The Red Sox were riding high on just sweeping the Yankees and headed home to face the rain and the O’s. Dice-K took the mound in hopes of continuing their win streak. Nothing about this game went well for Dice-K. In his 2nd pitch of the game, Roberts hit the ball right back to Dice-K and it pelted him in the chest. Ouch…that looked like it was going to leave a mark. Dice-K said he was okay and continued on pitching. However, nothing seemed to be working for Dice. He wasn’t throwing his pitches for strikes, he was giving up hits, etc. Dice-K gave up 2 runs in the 1st inning, gave up another run in the 3rd and then 2 more in the 5th. For as badly as his stuff looked, I was actually surprised he wasn’t hurt for more damage. Dice-K left the game in the 5th and handed the ball over to Scott Atchison who was called up to replace Lackey on the roster. Dice-K’s pitching line for the night was…gulp…4.1 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 7 BB and 2 Ks. No bueno.
The Red Sox bats weren’t getting much done either…at least for the beginning of the game. The O’s Tillman pitched 5 scoreless innings and left the game in line for a win. The Sox were able to get men on base, but couldn’t get that timely hit to get them home.
However, the O’s bullpen was not nearly as efficient. The Sox had a monster 6th inning that scored 5 runs. The Sox sent 10 batters to the plate before the inning ended. Jed Lowrie got the Sox on the board with an RBI knocking JD Drew in. Jason Varitek also got an RBI knocking Jed in. Gonzo followed with an RBI hit to bring Carl Crawford him. And then Youk hit a bomb of a double to have the Sox only down by one run by the end of the inning.
Unfortunately, Alfredo Aceves came out of the bullpen and immediately gave up another run with a HR to Mark Reynolds. However, he settled down and didn’t allow any other runs to score. The Sox got that run back in the 7th inning when Jed Lowrie tripled and Tek got another RBI single. You heard me right….Tek…with TWO RBIs for the evening.
In the 9th inning, the Sox hoped to have a rally in their bones against the O’s closer, Kevin Gregg. Ellsbury walked with one out and then Pedey had another epic at bat before he walked as well. Gonzo walked up to the plate with 2 men on and only one out and proceeded to hit a monster double of the wall FOR A WALK OFF WIN!
Sure, it started off brutal, but by the end of the 9th the Water Was Dirty and the Win Was Sweet! The Sox are officially over .500!!!
RED SOX 8 ORIOLES 7 BOXSCORE
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