Red Sox - 010 110 300 - 6 9 0 Cleveland - 010 010 010 - 3 6 1The Red Sox extended their winning streak to six games behind the pitching of Lester (7-4-2-1-5, 115).
Boston is 11-4 and leads the AL East by 2.5 games. In each of the Red Sox's 15 games this season, the starting pitcher has allowed three runs or fewer.
Mike Napoli tripled and singled and scored two runs. ... Jacoby Ellsbury also had two hits and two runs scored. ... Daniel Nava drove in two runs. ... Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit his third homer. ... Andrew Bailey got his second save in two nights.
Game story from MLB.com.
Ellsbury, CFFrom Gordon Edes's lengthy notes article:
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Napoli, 1B
Nava, LF
Gomes, DH
Saltalamacchia, C
Drew, SS
Ciriaco, 3B
The Sox are 10-4, a record eclipsed only by Oakland (12-4) in the AL. Six games over .500 may appear a modest achievement, but it's a level never reached last season by the Sons of Bobby Valentine, whose high-water mark came on July 1, when they were 42-37, then went 27-56 the rest of the way.
The team's pitching staff has carried the club so far, a staff ERA of 2.66 is best in the AL. As a staff, Sox pitchers have struck out 141 batters in 125 innings, a league-best ratio of 10.2 K's per nine. ...
Sox starters have an AL-best 2.30 ERA ...
The Sox are winning even though five batters are hitting .200 or less, and leadoff man Jacoby Ellsbury has an on-base percentage of .299. They've held their own in low-scoring games, going 3-3 in games in which they've scored three runs or fewer.
Papelbon - he's never been the sharpest bulb in the drawer.
ReplyDeleteESPN: Boston Red Sox pitchers Gerson Bautista and Miguel Pena have been suspended for 50 games each following positive tests under baseball's minor league drug prevention and treatment program.
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