Red Sox Cut It Close, But Fall To Yankees (64-79)

Cook got off to a good start

Last night's game was another good one for the second matchup of this series, however, the Red Sox lost this close one. Both Aaron Cook and David Phelps got off to good starts, pitching scoreless baseball for three innings. However, in the fourth, the Yankees got going, starting on a homer to right-center for Curtis Granderson-- hi 36th of the season. Alex Rodriguez followed him up with a bloop single to center, and he would also score when Robinson Cano went the other way for his 30th home run, over the green monster to make it 3-0. The Red Sox weren't just going to let that sit, though, as Dustin Pedroia came into the bottom of the fourth with a one out double. Pedroia would score when James Loney hit a hard ground ball through the right side of the infield to cut it to 3-1 against the Yanks.

He faltered in the fourth though

It stayed right there at 3-1 for a couple more innings, but both teams were ready to contribute again in the seventh inning. The Yankees started their rally with a single for Derek Jeter. However, just as soon as it had started, their rally ended when Curtis Granderson nailed his 37th home run of the season to right-- making it 5-1. The Red Sox weren't going to sit with that either though, as they came into the seventh with a pair of one out doubles to put two in scoring position. They scored a run when Mauro Gomez grounded out to third and another when Mike Aviles doubled to left to cut it to a 5-3 deficit. Each team's bullpen held it like that up until the ninth with Rafael Soriano on the mound. Jarrod Saltalamacchia led things off by belting his 24th home run to right field to cut it to 5-4. However, that would be all they would get in a tough loss.

Bright Spots:
Chris Carpenter- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB
Dustin Pedroia- 2-3, 1 R, 1 2B
James Loney- 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 3-3, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Mike Aviles- 1-2, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 K
Pedro Ciriaco- 0-4, 1 LOB
Cody Ross- 0-4, 3 K, 2 LOB
Scott Podsednik- 0-2, 1 K, 1 LOB
Jose Iglesias- 0-2, 1 K, 1 LOB

Player of the Game:
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- Could Salty's slump have come to an end? He went 3-3 with a double, two runs scored, and a home run last night-- he is now .232/24/54.

Red Sox Fall On Walkoff Heartbreaker (62-68)

Buchholz raised his ERA to 4.50

Last night was a very heartbreaking game as the Red Sox held the lead up until the cusp of winning, as Alfredo Aceves blew another save. The Angels started off the game very early, jumping to a 1-0 lead as leadoff hitter Mike Trout homered on the second pitch Clay Buchholz (11-4, 4.47) threw. He was followed up by a walk to Torii Hunter, who advanced to third on an Albert Pujols single. Hunter would eventually score on a sacrifice fly for Mark Trumbo to make it 2-0. The Red Sox would get one of those runs back when Jarrod Saltalamacchia drove one deep to right-center for a solo home run-- his team-leading 22nd of the year. However, it would be in the fourth that the Red Sox really cut loose, loading the bases with no outs to start the inning. They would score a pair of runs on RBI singles by James Loney and Jarrod Saltalamacchia and another when Ryan Kalish grounded into a double play to make it 5-2.

Saltalamacchia hit home run #22

It took them till the sixth, but the Angels still weren't quite done with Clay Buchholz. They got back one run on a deep home run to center for Albert Pujols, cutting it to 5-3. With two outs in the inning, a Mark Trumbo walk as Howie Kendrick proceeded to double perfectly into the gap in left-center to score Trumbo from first and cut the Red Sox' lead to one run. Buchholz would last one more inning after that, exiting the game with a solid but certainly not great line of 7 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 5 K-- he is now 11-4, 4.50 this season. Closer Alfredo Aceves entered the game for the eighth and tossed a 1-2-3 inning in his first game back from a three-game suspension. However, come the ninth, there were some problems as a walk and a hit by pitch with one out set up a big inning. A Mike Trout single tied things up at 5-5, and it was a Torii Hunter sacrifice fly that did the damage with a sacrifice fly as the Angels walked off.

