The Sox entered their final series of the west coast trip before heading off to the All Star Game. John Lackey, who has been one of the best and most consistent pitchers for the Sox, was on the mound vs. Parker for the Athletics. Lackey continued to pitch well and this time was rewarded with a win.
The Sox offense gave Lackey a small lead in the 2nd when the A's defense helped them out. Napoli reached by way of an infield single (I would have scored it an error, not a single), got to 2nd on a throwing error, later got to 3rd on another errant throw and then Nap and Nava were singled home by Brock Holt. Sox 2-0. Lackey didn't give up a hit until the 5th inning when he gave up a leadoff double to Smith who ended up coming in an RBI single to Jaso. Sox 2-1. The As were able to tie the game in the 6th when former Sox Jed Lowrie hit a leadoff HR. Sox 2-2. Lackey pitched another scoreles inning in the 7th and looked like he was done for the night. Lackey's pitching line for the night was 113 pitches, 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 4 BB and 5 Ks.
If Lackey was going to get the win, the Sox offense would have to get him a run in the top of the 8th. That is just what they did when they finally got Parker out of the game. After giving up the 2 runs in the 2nd inning, Parker had basically looked lights out. In the 8th the Sox took the lead 4-2 when Pedroia hit a 2 run RBI single. Andrew Bailey took the mound in the bottom of the 8th to protect the lead. Bailey has shown a lot of promise and confidence and it looks like they are using him in high pressure situations again. Bailey walked the first batter, but then retired the next 3 in order. In the 9th inning Uehara took the mound and struck out the side to snag the win and his 8th save.
Red Sox 4 Athletics 2 BOXSCORE
WP: Lackey (7-6) LP: Doolittle (3-3) SV: Uehara (8)
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