Adrian Gonzalez came through in the clutch and late in the game for once with a three-run homer in the eighth (his 7th of the season) as Boston (46-44, 23-24 home) began a seven-game homestand with a 5-1 win against the White Sox (49-40, 25-18 away) this evening at Fenway Park.
During Gonzalez's homer, over the Monster and off lefty reliever Leyson Septimo, David Ortiz (run, hit, walk) stumbled around second base and limped home. He walked gingerly to the dugout and was replaced. Mike Aviles (stolen base) followed up with an RBI single later in the inning but the Fenway crowd was stunned at another potentially serious injury to a Red Sox player. Ortiz will get an MRI tomorrow on his Achilles.
Aaron Cook dazzled for seven innings: one unearned run on five hits with no strikeouts or walks. Vicente Padilla (3-2) pitched a 1-2-3 eighth with a strikeout for the win and closer Alfredo Aceves had a scoreless ninth despite the fact that he warmed up thinking they would need a save.
Cook was ultra efficient: 97 pitches (66 strikes), 15 out of his 21 outs were on ground balls and the game was over in two hours and 40 minutes. Can he pitch every game please?
Carl Crawford had a single, two runs and a walk in his first game of 2012 for the Red Sox. Batting ninth, Pedro Ciriaco heated up after a quiet weekend with three more hits including a double.
Kevin Youkilis (3 for 4, 2 doubles, run) did his best to star in his first return back to Fenway as a visitor. Unfortunately for Youk, his teammates couldn't do much (combining for two hits) other than starting pitcher Dylan Axelrod who went 6.2 innings, allowing one earned run on seven hits with eight strikeouts.
After a classy and deserved standing ovation before his first at bat, Youk singled and eventually scored on an error by Gonzalez. It turned out to be Chicago's only run. They were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left four on base.
Gonzalez tied it with an RBI single in the bottom of the first. Boston went 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position, they left seven on base.
One positive for the Red Sox is that the Orioles, Rays and Blue Jays-the three teams they can realistically finish higher than in the AL East this season-all lost tonight.
Tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN) Mr. Perfect Game turned bum Philip Humber (3-4) takes on Jon Lester (5-6). Even though Lester has been garbage this season, you have to think this is a good matchup for him since Humber has been repeatedly hammered since his fluke perfect game in April.
UPDATE 7/17: The MRI showed no tear in Ortiz's Achilles which is good news. He's wearing a boot and thinks he'll be out a week but the Red Sox are expected to make a decision tomorrow whether to put him on the DL or not (something they hate doing for some reason).
In other Red Sox news, Franklin Morales is being moved back to the bullpen so Boston will return to a 5-man pitching rotation.
UPDATE 7/18: Ortiz is on the DL and expected out for at least two weeks. Mauro Gomez was recalled from Pawtucket.
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