Bright Spots:
Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-4, 2 R
Ryan Lavarnway- 1-2, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 RBI
James Loney- 1-3, 1 BB, 1 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Dull Spots:
Alfredo Aceves- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Scott Podsednik- 0-4, 1 K, 1 LOB
Jose Iglesias- 0-4, 1 K, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- Saltalamacchia had a big game last night, going 2-4 with a solo home run and RBI single-- he is now .231/22/52.

Cook, Gomez Shine But Sox Fall Blow Huge Lead (60-67)

Gomez went 4-6 with 3 RBIs

Last night was just another episode in the disappointment that is the 2012 season as they blew a huge lead to fall in extras in one of the worst teams in baseball. The Royals started off hot, beginning the game with four consecutive hits. Two runs came in on Alex Gordon's double off the wall and Gordon scored on Billy Butler soft shot to right to make it 3-0 very early on. Cook held the Royals quiet in the bottom of the second and that was when the Red Sox got to work, starting with a one out solo blast to left for Mauro Gomez-- his first major league home run to cut it to 3-1. After that, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway each singled then promptly scored when Mike Aviles put one just over the green monster for a three-run homer to give the Red Sox a 4-3 lead. However, the Red Sox were far from done as they loaded the bases with no outs in the third. They scored three-- two on an error by Jeremy Guthrie and one on a sacrifice fly by Jarrod Saltalamacchia to make it 7-3.

Ross had an RBI single

The Red Sox still weren't done though as they put runners at the corners and two outs in the fourth inning. They wound up scoring two runs on RBI singles by Cody Ross and Mauro Gomez to give them a commanding 9-3 lead. Aaron Cook held it there for the next few innings, but when he turned it to the bullpen for the seventh, things got ugly. The Royals loaded the bases on a hit and two walks with one out off Andrew Miller. Miller allowed two to score on an RBI single by Alex Gordon before being pulled for Mark Melancon. Melancon allowed two more runs to come in on a double by Billy Butler and a single for Salvador Perez. Finally, Craig Breslow came in and allowed the inevitable game tying two-run triple that make it 9-9. It stayed there all the way until the twelfth inning when the Royals took a run on an RBI single for Tony Abreu and that was basically it.

Bright Spots:
Aaron Cook- 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 BB
Craig Breslow- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, K
Andrew Bailey- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Scott Podsednik- 2-6
Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-5, 2 R, 1 2B
Cody Ross- 3-5, 1 R, 1 RBI
Mauro Gomez- 4-6, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 2-5, 1 R, 1 RBI
Ryan Lavarnway- 2-4, 1 R, 1 BB
Mike Aviles- 2-6, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Pedro Ciriaco- 2-5, 1 R

Dull Spots:
Andrew Miller- 0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 K
Mark Melancon- 0.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R

Player of the Game:
Mauro Gomez- In his first game filling in for the traded Gonzalez, Gomez was fantastic-- driving in three and hitting his first MLB home run in a 4-6 day-- he is now .318/1/6.

Red Sox Can't Come Back From Early Deficit To Angels (59-64)

Cook imploded in his last few innings

Aaron Cook (3-6, 4.58) is becoming a real disappointment as he just continues to give up hits and home runs and last night was evident of this. He and Ervin Santana (6-10, 5.59) both held the opposition scoreless in the first few innings, but Cook ran into some trouble in the third. With one out, Mike Trout singled and stole second but Torii Hunter struck out-- leaving Albert Pujols hitting. Pujols did his job and singled up the middle to score Trout easily and make it 1-0. But the Angels kept on going in the fourth, knocking back-to-back singles with one out in the inning. That was when Erick Aybar somehow singled softly past both Adrian Gonzalez and Dustin Pedroia on the right side to score a run and make it 2-0. Another scored on an RBI single by Chris Iannetta. However, the Angels still weren't done as they kept going in the fifth.

