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Sox Sweep Orioles, Cut Rays Lead To Three
By Administrator | September 4, 2008
The Baltimore Orioles cruised through the first six innings of today’s baseball game at Fenway Park. Emergency starter Lance Cormier and reliever Dennis Sarfate each pitched three scoreless innings, holding the Red Sox to three hits, walking no one, and striking out six batters.
Meanwhile, Daisuke Matsuzaka struggled through an uneven performance. He threw 112 pitches in just six innings… he allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits and four walks, striking out seven.
And then came the seventh inning…
Javier Lopez relieved Dice-K in the top of the inning and retired the O’s in order. In the bottom of the inning, MVP-candidate Dustin Pedroia got the Sox on the scoreboard with a one-out solo home run off southpaw Jamie Walker… after Mark Kotsay struck out, the Sox loaded the bases on a hit batsman, a walk and a bunt single. Rocky Cherry was then brought into the game and proceeded to walk Coco Crisp to cut the Baltimore lead in half.
In the eighth inning, Lopez surrendered a leadoff single and was replaced by Justin Masterson, who got the Red Sox out of the inning unscathed with a big assist from shortstop Alex Cora (who cut down Aubrey Huff trying to advance to third base). The Red Sox tied the game in the bottom of the inning on a two-out, two-run triple to left-center field by Mark Kotsay.
Masterson then retired the Orioles in order to set the stage for a dramatic, game-winning rally in the bottom of the frame. Cora started the inning with a line-drive single into right field. Crisp then laid down a sacrifice bunt that seemed to be heading into foul territory, but when the ball hit a clump of dirt and kicked fair, Crisp had himself a bunt single. Jacoby Ellsbury then attempted to lay down a sacrifice bunt of his own, but it wasnt an especially good bunt (it was hit too hard and too close to the pitcher’s mound). Relief pitcher Jim Miller fielded the ball in front of the mound and turned — with plenty of time to make the play — to cut down Cora at third base. Problem was the ball sailed down the third base line. E-1. Cora came home to score the winning run.
Combined with Tampa Bay’s 8-3 loss to the Yankees tonight, the Sox have now cut the Rays lead to three games in the AL East.
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Hitting cleanup for the fourth time in five games, Pedroia went 3-for-4 and raised his average to .333. He is an extraordinary 21-for-34 (.618) in his last eight games.
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The Red Sox sold out Fenway Park for the 455th consecutive regular-season game this afternoon, tying the Cleveland Indians’ major league record… they will break the record next Monday night when Tampa Bay visits Boston.
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With starter Jeremy Guthrie sidelined by arm fatigue, the Orioles started Lance Cormier… it was his first start since last September 15th when he was with the Atlanta Braves.
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Ellsbury robbed Huff of a home run in the fifth inning with a leaping catch at the bullpen wall.
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Mike Lowell took grounders before today’s game and is expected to be activated from the 15-day DL for Friday’s game in Texas.
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The Red Sox optioned OF Jonathan Van Every to Triple-A Pawtucket, where he was expected to play in the playoffs.
Topics: Sox Games, Sox Players |
