John Lackey completed 7 innings on 119 pitches, but despite striking out 5 Angels and not walking any, he gave up 5 runs on 10 hits, 2 of them home runs. The dynamic duo of Bard and Papelbon once again finished up for the Sox. Papelbon struck out the side in the 9th inning. After battling and striking out Howard Kendrick on 7 pitches, he needed only 7 more to strike out the next 2 batters. Vintage Papelbon returning? Let’s hope so.
Offensively, Martinez, Ortiz, Beltre, and McDonald all had multi-hit games, while Bill Hall added a solo homer. Daniel Nava, called up from Pawtucket to replace the latest addition to the elite club known as the Red Sox DL, Eric Patterson, made a great catch to rob an RBI from Izturis and end the 8th inning threat from the Halos.
The Sox amassed 12 hits, while giving up 10. Whatever happened to those 3-2 games all the pundits were suggesting at the onset of this season? Whatever, the Sox won, that’s all that matters. There were no new injuries to report today.
Both the Rays and the Yankees won today and remained tied for 1st place in the AL East, while the Sox remain 5.5 games behind.
Sox 7 Angels 5 BOX SCORE
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
