Lester Tagged With First Ever Loss To O's In Comeback (68-84)

Lester was strong early on

This disappointing season has just kept on going, even though the Red Sox showed some promise as a spoiler a few days ago, they're back to losing three straight. This pitching matchup looked like a good one coming into the game with Jon Lester (9-12, 4.95) facing off against impressive O's rookie Miguel Gonzalez (6-4, 3.57). The strong pitching matchup played right into things for the first few innings. Neither team scored for a little while, until the Red Sox got a little rally in the third. It started off when Daniel Nava hit a liner down the first base line that probably would've gone for a triple if a fan had not interfered. Anyhow, he was standing on second when Pedro Ciriaco drove him with a double off the monster. However, the O's came right back-- putting two runners in scoring position with no outs in the fourth. Matt Wieters delivered for the Birds with a two-run single to make it 2-1.

However, he unraveled late

The strong pitching matchup continued for another inning, but the Red Sox got right back into the thick of things in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs in the inning and nobody on, the Red Sox got back to back singles for Pedro Ciriaco and Scott Podsednik to put runners at the corners. Dustin Pedroia was the man as usual here as he singled on a grounder past the third baseman to score Ciriaco and tie things up at 2-2. However, once again, the Orioles climbed back ahead as soon as the Red Sox scored. An Adam Jones walk with one out in the sixth set up an RBI double down the first baseline for Matt Wieters. Wieters got to third on a wild pitch and eventually scored on a liner up the middle for Mark Reynolds. Lester actually wound up going seven decent innings but wound up with his first ever loss to Baltimore, as he's now 14-1.

Bright Spots:
Scott Atchison- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K
Mark Melancon- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K
Pedro Ciriaco- 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Scott Podsednik- 2-4
Dustin Pedroia- 1-4, 1 RBI
Daniel Nava- 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B
Jose Iglesias- 1-3

Dull Spots:
Cody Ross- 0-4, 1 K, 3 LOB
Ryan Lavarnway- 0-4
James Loney- 0-4, 1 K, 1 LOB

Player of the Game:
Pedro Ciriaco- Ciriaco did a typically good job on top of the lineup last night, batting 2-4 with a run scored and an RBI double-- he is now .297/2/19.

Red Sox Win Tight One In Toronto (65-80)

Matsuzaka was roughed up as usual

Last night was a surprisingly good game for the Red Sox as they won a fairly exciting game in Toronto. This game started off like a pitching duel as neither team scored until the bottom of the third when the Blue Jays broke out. Daisuke Matsuzaka loaded the bases entirely on his own accord on a hit by pitch and two walks, with one out. The first run scored, also on Dice-K's own accord, on a wild pitch while Brett Lawrie was batting. Lawrie would wind up walking on another wild pitch for Dice-K to make it 2-0 with the Blue Jays' bats not even coming off of their shoulders. The final run of the inning came on a groundout by Adam Lind. That was bad, but the Red Sox struck back in the top of the fourth. A Cody Ross walk and Mauro Gomez put runners at first and second to start things off. Ryan Lavarnway did the damage by raking a line drive just over the wall in left field to make it 3-3.

Gomez's go ahead triple was the key hit

The Red Sox just kept rolling along in the fifth inning as well. With two outs in the inning, the Red Sox loaded the bases on a single, walk, and a fielder's choice. Two runs came in on an RBI single to right for Daniel Nava, giving the Red Sox a 5-3 lead. It stayed there until the bottom of the sixth when Adam Lind's one out triple put a good chance to score up. That score happened on an RBI single by Yunel Escobar to cut it to a 5-4 lead. The Jays kept eating into that lead as a leadoff single in the eighth by Colby Rasmus set up a key hit. That key hit was Brett Lawrie's game tying RBI triple. However, the Red Sox would have their key strike in the ninth inning, as a couple of singles and a fly out put runners at first and second and one out. It would be Mauro Gomez with the key hit, as he tripled into the gap in right-center past a diving Anthony Gose. That scored two runs, and a third came in on a Ryan Lavarnway sac fly as the Red Sox wrapped up a win.

