If Alex Rodriguez decides to miss the All-Star game, it is safe to say that Mike Lowell will fill in just fine. Lowell went 5-6 and knocked in five runs in the Boston Red Sox (53-31) defeat of the Tampay Bay Devils Rays (33-51).
Josh Beckett earned his 12 victory in the win and strengthened his chance to start the All-Star game going 6.0 innings, on nine hits, three runs, one walk, and nine strikeouts.
With the loss, Tampa Bay has lost 11 consecutive games in a row.
It did not take long for D-Rays starting pitcher, J.P. Howell, to be exitted out of the game. Howell only lasted 0.2 innings as he was knocked around in the bottom of the first inning for six runs including a Coco Crisp grandslam off the Coke bottles. Crisp ended the night going 2-5 with five RBI’s.
The Devil Rays had to go to the bullpen early with the 6-0 defecit and Lowell and the rest of the Red Sox took advantage of it.
Lowell’s three-run homer in the bottom of the second opened the exit door for another Devil Rays pitcher, Brian Stokes who only went 1.1 innings giving up three earned runs on the homer.
Tampa pushed home two runs in the top of the third on a Brendan Harris two-RBI double making it 9-2, although, Boston was not done scoring.
Lowell added another RBI in the bottom frame, Crisp walked with the bases loaded, and Julio Lugo singled home Lowell and Varitek bringing the gap between the Sox and the Rays to 13-2.
Lowell knocked in his last RBI in the bottom of the sixth on a single to left scoring Dustin Pedroia and the Devil Rays walked another run home making it 15-3.
Tampa Bay scratched home another run in the top of the seventh on a Delmon Young RBI single.
Jacoby Ellsbury was sent back down to Triple-A Pawtucket, but left Fenway with a bang going 2-2 after replacing Manny Ramirez in the top of the fifth inning.
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