Red Sox Pick Up First Extra Innings Win Of 2012, 2-1 In Seattle After 10 Miserable Innings

It only took them six tries (1-5) but the Red Sox can finally say that they won a game in extra innings during the 2012 season.

Boston (42-37, 21-16 away) salvaged a split of a very forgettable weekend in Seattle (34-47, 15-23 home) with a 2-1 win in 10 innings this afternoon at the hitter's graveyard better known as Safeco Field. Don't believe me? Well the Mariners scored five runs in four games this series while the Red Sox had nine.

Pinch-hitter Ryan Kalish doubled with one out in the 10th, moved over on Dustin Pedroia's single and scored on David Ortiz's sacrifice fly. It couldn't have been more of a layup for the Red Sox beat writers as Ortiz drove in the winning run just hours after being named the only All-Star from Boston for the 2012 MLB All-Star Game.

The Mariners are a complete joke, they scored one run or less in three of the four games this weekend yet they went 2-2. That is wild. Somehow, Seattle looked like they might get their third walk-off win of the series when Justin Smoak hit a one-out double in the ninth. Luckily, Vicente Padilla (2-0) got Dustin Ackley to fly out, intentionally walked Chone Figgins then Brendan Ryan flew out to end the threat.

Get this, Red Sox closer Alfredo Aceves had a clean 10th inning that was over in five pitches. I don't know if I've ever seen that before but it was good enough for his 19th save of the season.

Felix Doubront did his best Dice-K impression but if we're being honest here, he still has to fine tune it. He labored through 102 pitches in 4.1 innings but only allowed one earned run on three hits with four strikeouts and five walks. Matsuzaka would have allowed way more runs and hits than that, come on Felix!

Lefty Jason Vargas almost shut down the Red Sox as he went eight solid innings, allowing one earned run on five hits with six strikeouts and a walk.

Ichiro provided the Mariners only run with a sacrifice fly in the third that scored Figgins. Can we pour out a cup of saki for our homie Ichiro? His batting average is .271 and his OBP is .297. He is 38-years-old and been in MLB for 11 seasons. At least he's got to play on many World Series contenders, oh wait. Well who could forget all those Octobers with him prominently featured in them?

Pedroia (6th of the season) tied it in the eighth with a solo homer to left, his first long ball since May 10.

Boston's bullpen saved Doubront and the rest of the team from another embarrassing loss. They went 5.2 innings, allowing one hit with one strikeout and two walks. Matt Albers was first (1.2 innings), Scott Atchison (2 innings) was next then Padilla and Aceves. Albers had the most memorable play for the relievers as he came in with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth. On his first pitch, he got Jesus Montero to ground into an inning-ending double play. You can't draw it up better than that.

The Red Sox have one last series on the road before the All-Star break: three games in Oakland (38-42, 3rd in AL West). The A's actually won two of three at Fenway (April 30-May 2) earlier this season but they are still the mediocre team you remember that can't hit or score runs therefore making wins pretty tough to come by for the sons of Billy Beane. The funny thing is Oakland has in many ways become the Pawtucket Red Sox: Josh Reddick, Coco Crisp and Brandon Moss are all in their current lineup.

Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-2) is still looking for his first win of 2012, he faces Jarrod Parker (4-3) tomorrow night (10:05 p.m., NESN). Jon Lester (5-5) gets King Koopa aka Bartolo Colon (6-7) on Tuesday night (10:05 p.m., NESN) and Franklin Morales (1-1) takes on rookie A.J. Griffin (0-0) Wednesday afternoon (4:05 p.m., NESN) on the Fourth of July.

After only beating Seattle twice, Boston needs to win at least two in Oakland to make this road trip feel a little better before they come home to face the Yankees.

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R.A. Dickey, one step closer to his true calling of porn actor

So far so good in the Emerald City as the Red Sox took game two vs. the Mariners, 4-2, last night at Safeco Field.

Another outstanding start by a Boston (59-43) pitcher was the story. Dice-K breezed through seven scoreless innings before the Mariners (38-62) scored twice in the eighth to make it competitive.

Matsuzaka (11-1) was economical with his pitches (throwing 99 total) and lasted 7.1 innings, giving up five hits with three walks and six strikeouts.

Since winning the MVP at the All-Star game last week, J.D. Drew had been M.I.A. until last night. He drove in the first two Sox runs with a solo homer off Seattle knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (2-5) in the first and a sacrifice fly in the fifth. Drew also had a single and a walk.

Mike Lowell (2 hits, walk) doubled in Dustin Pedroia in the fifth to make it 3-0 before Jed Lowrie (hit) knocked in Manny Ramirez with a sac fly of his own.
The Mariners cut it to 4-2 in the eighth with an RBI double by Ichiro (2 walks) and an RBI single by Jose Lopez that scored Ichiro.

Hideki Okajima was put into an important situation-for the first time in ages-and he got two outs to quiet the Seattle rally in the eighth.

Jonathan Papelbon had a 1-2-3 ninth for his 30th save. He's the first Red Sox closer to record three consecutive thirty save seasons. He now has career 102 saves, third in Boston history behind the late Dick Radatz (104) and Bob Stanley (132).

A sweep will be tough to complete as the Sox have to face Mariners ace Felix Hernandez this afternoon in the series finale. Boston pitcher Clay Buchholz will try to give his team some additional momentum as they head home to face the Yankees and Angels.

A Fine Time to Visit the Worst Team in Baseball

After being swept by Oakland over the weekend and losing seven in a row overall on the road, the Boston Red Sox met a welcome sight last night: the Seattle Mariners. Currently the worst team in baseball, the Mariners (18-34) cannot hit.

Bartolo Colon pitched a gem as the Red Sox (32-22) held on for a 5-3 win. Following his steller debut, Colon (2-0) was once again on the money. He went seven innings, giving up one run on five hits with a walk and four strikeouts. Most impressively, he outdueled Felix Hernandez (2-5).

Hernandez matched Colon for a while before he unraveled by giving up four runs in the eighth. King Felix went 7.2 innings, he was touched up for five runs on seven hits with five walks and five strikeouts.

David Ortiz made it 1-0 Red Sox in the fourth when he hit a solo homer.

In the fifth, Ichiro made an unbelievable jumping/basket catch to rob Jason Varitek of extra bases. He finished the catch by catapaulting himself against wall, feet-first.

The Mariners tied it up in the sixth on Raul Ibanez's RBI groundout.

With two outs, Dustin Pedroia started the eighth run rally by hitting a ground-rule double that scored Julio Lugo. Manny knocked in Pedroia with an RBI single. Then Mike Lowell hit an RBI single that third baseman Adrien Beltre stopped but couldn't do anything with. Finally, Varitek walked with the bases full.

Up 5-1 in the ninth, Jonathan Papelbon was inserted to get some work in but he almost blew it. It all started when he overthrew first baseman Sean Casey on a groundball. Later, Ichiro hit an RBI single and Kenji Johjima scored on a wild pitch. With Ichiro on third, Papelbon ended it on his 25th pitch as he got Jose Lopez to ground to second.