Bright Spots:
Junichi Tazawa- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K
Andrew Bailey- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K
Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-5, 1 R
Cody Ross- 1-4, 2 R
Mauro Gomez- 2-4, 3 R, 1 3B, 2 RBI
Ryan Lavarnway- 1-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI
Daniel Nava- 2-5, 2 RBI

Dull Spots:
Daisuke Matsuzaka- 5.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 5 K
Vicente Padilla- 0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R
James Loney- 0-4, 1 K, 3 LOB

Player of the Game:
Mauro Gomez- Not only did Gomez have the key hit, a two run triple, but he also went 2-4 and scored three runs-- he is now .297/2/14.

Red Sox Finish Strong To Win Series Over Rays (45-44)

Beckett settled down after the
first inning

The Red Sox continued their run of staying around .500 but yet in the thick of things as they moved within a game of the Rays today. They scored first in the first inning after a pair of one out walks. Adrian Gonzalez would deliver with a line drive into left for an RBI single to make it 1-0. However, the Rays answered in a big way in the bottom of the first-- putting runners at the corners with no outs. Ben Zobrist hit a hard liner off of Josh Beckett's glove and hustled out an infield hit to tie it at one. The Rays weren't done scoring though, as a few batters later a soft single to center by Desmond Jennings would give the Rays a 3-1 lead and it wasn't looking like Josh Beckett's best day. Luckily, Beckett didn't even have to work with a deficit for all that long as the Red Sox got right back to business in the second. After a one out single by Will Middlebrooks, Mike Aviles had the big blow with a two-run homer to center to make it 3-3.

Nava had the go-ahead home run

Both Josh Beckett and James Shields settled down from that point on, but neither was really good. That finally caught up to Shields in the fifth as Daniel Nava got ahold of an outside pitch, pulling it to right for a go ahead home run to make it 4-3. The Red Sox kept rolling right along in the fifth and proceeded to load the bases on two hits and a walk, with just one out. This time it was Will Middlebrooks with the big hit, as he singled hard up the middle to bring in two runs and give the Red Sox a comfortable 6-3 lead. After loading the bases with one out in the sixth, the Red Sox got some more insurance on a sacrifice fly by Cody Ross to make it 7-3. Beckett left after the sixth with a decent 6 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 7 K. The bullpen would hold the Rays and give the Red Sox a comfortable 7-3 win and a series win.

Bright Spots:
Josh Beckett- 6 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 7 K, W (5-7)
Mark Melancon- 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Jacoby Ellsbury- 3-5, 1 R, 1 2B
Daniel Nava- 1-3, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 HR, 1 RBI
David Ortiz- 2-4, 1 BB
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI
Cody Ross- 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 3-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Mike Aviles- 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Dull Spots:
Pedro Ciriaco- 0-4, 2 K, 4 LOB

Player of the Game:
Will Middlebrooks- Middlebrooks made more case for the Youkilis trade as he went 3-4 with a double, a run, and two RBIs-- he improved to .301/11/41 on the season.

Red Sox Cook Up Shutout Of Mariners (41-36)

I feel extremely proud of this blog, and this post today was my 1000th post and I'd like to thank all the fans that keep this blog going. On another note, let's celebrate the win!

Cook allowed two hits in a shutout

For quite a while, this game was looking like another pitcher's duel as neither team scored for a while. Aaron Cook and Hector Noesi practically matched each other pitch for pitch. Both teams were hitless until Ryan Kalish's single in the third and Ichiro Suzuki's infield single in the fourth. Aaron Cook was incredibly economical as he was throwing far fewer than 10 pitches an inning on average and was inducing grounders right and left. The game was 0-0 heading into the top of the fifth-- but the Red Sox changed that very quickly with a big inning. Will Middlebrooks was leading off and promptly hit a hanging slider to dead left field for a long home run to give the Red Sox the lead. Cody Ross followed him up with a blast to left that made it into the upper deck and traveled an estimated 432 feet. Three batters later, it was Daniel Nava crushing a ball to right to make it 3-0 on three solo home runs.

Ross hit his 12th home run 432 feet

Cook took care of the Mariners 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fifth before the Red Sox got right back to business in the sixth. David Ortiz doubled into right-center to start the inning and bring up Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Salty took advantage of a first pitch fastball down the middle and drove it to left-center for a two-run homer to make it 5-0. After an Adrian Gonzalez single, Hector Noesi was taken out of the game with an unimpressive line of 5 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 0 K despite being dominant for the first four innings. Shawn Kelley came into the game and shut the Red Sox down for two innings-- striking out a batter and allowing no hits or runs. Oliver Perez came in afterwards and was almost as good-- allowing two hits and walking one but allowing no runs. Meanwhile, Aaron Cook continued to dominate and finished his night with a ridiculous 81 pitch, two-hit shutout.

