April 2, 2014

G2: Red Sox 6, Orioles 2

Red Sox - 002 020 200 - 6 10  1
Orioles - 000 200 000 - 2  6  1
Boston's Big Boppers Bash Birds. Mike Napoli and David Ortiz both hit two-run home runs to power the Red Sox to their first win of the year. Napoli finished the night with four RBI, Dustin Pedroia collected four singles, and John Lackey (6-3-2-1-6, 90) was excellent and economical with his pitches (with the exception of one inning).

Pedroia (6-for-10 in two games) also scored two runs. He was on first with one out in the third inning when Ortiz crushed an inside fastball to deep right field, giving Boston a 2-0 lead.

Lackey was touched for a bloop single to his first batter of the game, but then he retired 11 in a row, throwing only 35 pitches in the first three innings. With two outs in the fourth, Lackey hit his only rough patch of the night, walking Chris Davis on four pitches and surrendering an opposite-field dong to Nelson Cruz. (After Matt Wieters singled, Lackey retired the next seven Orioles. His pitches-by-inning: 8-11-16 35-13-7 16.)

Ubaldo Jimenez (6-5-4-3-6, 96) hit Daniel Nava with a pitch to open the fifth. Jimenez got the next two hitters, and then Napoli cracked a 0-2 pitch over the wall in dead center, putting the Red Sox back on top, 4-2. In the seventh, Nava and Pedroia each singled with one out; a throwing error on FY's hit put runners on second and third. After Ortiz was walked intentionally, Napoli grounded a two-run single into left field

Edward Mujica made his Red Sox debut in the seventh, striking out Cruz on three pitches and allowing a two-out single to J.J. Hardy. Junichi Tazawa gave up a leadoff single in the eighth before setting down the next three men. Koji Uehara was as sharp as ever in the ninth, throwing 14 strikes in 18 pitches. Davis reached on a Napoli error to start the frame. Uehara recorded two quick outs (on five pitches) before Hardy reached on an infield hit to shortstop. Koji got Ryan Flaherty to ground out 3-1 to end the game.
Example
John Lackey / Ubaldo Jimenez
Nava, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Gomes, LF
Sizemore, CF
Bogaerts, SS
Pierzynski, C
Middlebrooks, 3B
Example

4 comments:

allan said...

Not every Red Sox fan can spell.

allan said...

Ortiz's selfie with Obama? ... Just a commercial for Samsung. Booooooooo!

Kathryn said...

I'll be at the game tonight. Let's get a win!

allan said...

Mike Napoli, on the president mispronouncing his name as Na-POLE-ee: "I give him a mulligan. He'll get it right next year."