Since Lackey had that dreaful outing against Toronto on July 4th…all he’s done is WIN! He pitched well against Baltimore. Win. He pitched well against Tampa. Win. Could he pitch well enough to get a win when the guy on the other side of the mound was Felix Hernandez? He sure could. Lackey and Hernandez were in the middle of a pitcher’s duel and the one who was making more mistakes and looking vulnerable and human…was Felix Hernandez. King Felix was constantly pitching in and out of trouble and being saved by the double play. Over 7 innings, Lackey gave up 8 hits, 1 R, 0 BB and 4 Ks. This is the guy we need in our rotation. Yes, the case could be made that the Mariners offense is horrible, but he’s been racking up back to back to back wins. I’ll take it. And, Lackey pitched his guts out against one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. All in all…good job John Lackey.
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Our offense, not too shabby either. Youk got an RBI in the 1st inning to score Pedroia and tie the game. The Sox took the lead in the 3rd when Jacoby Ellsbury got his 16th HR of the season. Wow, this has been such a special and spectacular season for him. The Sox continued to get hits off Hernandez but were unable to get anything to cross the plate (mainly because of hitting into double plays over and over again) until Hernandez was in the 7th and the wheels seemed to be coming off a tad. Gonzo hit a 2 RBI double to give the Sox a 4-1 lead and chase King Felix from the game. Youk followed that with a 2 RBI double (went to 3rd on a throwing error) and Papi got an RBI hit as well. The Sox left the 7th inning leading 7-1. Everyone in the Sox lineup got at least one hit on the night.
Franklin Morales unfortunately made the game a wee bit closer by giving up a 3 run HR to Mike Carp in the 8th. Dan Bard came in and got the 3rd out and now his scoreless streak is sitting at 23 innings. Pap came in and had a lights out 1-2-3 inning and the Red Sox Win!
Red Sox 7 Mariners 4 BOXSCORE
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