Bright Spots:
Aaron Cook- 9 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 2 K, W (2-1)
Daniel Nava- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Cody Ross- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Nobody!

Player of the Game:
Aaron Cook- Cook was absolutely fantastic last night, allowing just two hits and inducing 14 groundouts in a complete game shutout as he is now 2-1/4.32/2 on the year.

Ross Powers Sox To Series Win Over Braves (38-34)

Cook made a spot start and did a
decent job

The Red Sox had a shot of bad news before today's game as Clay Buchholz was scratched from his scheduled start and added to the DL with intestinal bleeding. This meant Aaron Cook would start today's game, but Cook managed a decent start to lead the Sox out of last. Neither team scored for a while, but the Red Sox finally got a rally going in the bottom of the fourth on back-to-back leadoff walks by Dustin Pedroia and Will Middlebrooks. Cody Ross came up and promptly crushed a pitch over the green monster for a three run homer to make it 3-0. Adrian Gonzalez came up next and delivered by going back-to-back with Ross and hitting a home run over the monster of his own. However, the Braves mounted a rally just as quickly as the Red Sox with back-to-back singles leading off the inning. Eric Hinske knocked a ball off the wall in center and it bounced around to result in a two-run triple. Hinske was almost picked off on the next play as Aaron Cook fielded a comebacker, but a bad throw allowed Hinske to score and make it 4-3.

Ross had two home runs and
five RBIs

Somehow the Red Sox escaped the inning only allowing three runs and got right back to business in the fifth. Kelly Shoppach led off the inning with a weak ground ball to the shortstop. Luckily, Andrelton Simmons made a rookie mistake by making a horrible throw to allow Shoppach to advance to second with no outs. Shoppach got to third on a bloop single by Daniel Nava and scored on a Will Middlebrooks sac fly to make it 5-3. The Red Sox were not done though, as Cody Ross came up and for the second time in two innings homered over the monster to give the Red Sox a 7-3 lead. Jason Heyward's opposite field home run in the sixth cut it to 7-4 but that would be the last Braves' bright spot of the game. Daniel Nava drove in Shoppach with an RBI double to left-center  in the sixth and a Kevin Youkilis RBI triple in the eighth made it 9-4. With that triple, Youkilis may have ended his Red Sox' career in style as trade rumors are buzzing. Anyhow, that and many other hits led the Red Sox to a 9-4 win and moved out of last.

Bright Spots:
Scott Atchison- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Mark Melancon- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K
Daniel Nava- 2-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Cody Ross- 2-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-3, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Kevin Youkilis- 2-4, 1 3B, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Matt Albers- 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R
Mike Aviles- 0-4, 1 K, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Cody Ross- Ross powered the Red Sox to a win with two homers and five RBIs in a 2-4 game as his return has certainly aided the Sox-- he is now .277/11/37 this season.

Middlebrooks Powers Sox Again In Win Over Braves (37-34)

Morales struck out eight in six innings

The Red Sox are certainly winning at the time as they picked up another solid win last night to tie the series up at 1-1. They did this despite not even scoring first as the first two baserunners of the night reached second and third for the Braves. An RBI single would net the Braves a 1-0 lead but they did not score again in the inning. The Red Sox would score a few runs of their own in the bottom of the first when they put runners at the corners and two outs. They scored one as Adrian Gonzalez singled up the middle to tie the game. Another run would come in as Will Middlebrooks doubled off the left-center portion of the green monster to make it 2-1. With runners at first and second and one out in the second, the Red Sox would add on to their lead as Dustin Pedroia doubled into the gap in left-center to score two and make it 4-1.

Nava had a two-run single in
the seventh inning

They'd take one more run in the third on a leadoff homer over the monster by Will Middlebrooks. With a man on second and two outs, the Braves mounted a little rally which culminated in Michael Bourn grounding to left to score Jason Heyward from second and making it 5-2. After the first two men reached base in the fifth for the Red Sox, they made up for that run on an RBI double by Cody Ross. However, a Chipper Jones double in the sixth-- scoring Dan Uggla from first-- would make up for that and cut it to 6-3. The Braves got another rally going in the seventh as they put two runners in scoring position to bring the tying run to the plate. Unfortunately for them, Michael Bourn had an RBI groundout and that was all they got. Daniel Nava made up for that in the bottom half of the inning as he scored Cody Ross from third and Ryan Kalish from second with a two-out single to make it 8-4. The score stuck at that and the Red Sox won to remain tied in last with Toronto.

