Red Sox Edge Royals To Break Four Game Skid (60-66)

Lester won his third straight game

On the heels of a potentially huge night for the Red Sox, they were able to end a four game skid by knocking off a Royals in a close game. After a scoreless top half of the first, the Red Sox got going in the bottom of the first-- starting off the inning with three consecutive singles to load the bases with no outs. They would score two runs on the fourth consecutive single to start things off against Bruce Chen (9-10, 5.45), a knock by David Ortiz in his first game back from a heel injury. The second inning was scoreless all around, but the Royals struck back in the third inning on a leadoff homer over the monster by Eric Hosmer. A two out walk for Alcides Escobar set up a tie game at 2-2 when Alex Gordon hit a double to deep center to score the speedy Escobar all the way from first base.

Ortiz went 2-4 with 2 RBIs in his return

The Royals kept rolling right along in the fourth inning starting with a walk, single, and walk with one out in the inning. They'd score once on an infield single by Johnny Giavotella to give the Royals a 3-2 lead. However, Jon Lester proceeded to settle down after that and threw three scoreless innings to follow up those rough ones-- finishing the night with a line of 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 6 K. When the day was done, he had won his third straight start to get to 8-10 and 4.98 on the year. However, that was the time that the Red Sox got going-- starting with a walk and a single to lead things off. Scott Podsednik moved the runners up a base each on a sacrifice bunt and both scored when Pedro Ciriaco knocked a two-run RBI double to give the Red Sox a 4-3 lead. After a couple off scoreless innings by the bullpen corps, Andrew Bailey recorded his first save as a member of the Red Sox.

Bright Spots:
Jon Lester- 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 6 K, W (8-10)
Andrew Bailey- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, SV (1)
Pedro Ciriaco- 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-4, 1 R
David Ortiz- 2-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Mike Aviles- 1-3, 1 R

Dull Spots:
Cody Ross- 0-4, 3 LOB

Player of the Game:
Pedro Ciriaco- Ciriaco had the big hit in this game with a two-run go ahead double in the seventh, also going 2-4 with a run-- he is now .349/1/14.

Triple Weekly News

So it's come to this, the annual Triple Weekly News from when I return from camp-- often deciding the winner of the Yearly Awards. Well, in my absence, the Red Sox didn't do so well-- going 7-10 over the three week period. The Player of the Week may have just wrapped up his Yearly Award for good as David Ortiz won and has now won eight-- compared to three for Mike Aviles. Over the last ten games, Ortiz batted .375/2/4 and is now .315/23/58 this season. An equally deserving Pitcher of the Year goes to Felix Doubront-- who had a good two starts over this time period, going 1-0/3.37/10 in his 10.2 innings of work. Doubront continued his good year and is now 9-4/4.41/97 this season, which is somehow the Red Sox' best pitcher. I cannot decide on the Performance of Game of the Week since I didn't watch them, so I'll skip those-- I apologize. In the upcoming week, the Red Sox will welcome Kevin Youkilis back to Fenway Park in a three game series with Chicago and play a four game set with Toronto at home.

Red Sox Return To .500 With Tough Loss (44-44)

Until the seventh, Buchholz was very
sharp last night

My first game back from Nature Camp looked like exactly the game I like for a while-- a good pitching duel. Neither team had scored and Mike Aviles had the only hit of the ballgame as we entered the bottom of the third inning. However, back-to-back singles leading off the inning put the Rays in a good position to break that scoreless tie. Sean Rodriguez crushed a pitch deep into the gap that made me feel that the Red Sox were very lucky that Jacoby Ellsbury was back. He kept it to a sacrifice fly, rather than a two-run double that it may have been otherwise. Empowered by that catch, the Red Sox put together a strong fourth inning-- culminating with Will Middlebrooks' two-out two-run home run to left-center to make it 2-1. The Rays wouldn't score again until the fifth after a leadoff double by Jeff Keppinger was further aided by a sacrifice bunt. With the infield in, Jose Molina hit a hard grounder to shortstop that Mike Aviles booted so the Rays tied the game.

