The Sox played the 3rd game of a 4 game series this Sunday. The Sox had Drew Pomeranz on the mound vs. Alex Cobb for the Rays. Pomeranz had a rough 1st inning, but then settled down quite well. The Sox kept battling back and then in the 7th inning the rallied to take the lead. Craig Kimbrel looked the best he has looked all season long and the Sox rode to victory.
Before Pomeranz left the mound in the top of the 1st, the Sox would be down 0-3. Pomeranz walked the first two batters of the inning and that’s never a good start to the game. The first two runs would score when Pomeranz gave up what could have been a catchable ball to deep center, but Benintendi couldn’t get to it, so it ended up a 2 RBI triple. The 3rd run of the inning then scored with a bassed ball to Vazquez. Sox 0-3. It was a lot of bad luck right out of the gate. In the bottom of the inning the Sox bats were able to get two of those runs right back when Betts hit an RBI ground rule double and then Moreland hit an RBI single. Sox 2-3.
Pomeranz wouldn’t give up another run until the top of the 4th when he gave up a solo home run to Dickerson. Sox 2-4. The Sox would end up tying up the game in the bottom of the 4th when Pablo Sandoval hit a 2 run homer. Sox 4-4. The game wouldn’t end up staying tied for long though when Pomeranz gave up another solo home run in the 5th, this one to Beckham. Sox 4-5. Pomeranz was out of the game in the 5th and Joe Kelly was in the game to get the final out of the inning. Kelly finished off the 5th and also pitched two more scoreless innings to keep the game close.
The Sox bats got a lead in this game for the first time in the bottom of the 7th inning when Mitch Moreland hit a 2 RBI single to score Benintendi and Betts. Sox 6-5. Hanley Ramirez came up lame when rounding 2nd base on the play and would end up leaving the game. It was reported later that it was a leg cramp and it is not expected to be serious. Phew. Matt Barnes came out for the 8th inning and now had a lead to protect. Barnes got two outs, but he also let two runners on base with a single and a walk. Barnes was pulled in favor of Robby Scott who got the final out of the inning. The Sox tacked on an insurance run in the 8th when Vazquez hit an RBI double to score Chris Young all the way from 1st base. Sox 7-5. Craig Kimbrel came out for the 9th and had himself a dominant 1-2-3 inning for the save and the win.
Red Sox Player of the Game: Mitch Moreland. He’s been a doubles machine. Today Moreland was 2 for 3 with 3 RBI. And yep, one of those RBI hits was a double. Moreland was brought here more for his defense than his hitting, but he seems to be finding his strike here in Boston.
Red Sox 7 Rays 5 BOXSCORE
WP: Kelly (2-0) LP: Farquhar (0-1) SV: Kimbrel (5)
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