May 20, 2012

G41: Red Sox 5, Phillies 1

Red Sox  - 113 000 000 - 5  9  1
Phillies - 000 000 010 - 1  7  0
Mike Aviles led off the game with a home run for the second consecutive day, Jarrod Saltalamacchia crushed a three-run bomb in the third, and Josh Beckett (7.2-7-1-2-5, 103) stymied the Phillies. The Red Sox have won eight of their last 10 games, outscoring their opponents 56-25.

Aviles drove in Boston's second run, as well, singling home Marlon Byrd in the second inning. Aviles and Adrian Gonzalez each had two hits.

The only other Red Sox player to hit two consecutive leadoff home runs? Outfielder Harry Hooper, who did it in both games of a May 30, 1913 doubleheader.

Beckett got into a little trouble in the eighth, leaving with the score 5-1 and runners at first and second and two outs. Vicente Padilla, who threw 31 pitches yesterday, came in and after walking Hunter Pence to load the bases, got Ty Wigginton to ground out harmlessly to second. Alfredo Aceves pitched a perfect ninth on only nine pitches.

While the Red Sox (20-21) remain in last place, they are only one game behind the fourth-place Yankees (21-20). Boston can make up some serious ground in the East over the next three days, as they play the Orioles (27-15) in Baltimore.
Example
Josh Beckett / Cliff Lee
Aviles, SS
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, 1B
Gonzalez, RF
Middlebrooks, 3B
Saltalamacchia, C
Nava, LF
Byrd, CF
Beckett, P
The Red Sox have optioned first baseman Mauro Gomez back to Pawtucket and recalled outfielder Che-Hsuan Lin.

1 comment:

wayneswhirld said...

Congrats for taking two of three. I knew some about the Sox (reading here) but learned more watching them this series. Really impressed with their defense and offense (granted, CBP is a bandbox)…and that's with several key players on the DL. Strong bullpen. Their one weakness is depth in effective starting pitching beyond Lester, Beckett and Doubront. No matter, they should definitely move up in their division and be a playoff team.