The Red Sox honored Johnny Pesky,
who recently passed away

With one out and Kendrys Morales at first base, Mark Trumbo came up and promptly crushed one over the green monster to make it 5-0. That was Cook's last inning-- he left the game with an unimpressive line of 5 IP, 11 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K and is now 3-7/4.79/11. After Cook was gone, it was the Red Sox' turn to strike as they got going in the sixth inning. Cody Ross's walk with two outs constituted a rally as Jarrod Saltalamacchia came and and knocked a two-run home run just over the wall in right field to cut it to 5-2. The Red Sox kept rolling in the seventh benefiting from a one out double by Scott Podsednik. He would eventually score on a wild pitch after being advanced to third on a groundout. However, the Red Sox couldn't cut the lead any more than that and Angels' bullpen was fantastic in a 5-3 loss.


Bright Spots:
Clayton Mortensen- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 K
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB
Cody Ross- 1-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 BB
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 1-2, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 BB, 2 RBI
Scott Podsednik- 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B

Dull Spots:
Aaron Cook- 5 IP, 11 H, 5 R, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K, L (3-7)
Adrian Gonzalez- 0-4, 1 K, 2 LOB
Mike Aviles- 0-4, 4 LOB

Player of the Game:
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- Salty had a great game, reaching base three times in the loss including a two-run homer, he is now .229/21/49.

Red Sox Hit Three Bombs But Still Fall (49-51)

Cook allowed six runs in four innings

Well, we didn't really expect much more in this series-- both teams hit a lot of home runs and the Yankees came out on top. The Red Sox actually started the battle first as with two outs in the first, Dustin Pedroia drove a ball to left for a solo home run. However, the Yankees came storming back and put runners on the corners with an out in the bottom of the first. Aaron Cook's sinker worked to perfection as he got Mark Teixeira to ground a ball to Dustin Pedroia-- however, Mike Aviles was slow on the turn and allowed the run to score and the inning to stay alive. That would come back to bite the Red Sox as Raul Ibanez took Cook deep one batter later to give the Yankees a 3-1 lead. The Red Sox wouldn't give up, though, as in the third, Carl Crawford hit a shot to right field and into the second deck to make it 3-2.

Pedroia hit his second homer in two
games

However, the Yankees just kept scoring and put two runners in scoring position with one out in the third. Mark Teixeira lifted one to left and into the glove of Carl Crawford-- falling for a sacrifice fly. It's a good thing they got the sac fly as in the top of the fourth, Jarrod Saltalamacchia took one to the opposite field for a solo home run to make it 4-3. But from that point on, it was all Yankees. With a man on first in the bottom of the fourth, Russell Martin absolutely crushed a ball to left field for a two-run homer to make it 6-3. It stayed at 6-3 for quite a while, all the way until the eighth inning actually. That was when the Yankees loaded the bases on a double, hit by pitch, and a walk. Curtis Granderson cashed in in the ultimate way, with a grand slam over the short porch in right. The Yankees would make it 10-3 and that would be the final in a tough loss.

Bright Spots:
Franklin Morales- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Andrew Miller- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K
Carl Crawford- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Dustin Pedroia- 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Aaron Cook- 4 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 1 K, L (2-4)
Mark Melancon- 1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 1 BB
Mike Aviles- 0-4, 1 K, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Dustin Pedroia- Pedroia had a very good night in a calamity of a game last night, going 2-4 with his second home run in two games-- he is now .270/8/35.

Red Sox Fall Sub-.500 In Rout To Rangers (48-49)

Doubront was pounded by Texas

Many Red Sox fans, myself included, were not looking forward to this series against the Rangers, and we were rewarded last night with a rough loss. In the second inning, Jarrod Saltalamacchia pounced on Rangers starter Scott Feldman by knocking a home run to center field and giving the Red Sox an early lead. However, from that point on, it was all, and I mean all, Rangers. After a scoreless top of the third, the Rangers got things started by putting runners at first and second to lead off the third. Elvis Andrus put one on the ground for Dustin Pedroia, but a rare Pedroia error cost the Red Sox two runs as the Rangers took the lead at 2-1. The inning continued as Josh Hamilton drove a pitch down the third base line for an RBI double. The scoring ended on an RBI single by Michael Young, who concluded the scoring in a four run inning.