Bright Spots:
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R
Daniel Nava- 1-4, 1 R, 2 RBI
Dustin Pedroia- 3-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-5, 1 R, 1 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 3-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Cody Ross- 2-4, 1 R, 2 2B, 1 RBI
Mike Aviles- 2-4, 1 R

Dull Spots:
Scott Atchison- 0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 R

Player of the Game:
Will Middlebrooks- Middlebrooks continues to swing a hot bat as the third baseman went 3-4, coming just a triple short of the cycle in a big game-- he is now .331/9/33 this season.

Red Sox' Streak Ends With Offense The Culprit (36-34)

Lester pitched well but was tagged
with the loss

This game was a true pitcher's duel with Jon Lester and Jair Jurrjens going up against one another. It played like a true pitcher's duel for the first several innings as neither team scored until the bottom of the fourth. In that inning, the Braves put two runners in scoring position with one out after a single by Freddie Freeman and a double by Jason Heyward. Freeman came in to score the game's first run on a groundout by Matt Diaz and Heyward came in on a double by rookie shortstop Andrelton Simmons to make it 2-0. After a scoreless fifth, the Braves got back into business in the sixth with a leadoff double by Jason Heyward. Heyward got to third on a flyout to right field by Matt Diaz and scored on a sacrifice fly by Andrelton Simmons to make it 3-0 in the sixth. It stayed like that for a few more frames and Jon Lester was taken out of the game after the seventh inning with a line of 7 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

The offense was held in check all night

Mark Melancon would take his place and tossed a scoreless eighth inning to set the Red Sox up for some runs against Jair Jurrjens-- who had been phenomenal so far. A leadoff double by Will Middlebrooks could have set up some fire for the Red Sox. However, a Ryan Kalish fly out and a Mike Aviles groundout kept him at second base with two outs. Luckily, Daniel Nava delivered with an RBI double off the green monster to cut it to a 3-1 deficit. The Braves would make up for that run in the top of the ninth, though, as Mark Melancon ran into a bit of trouble. The Braves put runners at the corners with two outs when Freddie Freeman came up and singled to left to make it 4-1. Normally, that wouldn't be a huge margin but with Braves' closer Craig Kimbrel-- it was, and a 1-2-3 ninth would net the Red Sox a loss.

Bright Spots:
Jon Lester- 7 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K, L (4-5)
Daniel Nava- 1-3, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 1-2, 1 R, 1 2B

Dull Spots:
Dustin Pedroia- 0-4, 2 LOB
David Ortiz- 0-4, 1 LOB
Cody Ross- 0-4, 1 K
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-3, 2 K
Ryan Kalish- 0-3, 1 K, 2 LOB
Mike Aviles- 0-3, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Jon Lester- Although Lester allowed ten hits and was tagged with the loss, he still did better than any other Red Sox' and with a better offense may have won-- he is now 4-5/4.48/75.

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 Vault Into Fourth After Rout Of Marlins (35-33)

Doubront didn't have his best
stuff but he got the win

Last night was a good one as they absolutely pounded the Marlins and as a result of that, moved out of last place. After two singles to lead off the game, the Marlins actually scored first on a double play ball hit by Giancarlo Stanton. With runners at the corners and one out in the second, they pushed home another run on a groundout by Gaby Sanchez-- those would be their only bright spots in this game though. After a pair of two-out singles in the bottom of the second, Mike Aviles really made the rally pay off with a three-run homer over the monster in left-center. The Red Sox got a few more runs in the third after loading the bases with one out for Cody Ross. Ross would clear the bases with a double to left that took a huge bounce away from Marlins' left fielder Logan Morrison to give the Red Sox a 6-2 lead. The Marlins would cut the lead a little when Logan Morrison redeemed himself with a leadoff homer off the Pesky Pole and again on an RBI single by Gaby Sanchez but it was still 6-4 Red Sox.

