Red Sox beat Yankees 3-2 to win weekend series
The Red Sox jumped back up to .500 as they took a 3-2 win from the Yankees Sunday night. The series was up for grabs as the Yankees had beaten the Red Sox Friday night, 10-3, but the Red Sox squeaked out an 8-6 win Saturday night.
The Red Sox relied on some extra-inning heroics for the win, as it was Pedro Ciriaco who blooped the game-winning hit into right center field that allowed Jarrod Saltalamacchia to score the go-ahead run in the 10th inning. Ciriaco has come up big for the Sox since coming up from the Pawtucket Sox. In his 18 games with the big club, Ciriaco is hitting .349 with eight runs scored and eight RBIs.
The Red Sox took a lead early in the second inning when Ryan Sweeney knocked out a two-run double, allowing Adrian Gonzalez and Saltalamacchia to score. The game then remained scoreless for the next four innings until Russell Martin homered to right in the seventh to tighten the score to 2-1. In the eighth inning, Martin struck again, sending an RBI single to center field to tie the game.
Things got heated in the tenth inning when a controversial play involving Will Middlebrooks resulted in ejections for Bobby Valentine and Josh Beckett (who did not play Sunday night). Middlebrooks was apparently hit in the hand by the ball while attempting to bunt, but as Middlebrooks made his way to first base, umpire Brian O’Nara called him back, saying that the ball made contact with the bat and not Middlebrooks’s hand. Valentine came out to argue the call, but as the discussion heated up, O’Nara ejected Valentine. Tensions continued to rise as Beckett also began to challenge the ruling and was thrown from the game as well. After all the drama, Middlebrooks singled to left to create a runners on first and third situation and set up Ciriaco for the game-winning hit.
Bright Spots:
-The win Sunday night over the Yankees meant that the Red Sox clinched the three game series in New York. After a tough couple weeks of bad losses and losing a bunch of series it is refreshing to see the Red Sox grab a series win over their rival.
Downers:
-At 51-51 the Red Sox still sit in last place in their division, 9.5 games behind the Yankees who are leading the division
Looking Ahead:
The Red Sox will be at home for the next two weeks as they take on the Tigers in a three-game series starting Monday night. With the trade deadline on July 31, the Red Sox may be looking at some bold changes in their future