Saltalamacchia homered, #19

But the Rangers weren't even nearly done, despite Felix Doubront settling down for the next few innings. The Rangers finally got back to business in the sixth inning, after a leadoff walk by Nelson Cruz. Cruz would score when Mike Napoli absolutely hammered a ball to left to make things 6-1. Doubront was taken out of the game here with a 5 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 6 K line, but Franklin Morales didn't fare much better, allowing a double to the first man he faced. That man, Brandon Snyder, would score when Craig Gentry knocked an RBI single to make it 7-1. The train of scoring continued when Ian Kinsler knocked in Gentry with an RBI single of his own. The final run of the inning would come on a Josh Hamilton sacrifice fly. Morales would shut down the Rangers in the seventh, and the Red Sox and Rangers didn't score again as the Rangers took this one 9-1.

Bright Spots:
Mark Melancon- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-4
Dustin Pedroia- 3-4
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Will Middlebrooks- 2-4, 1 2B

Dull Spots:
Felix Doubront- 5 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 6 K, L (10-5)
Franklin Morales- 2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 K
Carl Crawford- 0-4, 2 K, 2 LOB
Adrian Gonzalez- 0-4, 1 K, 4 LOB
Ryan Sweeney- 0-4, 4 LOB
Mike Aviles- 0-3, 1 K, 1 LOB

Player of the Game:
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- Salty's homer was the only bright spot in this game, and he actually put together a pretty good game, going 2-4 with a homer and double-- he is now .233/19/45 this year.

Jays' Home Runs Ruin Cook's Night (48-47)

For the most part, Cook was great

Last night was another very disappointing night for the Red Sox as things went from good to bad in a hurry off Aaron Cook. Things started off great as the Sox put a rally together in the second inning. An Adrian Gonzalez single and Cody Ross double put the Red Sox in a great position to score a few runs. They would do just that as Jarrod Saltalamacchia lifted one in the air to right for a three-run homer. The Blue Jays got right back into it in the third, though, after loading the bases on a double error and single. While it looked like things could get really bad, the only run came on a sacrifice fly by Brett Lawrie to make it 3-1. It stayed there for a while until Colby Rasmus walked with two outs in the sixth inning. On a 2-2 count, Edwin Encarnacion absolutely crushed one to left to tie it at 3-3 off Aaron Cook.


From that point on, it was all Blue Jays. Bobby Valentine left Cook in to pitch the seventh inning and was rewarded by a leadoff homer on the first pitch of the inning by J.P. Arencibia. However, the Blue Jays weren't done in the inning, as they would put two men in scoring position and two outs for Brett Lawrie. The Red Sox continued their meltdown as Lawrie singled to left to drive them both in and make it 6-3. It became 7-3 in the ninth inning as Dustin Pedroia went home on a groundball and his throw was just late. The Red Sox couldn't muster up the necessary four runs in the ninth and they lost.

Bright Spots:
Vicente Padilla- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K
Cody Ross- 1-3, 1 R, 1 2B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Pedro Ciriaco- 1-3

Dull Spots:
Franklin Morales- 0.1 IP, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Junichi Tazawa- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB
Carl Crawford- 0-4, 2 K, 2 LOB
Will Middlebrooks- 0-4, 1 K, 1 LOB
Ryan Sweeney- 0-3

Player of the Game:
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- Although he only went 1-4, Salty's three-run homer was undoubtedly the highlight of the night for the Red Sox-- he is now .228/18/44 this 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.

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 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.

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.