Mike Aviles and Jarrod
Saltalamacchia each homered

And it was about to become much more than that as they Red Sox put runners at the corners with one out. Ryan Kalish scored one with an infield single but David Ortiz had the big blow as he crushed a high home run to deep right to make it 11-4. Two batters later, Jarrod Saltalamacchia delivered with a blast of his own as he homered to dead center to make it 12-4. The Red Sox got right back to business in the fifth as they loaded the bases on two walks and a single for David Ortiz. The damage would not be quite as great this time as the only run of the inning came on a wild pitch by Marlins' reliever Chris Hatcher. In the seventh, the Marlins had a little bright spot as John Buck hit a no-doubt shot to left field, staying just fair to make it 13-5. However, the Red Sox made up for the Buck home run with a two-out walk and then a two-out homer for Will Mddlebrooks to left field to make it 15-5. That would be the final score as the Red Sox absolutely pounded the Marlins and are now out of last and only six games out of first!

Bright Spots:
Mark Melancon- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Daniel Nava- 4-5, 2 R
Ryan Kalish- 2-5, 2 R, 1 RBI
David Ortiz- 1-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI
Cody Ross- 1-4, 1 2B, 3 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 2-4, 3 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Kevin Youkilis- 2-3, 1 R, 1 2B
Will Middlebrooks- 1-1, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Mike Aviles- 2-5, 2 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI

Dull Spots:
None!

Player of the Game:
Mike Aviles- Aviles had a heck of a game, leading the Red Sox' offense by going 3-5 with a three-run homer and scoring twice to become .268/9/40.

Morales's Strong Spot Start Leads Sox Over Cubbies (33-33)

Morales struggled in the
first inning

I've said it many times before, but the Red Sox really needed to win this series. And they did, so they now stand at 33-33-- still in last place, but just by a game. Things started off really well for the Red Sox as Scott Podsednik led off the game with a bloop single to center. The scuffling Dustin Pedroia stepped to the plate and knocked a hanging change into the left-center gap to score Podsednik all the way from first to take an early 1-0 lead. Pedroia got to third on a Kevin Youkilis fly out and came home when David Ortiz lined a ball into right field to help the Sox take a 2-0 lead. Unfortunately, the Cubs got off to almost equally as good a start when Reed Johnson doubled to left. Starlin Castro hit a little blooper into the gap which evaded right fielder Darnell McDonald's grasp and kept rolling-- ending up as an RBI triple for Castro. New starter Franklin Morales would work out of the mess with minimal damage, though, as he got a strikeout and groundout to end the inning.

After that, he was very
good though

With Darwin Barney on first base in the third inning, it would be Starlin Castro again as he hit a high pop up to the outfield grass. There was a miscommunication between Dustin Pedroia and Darnell McDonald and it fell for a double. David Ortiz led off the fourth inning with a home run, though, to give the Sox a 3-2 lead. With runners at the corners for Chicago in the sixth, Jeff Baker hit a little dribbler to Matt Albers. Albers snagged it and tried to turn two but he made a bad throw and they didn't get the out and the run scored to tie the game. However, the Red Sox made it up in the seventh-- putting two runners in scoring position to start the inning. Newly recalled Ryan Kalish gave them the lead with a bloop single to center that scored one. Will Middlebrooks made it 5-3 with a sacrifice fly to center and they got one more run on a suicide squeeze with Daniel Nava at the plate. The Red Sox scored one more in the eighth on an RBI groundout by Jarrod Saltalamacchia. The Cubs also got an extra run, on a David DeJesus sac fly, but the game was over after the seventh as the Red Sox won 7-4.
Bright Spots:
Franklin Morales- 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 9 K
Scott Atchison- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R
Scott Podsednik- 1-3, 1 R
Daniel Nava- 1-1, 1 RBI
Dustin Pedroia- 2-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
David Ortiz- 2-4, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 1-2, 1 R, 1 RBI
Ryan Kalish- 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 K
Mike Aviles- 0-4, 1 BB, 1 K, 5 LOB
Kelly Shoppach- 0-2, 2 K

Player of the Game:
David Ortiz- As usual, Ortiz had a great game for the Red Sox-- hitting a home run and driving in two in a 2-4 game as he became a fantastic .311/16/43.

