the joy of sox: G111: Rangers 6, Red Sox 3

August 7, 2012

G111: Rangers 6, Red Sox 3

Rangers - 000 002 211 - 6 10  1
Red Sox - 000 000 300 - 3  8  0

After being held to only two hits over the first five innings by Jon Lester (6.2-6-4-2-4, 116) and a trio of relievers, Texas exploded for six runs and eight hits over the final four innings. Will Middlebrooks's pinch-hit three-run cut the Texas lead to 4-3 in the seventh, but it was not enough.

Lester and Ryan Dempster (6.2-6-3-1-6, 99; all runs unearned) matched zeroes for five innings, but Lester blinked first. David Murphy doubled to open the sixth and Ian Kinsler and Josh Hamilton followed with RBI singles. Murphy's sac fly and another run-scoring single from Kinsler made it 4-0 at the stretch.

With one out in the home half of the seventh, Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled off Mitch Moreland's glove at first base, and after Mike Aviles flied to right, Ryan Kalish reached when Kinsler committed an error on his ground ball. Middlebrooks, batting for Nick Punto, lined Dempster's first pitch into the Monster Seats.

Trailing 5-2 with one out in the eighth, Dustin Pedroia was rung up by first base umpire Paul Nauert on an 0-2 check swing. Replays showed that there was clearly no swing. Pedroia was apoplectic, swearing at Nauert from the field, walking off the field, and from the dugout. When Nauert looked over into the Red Sox dugout, Pedroia screamed, "Watch the fuckin game!" Even after Nauert warned Pedroia to stop, he kept going. Not tossing Pedroia at that point made me think Nauert knew he blew the call.

When the game resumed, Adrian Gonzalez doubled, but Cody Ross - who had doubled twice earlier in the game - struck out.

Pedroia was quiet when the Red Sox took the field in the ninth, but when Murphy was awarded first base on a HBP despite half-swinging at the pitch, Pedroia (naturally, I suppose) started in on Nauert again - and was promptly ejected.

In the bottom of the ninth, Salty singled, but Aviles grounded into a double play, and Kalish struck out.