This dream start for the Red Sox in 2013 continued this afternoon as they returned to Fenway Park for the first time since the Marathon Bombings on Monday. Fittingly, they won it in memorable fashion. Daniel Nava hit a go-ahead three run homer in the eighth and Andrew Bailey hung on for the save as Boston beat Kansas City 5-4 for its seventh straight win.
Boston's (12-4 overall, 5-2 home) starting pitchers extended their streak to 16 games (all of this season) of three earned runs or less. Clay Buchholz (4-0) went eight innings, allowing two earned runs on eight hits with six strikeouts and a walk. Bailey gave up a solo homer to Lorenzo Cain (4 for 4, 2 doubles, 3 runs) but he worked around a walk and single to record his third save of the season.
Former Rays great James Shields finds himself in another MLB blackhole but unlike Tampa Bay, Kansas City (8-7 overall, 4-5 away) hasn't been good for at least a decade. He went six innings, allowing one earned run on four hits with eight strikeouts and three walks.
Jeff Francoeur got the Royals on the board with an RBI single in the fifth. David Ortiz tied it with an RBI single of his own in the sixth. Salvador Perez's RBI triple in the seventh gave Kansas City a 2-1 lead but Nava crushed a three-run shot (his fourth of the season) to right center in the eighth.
Last night's postponed game will be made up tomorrow as part of a day-night doubleheader. Ryan Dempster (1-1) faces Ervin Santana (0-1) in the afternoon (1:35 p.m., NESN) then Allen Webster (obtained from the Dodgers in that blockbuster trade last summer) makes his MLB debut vs. Jeremy Guthrie (2-0) at night (7:05 p.m., NESN) in the series finale.
Tweet
Follow @RichSlate
No comments:
Post a Comment