Red Sox Roughed Up By Nats In Series Opener (29-29)

Doubront had his first bad start
in a while

It appears that the Red Sox may be going in a downward spiral again as they've lost four or their last five and that continued last night. They got off to a decent start after the Red Sox put two men on base with two outs in the second inning. Both of those runners would come in when Mike Aviles hit a high fly ball that banged off the monster in center field to make it 2-0 Red Sox. Things would take a dramatic turn for the worse very quickly, however, as the Nationals put two runners in scoring position with one out in the top of the third. One would score when Ryan Zimmerman took one right back up the middle for a single to cut the Red Sox' lead to 2-1. Zimmerman and Michael Morse, who walked in the next at bat, both scored when Ian Desmond took a ball to the gap in right-center to give the Nationals a 3-2 lead. The Nationals kept going in the fourth after a leadoff double by Tyler Moore. Moore would score on a double by Danny Espinosa and Espinosa would score on a two-run homer by phenom Bryce Harper to make it 6-2.

Punto walked and scored
in the ninth

That score held for a while, but a leadoff single in the sixth by Tyler Moore put the Nationals in business. The next two hitters got out but Bryce Harper singled him in after Moore stole second base, putting the Nationals up to a commanding lead of 7-2. The Red Sox would cut the lead by a little bit in the eighth inning when Adrian Gonzalez crushed a ball in the air to deep center. As the ball fell into the stands for a solo home run, it became the 200th home run of Gonzalez's career, yet only the fifth of the season for the first baseman. The Red Sox got another small rally going in the ninth after Nick Punto walked with one out. Daniel Nava drove him in with a double to deep center to bring Punto all the way around from first base to cut it to a three-run lead for the Nationals. However, Tyler Clippard came in to pitch and got Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez to fly out harmlessly to end the game with a score of 7-4. 

Bright Spots:

Scott Atchison- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R

Andrew Miller- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R

Daniel Nava- 2-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Adrian Gonzalez- 2-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI

Mike Aviles- 1-3, 1 2B, 2 RBI

Dull Spots:

Felix Doubront- 4 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 6 K, L (6-3)

Matt Albers- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 3 K

Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-4, 2 K, 4 LOB

Kevin Youkilis- 0-4, 3 K, 4 LOB

Player of the Game:

Adrian Gonzalez- Gonzalez had a good offensive game, going 2-5 with a double and his 200th career home run to make him .275/5/32 this year. 

Weekly News

Despite today's miserable game against the Blue Jays, the Red Sox rattled off a fine 5-2 mark on the week-- going 3-1 against Detroit and 2-1 against Toronto. For his team-leading fourth time this year, the Player of the Week is the ever-impressive David Ortiz. Ortiz batted .384/3/7 this week and has continued to dominate the opposition, adding to his great .315/13/37 season here in 2012. For his first time of the year, the Pitcher of the Week is Clay Buchholz who appears to be turning it around. He allowed two runs in eight strong against Toronto on Friday, but his season stats are still brutal at 5-2/6.58/40. The Performance of the Week goes to the youngster Daniel Nava-- who made his mark with a 4-5, three runs scored, three doubles night against the Blue Jays in Friday's 7-2 win. The Game of the Week will be Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Tigers. The game was tied late but an Adrian Gonzalez RBI double and Kevin Youkilis home run would allow the Red Sox to win. In the upcoming week, the Red Sox have an off day tomorrow before going home for three game series against the Orioles and Nationals.

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.

Red Sox Move Out Of Last With Win Over Jays (27-25)

Buchholz allowed just two
runs in eight innings of work

Well, they moved out of sole possession of last as the Red Sox beat the Jays last night and are now tied, with the Jays, for fourth in the AL East at 27-25. The Red Sox got going early and never really stopped, scoring their first run leading off the second by David Ortiz-- who hit a blast to left-center. After two quick outs to start the third inning, Daniel Nava doubled off the wall in right to put the Sox in position for a two-out rally. They would score when Adrian Gonzalez drilled a single through the hole and into left field. The Blue Jays would cut the lead, however, on a two-out home run by Yunel Escobar to make it 2-1. It stayed at 2-1 for a while until the Red Sox loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth. Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a ground ball to the first baseman that should have been a double play, but a mental mistake by pitcher Henderson Alvarez kept it at a force out. The Red Sox scored a run on the play but could not capitalize on the Jays' mistake when Will Middlebrooks grounded into a double play.

