Red Sox rebound in come-from-behind win over Orioles
It has been a miserable week for the Boston Red Sox, so Thursday night’s come-from-behind win against the Baltimore Orioles to avoid a sweep had to have provided a bit of relief for the beleaguered Boston squad.
The game did not start well for the Sox, as the usually steady Clay Buchholz allowed three runs in the first two innings to put the Sox in a hole early. Boston rebounded in the fifth and sixth innings, scoring two in the fifth and three runs in the sixth to take a 6-3 lead they would never relinquish.
The heart of the Red Sox order – and some pitching miscues from Orioles starter Chris Tillman – provided much of the offense for Boston. A wild pitch from Tillman in the second inning put Nick Punto in scoring position for the Sox, and he scored one batter later on a single from Scott Podsednik.
In the fifth inning, an RBI double from Dustin Pedroia and a sacrifice fly from Adrian Gonzalez tied the game at 3-3, and in the sixth inning, Pedroia put the Sox ahead with an RBI single. Consecutive singles from Gonzalez and Cody Ross drove in two more runs in the sixth as the Sox jumped out to a 6-3 lead.
Although Buchholz was shaky to start the game, he allowed just three hits from the third to eighth innings to allow the Red Sox a chance to work their way back into the game. Buchholz was especially masterful in the ninth inning as he struck out the side on the minimum nine pitches. The 28-year-old is now 11-3 on the season and has led the Sox to wins in four of his last five starts.
Bright spots:
- A win! The Red Sox were desperate for a win on Thursday after losing six of their last eight games to fall perilously close to the cellar of the AL East. The Red Sox are still just 57-61 on the season and are a long-shot to make the playoffs, but any win at this point must feel nice.
- Cody Ross was 3-for-5 on Thursday night and looks to be turning things around at the plate after going 4-for-18 in his last five games.
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia recorded a pair of stellar defensive plays Thursday to help bail Buchholz out of trouble. In the second inning, Buchholz was in quite a jam after allowing a leadoff home run followed by a double and a walk. But when Nick Markakis attempted to move both runners into scoring position by bunting, Saltalamacchia adroitly collected the ball and helped turn a double play to record outs at first and third. When the next batter singled to right field, Omar Quintanilla attempted to score from second only to be tagged out by Saltalamacchia despite a throw from right field that was somewhat far up the third baseline.
Downers:
- Jacoby Ellsbury struggled even as he got some rest Thursday by serving as the designated hitter. Before the game, the Sox mentioned that Ellsbury has “a leg situation” but refused to elaborate on what that situation might be. Meanwhile, Ellsbury was 0-for-4 on Thursday.
Looking ahead:
The Red Sox open a weekend series against the Yankees in New York Friday. Franklin Morales is scheduled to make the Friday start for the Sox. He’ll look to improve upon his control, which doomed him in his last start against the Indians. Morales allowed three runs in the game despite giving up just two hits as he walked four batters.