Middlebrooks had a two-run
homer, his 11th

In the top of the sixth, the Red Sox would take advantage of some defensive miscues to take another lead. A one-out walk by Cody Ross moved to second on a passed ball, third on a groundout, and home on a botched pickoff to third base to give the Red Sox a 3-2 lead. However, it would be in the seventh that it all unraveled. Clay Buchholz allowed the Rays to put two runners in scoring position with just one out. He was taken out in favor of Matt Albers, who did the smart thing and walked the bases loaded to set up the double play. However, that move didn't look so smart as he walked a run in to the next batter-- Jose Lobaton. Or when the Rays took the 4-3 lead on a sacrifice fly by Elliot Johnson. The Red Sox squandered a leadoff double in the eighth and turned things over to the Rays, who quickly got insurance on a moonshot by B.J. Upton. They would hold the lead and win 5-3.


Bright Spots:
Jacoby Ellsbury- 2-4, 1 2B
David Ortiz- 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB
Will Middlebrooks- 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Mike Aviles- 2-4

Dull Spots:
Matt Albers- 0.1 IP, 2 BB, BS (4)
Andrew Miller- 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 K
Pedro Ciriaco- 0-4, 2 K, 4 LOB
Daniel Nava- 0-4, 1 K, 3 LOB

Player of the Game:
Will Middlebrooks- Despite only going 1-4, he provided the main offensive outburst with a two-run homer and is now .291/11/39 this season.

Red Sox Ride Huge First Inning Into Third Place (40-35)

Lester earned the win with seven
strong innings

The Red Sox are as hot as they've been all year right now as with a win today, coupled with a Rays' loss, the Red Sox moved into third place in the AL East. After a Brett Lawrie double to lead things off, the Blue Jays scored first when Colby Rasmus drove him in with a soft single to center. However, the Red Sox really turned things around with a huge first inning off Jays' ace Ricky Romero. After he walked Daniel Nava to start things off, Dustin Pedroia doubled to right-center to tie the game. A walk and a single loaded the bases with no outs for Adrian Gonzalez. Two runs came in to score as first baseman Edwin Encarnacion botched the play on the grounder. A Will Middlebrooks groundout and a Mike Aviles single would make it 5-1 in the first inning. A 3-2 single up the middle by Darnell McDonald would be the last run of the first as the Sox left with a 6-1 lead.

Ortiz hit the 399th home run of his
fruitful career

After two one out walks in the second, Adrian Gonzalez singled in another run to make it 7-1. The Jays got one back in the fourth when Jose Bautista absolutely clobbered one over the monster. However, after a walk and a double to start off the first, the Red Sox would answer for that Blue Jays' run. A bloop RBI single by Adrian Gonzalez and a Mike Aviles double to left-center made it 9-2. In the fifth, the Red Sox reached the double digit mark as David Ortiz crushed a home run-- the 399th of his career-- over the bullpens in right-center. In the sixth, the Blue Jays got a pair of runs of their own when Edwin Encarnacion crushed a ball over the monster to make it 10-4. The score stayed put there as Jon Lester pitched very well-- exiting after seven with a line of 7 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 4 K. He earned the win as Mark Melancon and Clayton Mortensen pitched a pair of scoreless innings in an all around good win for the Red Sox.

Bright Spots:
Mark Melancon- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R
Clayton Mortensen- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R
Dustin Pedroia- 1-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
David Ortiz- 1-2, 4 R, 3 BB, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Cody Ross- 2-3, 2 R
Adrian Gonzalez- 2-5, 1 R, 3 RBI
Mike Aviles- 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Darnell McDonald- 1-3, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Nobody!

Player of the Game:
Adrian Gonzalez- Gonzalez put together a great game in the offensive marathon by going 2-5 with 3 RBIs to become .269/6/43 this season.

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.

Rainy Day In All Respects For Red Sox (38-35)

Doubront wasn't at his best

This was a disappointing game for the Red Sox as they came back from an early deficit only to be thwarted again. After a leadoff single to start to game, a Colby Rasmus home run to right (just eclipsing the wall) gave the Jays an early 2-0 lead. After Jose Bautista reached base on an error later in the inning, he was driven in on a double high off the monster by Edwin Encarnacion to make it 3-0. Doubront finally got the first out of the inning after that but Yunel Escobar still had a single to keep the rally going. Rajai Davis grounded into a potential double play, but with his speed beat it out and Encarnacion scored from third to make it 4-0. The Red Sox almost immediately mounted a comeback effort in the bottom of the first though, as Dustin Pedroia tripled to right with one out. David Ortiz absolutely got ahold of one after that and crushed one to right-center for a two-run homer to make it 4-2.

