Photo Credit: Jim Rogash/Getty Images
Looks like the Red Sox have conquered some of their early season woes. The Sox have won every game on their road trip except the last of their Chicago trip and now notched a win at home to start the Athletics series. The Red Sox once again reached .500 baseball after the win yesterday night putting them back at 11-11 and one game behind Tampa Bay.
The Sox backed up Buchholz last night with a whooping 11 runs. In the second, Ortiz got the Sox on board with a solo shot and later that inning Byrd hit his first RBI at Fenway by hitting a single to drive in McDonald. Then Aviles scored Byrd and Aviles went home on a throwing error, making the end of the second inning 4-1 Red Sox. Oakland only got one run in the first inning and didn’t score any opportunities until the seventh inning, but by then the Red Sox gave them a beating of 11-1. McDonald hit a two run jack in the bottom of the third, 6-1 Sox. Later in the fifth, Ortiz homered, Byrd doubled and scored McDonald, and Aviles hit a three run home run to left center field. Buchholz struggled in the top of the seventh and gave up runs to former Red Sox players, Coco Crisp and Josh Reddick (I miss him, does anyone else?). Coco Crisp scored two on a single and then Reddick smashed one to right field to score three runs, making it 11-6. But the Athletics didn’t get anymore runs with the Sox going from Padilla to Tazawa to Atchinson to Morales to Aceves in replacement of Buchholz.
Doubront (1-0, 4.09 ERA) takes the mount tonight against Jarrod Parker (0-0, 1.42 ERA). The game begins at 7.10pm on NESN and is dependent on the weather as Massachusetts looks pretty wet and cold right now.
Here’s the lineup for tonight.
Aviles SS
Sweeney RF
Pedroia 2B
Gonzalez 1B
Ortiz DH
Ross LF
Saltalamacchia C
Byrd CF
Punto 3B
Doubront SP
Endless Raining 