The first time through the lineup against Luis Mendoza, the Red Sox were somewhat tentative. They were probing Mendoza, feeling him out like a boxer in the early rounds of a fight. But the second time through the lineup, every weakness had been exposed, and was thoroughly exploited.
The three kids on the team (Pedroia, Ellsbury, and Lowrie) had sensational nights. Together, they combined to go 4 for 9, with 4 walks, a double, a triple, a homerun, 4 RBI, and 6 runs scored. They were also the three men on base for Papi's Grand Slam.
Ortiz also had a big night, perhaps a sign of breaking out from his slump. He went 2 for 4 with 5 RBI. The big hit was his 2 out Grand Slam in the 3rd to bust the game wide open.
Sean Casey continued his hot streak, and for some reason is still batting 8th. He went 2 for 4 with a double, and 2 runs scored. He also was solid defensively at first.
Even Javier Lopez had a great night.
The one not-so-great aspect of the game for the Sox was Daisuke's performance. He threw a lot of pitches, didn't really challenge the Rangers' batters much, and had to be pulled after only 5.1 innings of work. But it was good enough for a win. He's 4-0 now, the first in the AL to reach 4 wins.
Jason Jennings and his 8.79 ERA takes on Jon Lester tonight.
And in other news, Brian Griese threw out the first pitch at the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays game Friday night.
The pitch was intercepted halfway to the plate.
Source:
ESPN.com
Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Charles Krupa
AP Photo/Chris O'Meara
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