The game was delayed during the
seventh inning

Ben Francisco of the Jays doubled to lead off the second inning, however, and moved up to third on a single by Brett Lawrie. Colby Rasmus singled up to middle to make it 5-2 as Doubront definitely was not working. However, the Red Sox offense continually tried to bail him out as they put runners at the corners with two outs in the third. It quickly became a bad day for Blue Jays' second baseman Kelly Johnson. Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit what appeared to be a routine ground ball to Johnson, but he bobbled it and it allowed a run to score. On the very next play, Adrian Gonzalez hit a hard ground ball to the right of Johnson and it deflected off his glove to allow another run in and make it 5-4. The Sox finally fully came back in the fifth as after a leadoff double by Cody Ross, Ryan Kalish drove him in with a single up the middle. However, two run homers for the Jays-- J.P. Arencibia in the sixth and Jose Bautista in the seventh made it 9-5. The Red Sox scored again in the eighth on a homer by Ortiz but it wasn't enough as they fell 9-6.

Bright Spots:
Clayton Mortensen- 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Dustin Pedroia- 2-4, 2 R, 1 3B
David Ortiz- 2-3, 3 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 1-4, 1 RBI
Ryan Kalish- 2-4, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Felix Doubront- 6 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, L (8-4)
Matt Albers- 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB
Daniel Nava- 0-5, 2 K, 1 LOB
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-4, 2 K, 1 LOB
Nick Punto- 0-4, 1 K, 2 LOB

Player of the Game:
David Ortiz- Ortiz continued his fantastic season by going 2-3 with two home runs, three RBIs, and three runs scored to became a remarkable .304/20/52.

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.

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

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

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

Ortiz was 2-4 with a two-
run homer

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

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

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

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

Weekly News

The Red Sox were far from dominant this week-- but they managed to quietly pull off a very solid 4-2 week. They won series against the Marlins and Cubs, both after dropping the first game of the series. For his team-leading fifth time this year, the Player of the Week is David Ortiz-- who batted .353/2/5 while continuing his fantastic season of .311/16/43. Clay Buchholz tied the team lead with three awards when he won the Pitcher of the Week after a performance on Tuesday where he allowed a run and struck out nine in a 2-1 win over Miami. Buchholz has recovered from his brutal start and is now 7-2/5.38/55 this season. The Performance of the Week belongs to David Ortiz after last night's game when he went 2-4 with 2 runs, a solo home run, and 2 RBIs. The Game of the Week was also last night as, while it was a bit sloppy, it was exciting as they won 7-4. After an off day today, the Red Sox will head to Fenway to play three game series against Miami and Atlanta next week.

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.

Red Sox Win Series Behind Doubront, Six Run Eighth (31-32)

Doubront held a no-hitter
into the sixth

This was a series (and game) that the Red Sox really needed to win-- as the Blue Jays had lost earlier in the day, and if the Red Sox won, they would tie them for fourth. It was fairly low scoring to start off the game and neither team scored through the first couple of innings. Mike Aviles would lead off the third in a good way, though, singling to center and advancing to second when center fielder Justin Ruggiano bobbled to ball. The Red Sox would manufacture a run as Felix Doubront bunted him to third and Scott Podsednik drove him in with a groundout to second base. Another run came in the fourth when David Ortiz went to the opposite field for a solo home run-- his 15th of the year. The Red Sox didn't score again until the sixth-- and the words "no hitter" were being mentioned as Felix Doubront still hadn't allowed a hit. The Red Sox would pile up a few insurance runs anyway as Scott Podsednik singled and got to second on a single by Dustin Pedroia. Adrian Gonzalez singled through the hole into right and David Ortiz knocked a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0.

