An inspired start by John Lackey, and some late inning offense gave the Sox' their 6th straight win over the Angels. Lackey went 7.1 innings, allowing 2 runs off 7 hits, finally securing that elusive 10th win. He's been stellar in his last 3 starts, all against AL West opponents. He has a 1.61 ERA over that stretch.
It probably should have been a 7 inning, 1 earned run start by Lackey. Francona tried him in the 8th inning, and it didn't work. I understand the desire to keep Bard fresh, but Lackey's pitch-count was up there, the game was very tight, and the Sox can't afford to lose games at this stage because they're afraid of losing games in September.
The Sox got their production from some relatively unlikely sources. Scutaro was 3 for 5 with a double and 2 runs. Lowrie was 2 for 5 with a pair of doubles and 2 RBI. His big hit in the 7th turned the game to the Sox' favor.
The Sox look for the sweep this afternoon at 3:35 as Beckett faces Joel Pineiro.
Photo Credit:
AP Photo