Ortiz went 2-3 with a home run and
Nava went 4-5 with 3 runs

The Red Sox would really break out in the seventh inning, after a leadoff double by Ryan Sweeney. The next two batters got out so Sweeney was on third with two away. Scott Podsednik hit a little dribbler over the mound to score a run, beating it out for an RBI infield single to make it 4-1. Daniel Nava drove Podsednik in with a double into the gap in right-center. Nava came in on a single by Adrian Gonzalez to make it 6-1 Red Sox. Gonzalez also came in on an RBI single by David Ortiz, however, Ortiz was a bit far off the bag and was caught so the four-run inning was over. The Jays would "answer" with a solo home run by David Cooper in the seventh but the Red Sox would win 7-2.

Bright Spots:
Clay Buchholz- 8 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K, W (5-2)
Scott Atchison- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K
Scott Podsednik- 1-5, 1 R, 1 RBI
Daniel Nava- 4-5, 3 R, 3 2B, 1 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 3-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 3 RBI
David Ortiz- 2-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Ryan Sweeney- 2-4, 1 R

Dull Spots:
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-4, 1 RBI, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Clay Buchholz- Even when the Red Sox weren't scoring runs (which was much of the game), Buchholz kept the Sox in the game with a great outing-- he is now 5-2/6.58/40.

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.

Winning Streak Comes To Halt As Sox Strand Twelve (17-20)

For his second straight start,
Clay Buchholz pitched well

This streak came to an end in the way that I predicted, with Jeremy Hellickson out-pitching Clay Buchholz in a duel. The first couple of innings were scoreless, but the Rays got going in the bottom of the second. A leadoff single for Carlos Pena and a hit by pitch to Luke Scott put the Rays in a good position to score. However, Sean Rodriguez complicated matters by hitting a ground ball right at third baseman Will Middlebrooks, which would become a 5-4-3 double play ball. This put a runner at third with two outs and Will Rhymes up-- he would walk to put runners at the corners. With Jose Molina batting, Clay Buchholz balked (on a correct call), on a pickoff to first base-- allowing Rhymes to move to second and Pena to score. Molina would strikeout to end the inning. The Sox appeared to be answering right away when Mike Aviles doubled to lead off the third. However, things would go the way of the Rays tonight as the Red Sox would strand Aviles on two hard hit fly balls and a groundout.

He allowed two runs in five innings

It was in the fourth inning that the Red Sox got on the board with a two out rally. After two outs had already been recorded a Jarrod Saltalamacchia double and a Cody Ross walk put the Sox in a place to score. And they would, when Daniel Nava had a bloop into left field, just out of the reach of the diving Matt Joyce to score a run and make it 1-1. Both pitchers settled down, until the sixth inning when Clay Buchholz put runners at the corners with no outs. He was pulled in favor of Andrew Miller. Miller was pitching to Luke Scott, who hit a high fly ball to short right. Cody Ross caught it, but he misread it and allowed the run to score on the sacrifice fly. That would be the winning run and the Rays won the game 2-1.

Bright Spots:
The pitching- 8 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 9 K
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 2-4, 1 2B, 1 R
Cody Ross- 1-3, 1 BB
Daniel Nava- 1-4, 1 RBI
Mike Aviles- 2-3, 1 2B

Dull Spots:
Ryan Sweeney- 0-3, 1 LOB
Adrian Gonzalez- 0-4, 2 K, 2 LOB
Will Middlebrooks- 0-4, 3 K, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Clay Buchholz- Buchholz pitched a good ballgame last night, his second straight, allowing two runs in five innings-- he is now 4-2/7.77/25 on the year.

Lester Goes The Distance In Win Over M's (16-19)

Lester threw a complete
game last night

Again and again, the Red Sox have proven that they are the streakiest team in the majors as their current four-game winning streak illustrates. As usual, they got going very quickly offensively when Dustin Pedroia walked with an out in the first. David Ortiz then came up and promptly gave the Sox a 1-0 lead by banging a double off the monster, the ball ricocheted unpredictably and Pedroia scored easily for the Sox. However, Ortiz would certainly not be stranded as the next batter, Adrian Gonzalez, knocked him in on a double to left to give the Sox a 2-0 lead over the Mariners. It would have seemed that the Sox had something going again in the second, but with a runner on first and two outs-- Marlon Byrd was caught stealing by former Yankees' prospect Jesus Montero-- traded for the currently injured Michael Pineda this offseason. Again, the Red Sox scoring started with just a runner on first in the bottom of the fourth. However, that run would come in quite quickly as Daniel Nava rocketed a two-run homer into the green monster to give the Sox a 4-0 lead.