Weekly News

Things appeared to be going strong for the Red Sox entering this week-- they were coming off a 5-2 week that saw them win two series. However, they fell to 1-5 this week, losing a series to the Orioles and being swept by the Nationals. For his first time of the year, the Player of the Week is Jarrod Saltalamacchia-- who batted .278/1/4 this week and is now .266/11/29 on the season. For his second time this year-- and second consecutive as well-- the Pitcher of the Week is Clay Buchholz. Buchholz impressed everybody with a complete game shutout against the Orioles on Thursday night, and is now 6-2/5.77/46 this season. The Performance of the Week goes to Jarrod Saltalamacchia on Monday-- who went 3-4 with a double and a clutch two-run homer as a part of the extra inning 8-6 loss. Seeing as it was the only win of the week, the Game of the Week goes to the 7-0 win on Thursday in which Buchholz threw a shutout. In the next week, the Red Sox will play a pair of series away from home-- a three game set in Miami and a three game set in Chicago.

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 Lose Extra Inning Heartbreaker To O's (28-27)

Lester was decent, but
was hurt by bad defense

The Red Sox fell back into last place at 28-27 after last night's extra inning debacle that saw them lose to the first place Orioles. After a couple of scoreless innings, the Orioles got going in the third when they put runners at the corners with two outs. Adam Jones delivered by driving a single into left-center that both scored a run and moved Robert Andino to third base. After that, it was Matt Wieters delivering with an RBI single to left field to score another run and give the O's a 2-0 lead. Both of those runs were unearned after an error earlier in the inning to shortstop Mike Aviles. After a few more scoreless innings, the Red Sox got in business in the fifth when Daniel Nava and Mike Aviles singled to start the inning. Scott Podsednik did the Bobby Valentine thing and bunted them over-- however, first baseman Mark Reynolds thought he could be a hero and tried throwing it to third base to get the lead runner. His throw was both wide and late, and deflected off third baseman Steve Tolleson's glove to score a run to make it 2-1. They would score again when Dustin Pedroia hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Mike Aviles.

Saltalamacchia had a two-out, two-
strike, two-run homer in the bottom
of the ninth to tie the game at 6-6

The Orioles would answer in the sixth, however, leading off the inning with a Matt Wieters double and Mark Reynolds single. Steve Pearce hit a sac fly to center to score a run and that would be all. The Red Sox answered that in the bottom half, putting two runners on with one out. A Mike Aviles RBI single and Scott Podsednik sacrifice fly would give the Red Sox a 4-3 lead. However, the Orioles would score three times in the seventh-- on RBI singles by J.J. Hardy, Mark Reynolds, and Steve Pearce to make it 6-4. The Red Sox answered for that in the best possible way when Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a two-out, two-strike, game-tying two-run homer just over the green monster in the bottom of the ninth. However, two RBI singles in the tenth by Ronny Paulino and Endy Chavez netted the Orioles a 8-6 lead and a win.

Bright Spots:
Matt Albers- 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 K
Scott Podsednik- 2-3, 1 BB, 1 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 3-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Daniel Nava- 2-5, 2 R
Mike Aviles- 3-5, 1 R, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Scott Atchison- 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB
Alfredo Aceves- 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K, L (0-3)
Adrian Gonzalez- 0-5, 5 LOB
Kevin Youkilis- 0-5, 2 K, 3 LOB

Player of the Game:
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- It couldn't be anybody else after Salty tied the game with his clutch two-run homer as part of a 3-4 day to make him .279/11/27 this year.

Red Sox Drop Series Finale To Tigers (26-25)

Beckett was tagged with
the loss last night

In one game that, if the Red Sox won, they could have been tied for fourth with the Blue Jays and two games out of first place-- however, they decided to lose. This game was different from the rest, as the Red Sox actually scored first but lost. They got that first run when Jarrod Saltalamacchia crushed one to right-center for his 10th home run of the year. Ryan Sweeney singled after him, but the next two hitters got out so it was up to Scott Podsednik to drive in that run. He would deliver with a line drive just over center fielder Quintin Berry's head that would result in an RBI double to make it 2-0. However, the Tigers put together a rally of their own in the third, putting runners at second and third to begin the inning. A Quintin Berry single and a Brennan Boesch sacrifice fly would tie things up at 2-2. Later in the inning, the Tigers took the lead when Prince Fielder singled up the middle to score a run and make it 3-2. The Red Sox put together a two-out rally in the third, though, as Kevin Youkilis doubled to left with two outs. Jarrod Saltalamacchia drove him in with a line drive to center field to net things up at 3-3.