Ortiz had his 15th home run
and had 3 RBIs

With two outs in the bottom of the sixth-- boom! Jose Reyes ended Doubront's no hitter in a big way, crushing a home run to left to cut it to 4-1. The Marlins kept it going in the seventh, leading things off with a single and a double to put two in scoring position and no outs. After an Omar Infante pop up, Justin Ruggiano grounded to Mike Aviles. Hanley Ramirez easily scored from third but Giancarlo Stanton got greedy and was out trying for third base. Still, with only a 4-2 lead, the Red Sox needed some insurance, and in the eighth-- they got just that. Nick Punto doubled and Scott Podsednik singled to lead off the inning and put runners at the corners. Three consecutive singles by Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez, and David Ortiz made it 7-2. Will Middlebrooks was hit to load the bases-- and Jarrod Saltalamacchia knocked a sacrifice fly to make it 8-2. A Nick Punto single later in the inning would score two more and make it 10-2. The Red Sox bullpen held that lead (thankfully) and the Red Sox would win the game and series.

Bright Spots:
Felix Doubront- 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 9 K, W (7-3)
Matt Albers- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R
Scott Podsednik- 2-5, 2 R, 1 RBI
Dustin Pedroia- 2-5, 2 R, 1 RBI
Adrian Gonzalez- 3-5, 1 R, 2 RBI
David Ortiz- 2-2, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Mike Aviles- 2-4, 1 R
Nick Punto- 2-2, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI

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

Player of the Game:
Felix Doubront- Even when this game was close, Doubront kept the Sox in it-- holding a no-hitter until the sixth inning and going seven strong-- he is now 7-3/4.17/81.

Lack Of Clutch Performance Leads To Sweep By Nats (29-31)

Other than a shaky seventh, Lester
was very good

When I predicted that the Nationals would sweep this series, I was dutifully hoping I was wrong-- however, I was dead on as the Red Sox dropped the series finale today to complete a three game sweep for Washington. The Nationals got going very early as Danny Espinosa doubled off the wall in center on the very first play of the game. He would come around to score on a groundout by Ryan Zimmerman. The Red Sox answered for that in the third inning when they put runners at the corners with one out. Dustin Pedroia nearly grounded into a double play, but he beat out the back end to tie the game at 1-1. The Sox kept rolling in the fourth, taking the lead when David Ortiz put a charge into a high fastball for a solo home run to right field.

Ortiz went 3-4 and came just a
triple short of the cycle

That score held all the way until the seventh inning, when Jon Lester allowed the Nationals to put two runners in scoring position with no outs. A strikeout and a pop out put their scoring chances in jeopardy, but a clutch double by Danny Espinosa scored both to give them a 3-2 lead. The Red Sox put two runners in scoring position with just an out in the bottom of the seventh and tied it back up on an RBI groundout by Scott Podsednik. This put things at 3-3 for the Red Sox bullpen-- Scott Atchison threw a scoreless eighth, but Alfredo Aceves got into some trouble in the ninth. Bryce Harper walked with one out and came all the way around to score on a double to right by Roger Bernadina. The Red Sox couldn't come back and fell 4-3.

Bright Spots:
Jon Lester- 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 9 K
Scott Atchison- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Scott Podsednik- 2-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Dustin Pedroia- 1-4, 1 BB, 1 RBI
David Ortiz- 3-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI

Dull Spots:
Alfredo Aceves- 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, L (0-4)
Adrian Gonzalez- 0-4, 4 LOB
Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 0-4, 4 K, 2 LOB
Darnell McDonald- 0-2, 1 K, 1 LOB

Player of the Game:
David Ortiz- The offense wasn't great today, but it certainly wasn't Ortiz's fault as he came a triple short of the cycle in a 3-4 day-- he is now .308/14/38 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 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.

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

Lester settled down after a
shaky start

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

Adrian Gonzalez had a go-ahead
double 

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

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

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

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

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

Bard pitched well last night

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

Ortiz went 3-4 with a home run

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

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

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

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

Red Sox 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.

Late Rallies Help Sox Strike Even (21-21)

Clay Buchholz wasn't too
good, allowing 5 runs

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

David Ortiz hit his 10th
home run of the year

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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