Daniel Nava had a two-run
home run

With the way that Jon Lester was pitching, that probably would have been enough but they continued to tack on runs in the fourth. Even after Marlon Byrd's flyout, Kelly Shoppach took advantage of a high fastball and hammered it over the green monster-- almost onto Landsdowne Street-- for his first home run of the year. After several scoreless innings by both sides, the Sox got going again in the eighth when they loaded the bases with one out on a single, double, and intentional walk. Marlon Byrd chipped a little fly ball into right field and into the waiting arms of Ichiro, but Will Middlebrooks  was able to hustle it out and it wasn't even a play at home, so the Sox would take a 6-0 lead late. Having only thrown around 100 pitches, Jon Lester headed back out for the ninth inning and put a pair of runners in scoring position with one out. Kyle Seager grounded out to second, producing the only Mariners run of the game and a strikeout by Alex Liddi would official close the book on the game.

Bright Spots:
Jon Lester- 9 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 6 K, CG (1), W (2-3)
David Ortiz- 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 1-3, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Cody Ross- 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B
Daniel Nava- 1-2, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Marlon Byrd- 1-3, 1 SF, 1 RBI
Kelly Shoppach- 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Mike Aviles- 0-4, 1 K, 1 LOB

Player of the Game- Jon Lester pitched a great ballgame today, almost throwing a shutout but settling for a nine inning, one run victory-- he is now 2-3/3.71/34 on the season.

Red Sox Mash Masterson, Wheeler In Rout (15-19)

Daniel Bard earned his
third win of the year

The Red Sox were looking for the series win over Cleveland when they took the field at 1:35 today, and they performed accordingly. After a scoreless top of the first-- the Sox got to work in the bottom half with a two out rally. After Ryan Sweeney and Dustin Pedroia grounded out to lead off the inning, a David Ortiz walk and Adrian Gonzalez double put them in good position to score. They would do so when Will Middlebrooks lined a ball into left to score a run. Another run would come home when Daniel Nava drove a double off the green monster to score a run and push it to 2-0. The Sox would take two more in the inning when Jarrod Saltalamacchia lined a ball into right field with the bases loaded to give the Sox a 4-0 lead in just the first inning. After another scoreless inning-- Daniel Bard got into a little jam in the third when he loaded the bases on two walks and a hit. He would walk Asdrubal Cabrera on four pitches to bring one run home before Travis Hafner grounded into an inning ending double play, and from that point on it was all Red Sox.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia had
five RBIs today

The Sox quickly answered for the Indians' run when Will Middlebrooks knocked a laser over the green monster. After a couple more scoreless innings, the Sox scored again in the sixth when Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a line drive just out of left fielder Johnny Damon's reach to make it 6-1. The sixth would also be Daniel Bard's last inning-- he finished at 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 2 K. Rich Hill worked a perfect seventh before the Sox really got off in the bottom half. Dustin Pedroia led off the inning with a double but was home  on a David Ortiz single before you could say "meaningless run!" Another run would come home on a wild pitch to make it 8-1 and put runners at the corners for Daniel Nava. Nava made good of the opportunity by driving them both in with a double deep off the monster to give the Sox a 10-1 lead. Jarrod Saltalamacchia came up after a Cody Ross groundout and promptly drove a homer to almost dead center to give the Sox a 12-1 lead. Those would be the last runs of a Mother's Day rout for the Red Sox.

Bright Spots:
Daniel Bard- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 2 K, W (3-4)
Rich Hill- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K
Matt Albers- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Scott Atchison- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K
David Ortiz- 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4, 2 R, 2 2B
Will Middlebrooks- 2-3, 3 R, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 RBI
Daniel Nava- 2-2, 3 R, 1 2B, 3 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 3-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 5 RBI

Dull Spots:
Cody Ross- 0-3, 1 K, 3 LOB
Mike Aviles- 0-4, 3 LOB

Player of the Game:
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- Salty had a fantastic game today, going 3-5 with a two-run homer to go with  two-run and one-run singles to help the Sox-- he is now .250/5/15.