Saltalamacchia had a good
game, with two RBIs

From that point on, it was all Tigers, as they put Quintin Berry on first to start the fifth. Berry stole second and advanced to third on a shaky throw by Saltalamacchia-- all of this with one out. Miguel Cabrera promptly singled up the middle to score Berry and make it 4-3. The score stayed there until the eighth-- Beckett was taken out of the game with a 7 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 1 K line and Franklin Morales entered. Delmon Young welcomed Morales into the game by shooting a home run to left field-- his fourth of the season-- to make it 5-3. After a two-out single by Miguel Cabrera, he stole second and advanced to third on another bad throw by Saltalamacchia. As it turned out, he wouldn't need those steals when Prince Fielder hit a triple on a fly ball that ricocheted off Ryan Sweeney's glove and into the triangle. Fielder would come in to score on a line drive single into right by Delmon Young to make it 7-3. The Red Sox offense wouldn't step up at all and that would be the final score.

Bright Spots:
Scott Podsednik- 1-3, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Dull Spots:
Franklin Morales- 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB
Rich Hill- 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R
Adrian Gonzalez- 0-4, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- Salty had a nice night at the plate, going 2-4 with a solo home run and an RBI single to make him .281/10/24 on the year.

Red Sox Rock Tigers To Open Series (24-24)

Felix Doubront pitched a
great win and won his fifth

It just keeps happening like this: the Red Sox reach .500, lose the next  game, then reach .500 again and it happened again today as the Red Sox became 24-24 on the year. Things started off fast for the Red Sox-- as they got a two out rally going in the first inning. Adrian Gonzalez singled into right with two outs before David Ortiz drove him in with a double down the third base line to make it 1-0. The Tigers would tie it up in the second, however, when Delmon Young put a charge into an off speed pitch and sent it over the monster. The Red Sox would answer in a big way in the bottom half, taking advantage of a blown call. With two outs and two strikes in the inning, Mike Aviles tipped a ball into catcher Gerald Laird's mitt-- strike three-- but the first base umpire ruled it had hit the ground and Aviles' at bat continued. Aviles delivered with a single up the middle to score Ryan Sweeney. Aviles would score on a double to the center field wall by Daniel Nava before Nava would come in on an infield single by Dustin Pedroia to make it 4-1.

Mike Aviles went 2-4 with a run
and two RBIs today

The Red Sox tacked on another run in the third inning when Jarrod Saltalamacchia homered to left to put them up by four. The Tigers would answer for that run with a home run of their own in the fifth-- when Gerald Laird hit a ball on a line that just traveled over the monster to make it 5-2. However, the Red Sox struck right back by putting runners at the corners to start the sixth on singles by Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Sweeney. Will Middlbrooks hit a grounder to third base and beat out the infield hit to score Sweeney and make things 6-2-- also chasing starter Doug Fister from the game. Luis Marte entered and got the retired six straight Red Sox batters before running into trouble in the eighth. With Ryan Sweeney on second base and two outs, Mike Aviles lifted a breaking ball to deep left-center to score the run and make it 7-2. Jhonny Peralta hit a two-run homer in the ninth, but the Red Sox would win by a score of 7-4.


Bright Spots:
Felix Doubront- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K, W (5-2)
Scott Atchison- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 K
Dustin Pedroia- 1-3, 1 RBI
David Ortiz- 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 2-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Ryan Sweeney- 3-4, 2 R, 1 2B
Will Middlebrooks- 1-3, 1 RBI
Mike Aviles- 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI

Dull Spots:
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 K
Kevin Youkilis- 0-4, 1 K, 1 LOB

Player of the Game:
Felix Doubront- He was backed by some solid run support, and Doubront pitched a great game to earn the win and become 5-2/3.86/59 on the year.

