Reds - 002 000 100 - 3 4 0 Red Sox - 000 002 02x - 4 10 0A come-from-behind (twice) victory puts the Red Sox at .500 for the first time in more than a month! Halla-fucking-loo-yah!
A.J. Pierzynski and Will Middlebrooks drove in the eighth-inning runs - the Reds' bullpen did its part by issuing three walks - and Koji Uehara struck out the side in the ninth to nail it down.
Jake Peavy (6-4-3-4-4, 97) pitched fairly well, except for a couple of stumbles. In the third, Cincinnati created two runs in the span of only three pitches. Chris Heisey doubled off the Wall, and Zack Cosart bunted him to third. Skip Schumaker then clubbed the first pitch he saw into the visitors' bullpen in right field.
Mike Leake (7-8-2-2-4, 91) was on his game through the first five innings, throwing only 57 pitches. He was aided by two double plays. The first one came in the opening inning after Shane Victorino and David Ortiz had both singled with one out. Mike Napoli was the victim on the 6-4-3 grounder.
Leake struggled in the sixth. Jonathan Herrera lined an 0-2 pitch into center field - Leake had to duck as the ball sailed close to his head - to start the inning. After Dustin Pedroia struck out (FY fanned four times), Victorino lined a single off the Wall, with Herrera taking third. Ortiz's single to right scored one run and Napoli's double into the right-field corner scored another. With runners at second and third, Grady Sizemore grounded out to second, ending the inning.
The Reds roared back against Peavy immediately. Todd Frazier opened the seventh with a double, Brayan Pena singled to left, and Ryan Ludwick walked, loading the bases. Chris Capuano came into that sticky situation and got Roger Bernadina to ground to second, although a run did score. Burke Badenhop was called on and a fielder's choice to third nabbed Pena trying to score. Cozart then tapped out, catcher-to-first.
Trailing once again, 3-2, Middlebrooks walked to start the seventh and was bunted to second. Boston failed to move him any further, however, as Pedroia whiffed and Victorino lined out to left, with Heisey making a tremendous catch, going quickly to his left and towards the wall, leaping up to spear the line drive.
With Leake gone, the Red Sox rallied in the eighth. Lefty Manny Parra struck out Ortiz, but walked Napoli on five pitches. J.J. Hoover took over - and he was about as effective as J. Edgar Hoover. He faced four batters and they all reached base. Pinch-hitter Jonny Gomes walked on four pitches. Pierzynski's ground-rule double down the right field line scored Napoli, tying the game at 3-3. Jackie Bradley was intentionally walked - loading the bases - and Middlebrooks grounded a single into center, scoring Gomes with the go-ahead run. Boston still had the sacks full with Sean Marshall on the hill. He shut the door, though, striking out both pinch-hitter Mike Carp and Pedroia.
Koji Uehara needed only 13 pitches to strike out the Reds' 4-5-6 hitters in the ninth, but he still had trouble keeping his splitter down in the zone.
Pedroia, 2BOn April 4, the Red Sox lost to Milwaukee, dropping their record to 2-2. They lost in extra innings the following day and have not been at .500 since. They have had their chances, though.
Victorino, RF
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Sizemore, LF
Pierzynski, C
Bradley, CF
Middlebrooks, 3B
Herrera, SS
Date Rec Result April 6: 2-3 Lost to Brewers 4-0 April 8: 3-4 Lost to Rangers 10-7 April 10: 4-5 Lost to Yankees 4-1 April 12: 5-6 Lost to Yankees 7-4 April 21: 9-10 Lost to Orioles 7-6 April 27: 12-13 Lost to Blue Jays 7-1 May 1: 13-14 Lost to Rays 2-1 May 4: 15-16 Lost to A's 3-2 (10) May 6: 16-17 ?The ninth time's a charm?
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