adrian Gonzalez- 0-3, 1 K, 2 LOB
Will Middlebrooks- 0-4, 2 K, 5 LOB
Daniel Nava- 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K, 3 LOB
Kelly Shoppach- 0-3, 2 K

Player of the Game:
Cody Ross- Ross came up with all the big hits (and walks) last night, driving in four runs, and the Red Sox would not have won without him-- he is now .262/7/27 this season.