Red Sox Add Salt At Just The Right Time (23-23)

Josh Beckett pitched a great game

This is getting ridiculous as the Red Sox continue to sway between .500 and below-- with last night's clutch win they moved above, but it's only for now probably. Well, last night's game was a fantastic one from the pitching department as Josh Beckett and David Price matched each other pitch for pitch to start the game. This ballgame was still scoreless up until the bottom of the sixth. That was when the Red Sox had runners at first and second with two outs in the inning. The scoreless tie was broken when Will Middlebrooks knocked a single up the middle to score David Ortiz and give the Sox a 1-0 lead.

Saltalamacchia had a pinch-hit
walk-off homer

However, the Rays proceeded to jump on off of Josh Beckett in the next inning. They would put runners at the corners with no outs to start the inning. A sacrifice fly by Ben Zobrist and an RBI single by Luke Scott would change the tie to give the Rays a 2-1 lead. The bottom of the seventh was scoreless and Josh Beckett would be taken out with a 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 5 K line-- yet he was set to lose the game. Andrew Miller and Rich Hill respectively pitched strong eighth and ninth innings to set the Red Sox up for their last chance. Daniel Nava walked to lead off the inning, and Scott Podsednik bunted him over. This put a man on second with one out for pinch-hitter Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Salty made the Rays pay by crushing a pitch into the bullpens to win it 3-2 for the Red Sox.

Bright Spots:
Josh Beckett- 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 5 K
Andrew Miller- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Rich Hill- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, W(1-0)
Dustin Pedroia- 2-3, 1 BB
Will Middlebrooks- 2-4, 1 RBI
Daniel Nava- 0-2, 1 R, 2 BB
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 1-1, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Dull Spots:
Marlon Byrd- 0-3, 2 K

Player of the Game:
Josh Beckett- Even when his team wasn't scoring runs, Beckett put the Sox in a great position to win by only allowing two runs in seven strong-- he is now 4-4/4.15/45.

Red Sox Beat Phillies Behind Stellar Beckett (20-21)

Beckett pitched very well today

After a long hiatus from good baseball, the Red Sox are finally back to just one game below the .500 mark. The Red Sox started off this game in exactly the same way as they started the last one when Mike Aviles whacked a home run to left to lead off the game. The Red Sox got right back into scoring position in the second inning when they put runners at first and second with two outs. Once again, it was Mike Aviles who delivered when he lined a ball into left field to score a run and give the Red Sox a 2-0 lead. After a pair of 1-2-3 innings for Josh Beckett, the Red Sox continued to produce off of Cliff Lee in the third inning. The inning started off when David Ortiz lined a ball directly into the shift. However, the Red Sox continued to hit the ball hard in the inning and it paid off when an Adrian Gonzalez single and Will Middlebrooks double put two runners in scoring position with one out.

He allowed a run in 7.2 innings

Jarrod Saltalamacchia immediately hit the biggest blow of the day when he crushed a high fly ball into center field for a three-run homer. Several scoreless innings ensued until the Red Sox got a little shock from Josh Beckett in the top of the seventh. On a pitch from Cliff Lee, he drove a ball off the wall in left-center field. It would only be a single, but it's always nice to see an American League Pitcher hitting balls hard off of one of the best pitchers in baseball. The Red Sox didn't score in the inning, or for the rest of the game. Beckett continued to pitch well but the Phillies finally got to him in the bottom of the eighth. They put runners at second and third before a sacrifice fly by Juan Pierre netted them their first run of the game. That made it 5-1, and Josh Beckett would be taken out of the game with a line of 7.2 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K-- he would earn the win and the Sox won 5-1.

Bright Spots:
Josh Beckett- 7.2 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K, W (4-4)
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Mike Aviles- 2-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-4, 1 R
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI

Dull Spots:
David Ortiz- 0-4, 1 K, 1 LOB

Player of the Game:
Josh Beckett- Beckett pitched a fantastic ballgame today, earning the win after allowing just a run in 7.2 strong innings as he becomes 4-4/4.38/40 on the season.

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.