Felix Doubront took the mound for the Sox and had his best outing to date en route to a win over the Tigers. The Sox did catch a lucky break that turned into a few runs, but no matter what Doubront was wheeling and dealing.
Doubront looked great yesterday. He faced that tough Tigers lineup and went after both Cabrera and Fielder time and again. In 6 innings, Doubront only gave up 2 runs, both on solo HRs. Doubront gave up a solo HR in the 2nd to Delmon Young that tied the game 1-1. Later in the game, Dubi gave up a solo HR to Laird in the 5th. Doubront went 6 strong innings and had a line of 95 pitches, 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB and 6 Ks. If I was making the call, I would have sent him out for the 7th inning, however I also think that the bullpen was ready to take over. Scott Atchison took over and pitched two scoreless innings. Atchy has just been wonderful for the Sox. He had 4 Ks over the 2 innings and his ERA is sitting pretty at 0.93. In the 9th with a 7-2 lead, Alfredo Aceves took the mound. Once again, if it was my call I would have sent Atchy back out there for a third inning. However Aces was in the game. Alfredo got the 3 outs he needed, however he gave up a 2 run HR to Peralta along the way. Let’s hope this is not becoming a trend.
The Sox offense got on the board early with an single from Gonzo and then an RBI double from Papi. Sox 1-0. In the 2nd is when the Sox ran into some luck aka umpire incompetence. Mike Aviles should have been out by way of a foul tip caught by Laird. However, Aviles thought it hit the plate and the 1st base ump agreed and called it a foul ball. Aviles ended up getting an RBI single to score Sweeney. Sox 2-1. Nava followed with an RBI single and Pedey hit an RBI single. Sox 4-1. So the Sox scored 3 runs when they should have been out of the inning with nada. Mistakes happen, however they usually are not so costly for one team. The Tigers who obviously saw the replay in the clubhouse were livid. Both Tigers manager Jim Leyland and 3rd base coach Gene Lamont were ejected from the game.
In the 3rd, Salty hit his 9th HR of the season to give the Sox a 5-1 lead. In the 6th, the Sox scored another run with a Middlebrooks RBI single. Sox 6-2. The Sox scored their final run in the 8th with an RBI double from Mike Aviles. Sox 7-2. Ryan Sweeney was back from the 7 Day concussion DL and he made quite a difference at the plate. He was 3 for 4 with an RBI. Welcome back Sweeney! Pedroia did leave the game after he made a diving catch and jammed his thumb. He might be out of the lineup for a day or two because the thumb is sore, however it is not considered to be serious.
The Sox are once again back at 500. Tomorrow they once again try to get above 500, unfortunately they have to go through Justin Verlander to do it.
Red Sox 7 Tigers 4 BOXSCORE
WP: Doubront (5-2) LP: Fister (0-3)
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