Red Sox Pound Marlins 15-5, Get Out Of Last Place & Gain A Game On Everyone In AL East

There have been very few nights like this lately where basically everything goes right for the Boston Red Sox. When that happens, you remember why you started watching baseball in the first place.

Boston (35-33, 16-19 home) rolled to its fourth straight win as they blew out Miami (33-35, 16-17 away) 15-5 tonight at Fenway Park. The Red Sox have now won six of their last seven games as they slowly try to make people pay attention since summer is truly here.

The only negative part for fans was that it was an absurd 96 degrees when the game started at a place that is naturally a sweat box to begin with. Still, there was plenty to be happy about as the Red Sox climbed out of last-place for the first time since June 3 and also gained a game on every other AL East team since they all lost.

The Marlins are reeling (no pun intended) as they've lost 12 of their last 14 games. Starter Ricky Nolasco (6-6) was shelled as he allowed nine earned runs in only 3.1 innings.

Red Sox starter Felix Doubront (8-3) beat Miami for the second time in a week thanks to six innings of work. He was not nearly as good as last time out but with a big lead, he did more than enough.

The home team gave its sweaty fans plenty to cheer about as they posted a season-high in runs including 16 hits, 14 RBIs and five walks. In a cool thing that you'll very rarely see, Boston hit every variety of home run in the lopsided victory: grand slam (David Ortiz), three-run (Mike Aviles), two-run (Will Middlebrooks) and solo (Jarrod Saltalamacchia).

Every starter in the lineup-except of course for Nick Punto-had a hit led by Daniel Nava (4 hits, 2 runs), Aviles (2 runs, 2 hits, 3 RBIs), Salty (3 runs, 2 hits), Ryan Kalish (2 runs, 2 hits) and Kevin Youkilis (2 hits). Not to be forgotten, Cody Ross added a bases-clearing double.

Logan Morrison and John Buck had solo homers for the Marlins while Omar Infante (3 hits), Justin Ruggiano (2 runs, 2 hits) and Jose Reyes (2 hits) all had multiple hits.

Boston was 5-for-13 with runners in scoring position and Miami was 2-for-14 in that same spot.

Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-2) will look for his first win of the season tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN) as he faces Carlos Zambrano (4-5) and the Red Sox try to sweep the Marlins.

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Red Sox Get Back Over .500 Thanks To 3 Home Runs, 7-5 Win Vs. Marlins

After they had a 2-1 pitcher's duel (won by Boston) last Tuesday in Miami, it's only logical that tonight Clay Buchholz and Mark Buehrle both faltered as the Red Sox slugged their way to a 7-5 win in the interleague series opener at Fenway Park.

Boston (34-33, 15-19 home) climbed back over the .500 mark with their fifth win in six games as they sent Miami (33-34, 16-16 away) under it with the Marlins' 11th loss in their last 13 games. The victory was somewhat tempered by the fact that Dustin Pedroia left in the 7th inning after he popped out. It appeared like he re-injured his thumb but I guess we'll have to wait and see since the Red Sox act like the Patriots now when it comes to talking about hurt players.

Far more than starting pitching, this outcome was decided by three Red Sox home runs and a few other hits which were enough to overcome a career-high 5 RBIs from Marlins outfielder Logan Morrison (3 for 4, 2 double, 1 HR).

For the fourth straight game, Buchholz (8-2) still got the win but it broke up a string of four quality starts in a row. In six innings, he allowed five earned runs on nine hits with three strikeouts and a walk.

Buehrle (5-8) was hit even harder as he gave up six earned runs on seven hits in only five innings. He struck out one and walked none but allowed all three longballs.

Morrison gave the Marlins a 2-0 lead in the first inning with his sixth homer of the season.

David Ortiz (17th of the season) tied it with a two-run blast of his own that just got over the wall in right during the home half of the first. Kelly Shoppach (4th of the season) continued his mastery of Buehrle (don't ask me why) with a two-run homer of his own over the Monster in the second inning.

Morrison's RBI double in the third scored Hanley Ramirez (3 hits, 2 runs, walk) and cut Boston's lead to 4-3.

Cody Ross had a memorable first game back from the DL (Scott Podsednik went on the DL with a groin strain) as he connected for a solo home run (his 9th of the season) in the fourth which made it 5-3.

Morrison tied it with a two-run double in the fifth but Adrian Gonzalez had a sacrifice fly in the sixth and Will Middlebrooks (2 hits) doubled in Kevin Youkilis (who had also doubled) in the sixth for the last Red Sox run.

It's become redundant to say but Boston's bullpen was superb again tonight: three innings, one hit, zero walks and three strikeouts. Matt Albers got the first two outs of the seventh before Andrew Miller got Morrison to fly out with Jose Reyes on third base and two outs.

Vicente Padilla allowed a hit but still got his 16th hold with a scoreless eighth (6.2 scoreless innings in a row). Alfredo Aceves struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth for his 17th save of the season.

Tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN) is another repeat from a week ago as Felix Doubront (7-3) faces Ricky Nolasco (6-5) with the Red Sox looking for their fourth consecutive win. Last Wednesday, Doubront flirted with a no-hitter as Boston rolled 10-2.

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Clay Buchholz Makes Sure The Red Sox Win Once Every Five Games Or So

It was only a month ago that 2012 was starting to look like a lost season for Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz, who seemed destined for a trip to Pawtucket. Now, he's pitching like the staff ace as he had his fourth consecutive quality start.

Boston (30-32, 16-13 away) broke its four-game losing streak with a nifty 2-1 win against Miami (32-30, 17-17 home) this evening at Marlins Park.

It was only the second win in the last nine games for the Red Sox, the common thread in both? Buchholz took the ball. The Marlins have lost seven of eight.

Buchholz (7-2) was outstanding in a game when the Red Sox needed nothing less since their offense couldn't do much either against Mark Buehrle (5-7). Buchholz went seven innings, allowing one earned run on five hits with a season-high nine strikeouts and a walk.

His only mistake was a solo home run to Logan Morrison (his 5th of the season) in the seventh inning. Jose Reyes (2 hits) had led off the first with a triple but Buchholz proceeded to strike out the side to get out of trouble.

Vicente Padilla survived an infield single and bloop single in the eighth to strike out two and get his 14th hold of the season. Alfredo Aceves earned his 15th save (1st in 10 days) after allowing a single but also striking out one in the ninth.

Always one of the fastest workers in MLB-wish he'd give some tips to Boston's ultra slow pitchers-Buehrle went seven innings as well. He allowed two earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts and a walk.

Boston's two runs came in the seventh on Kelly Shoppach's (2 doubles) RBI double that drove in Will Middlebrooks and Shoppach came around on an RBI single by Mike Aviles.

Felix Doubront (6-3) faces Ricky Nolasco (6-4) tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN) in the series finale as both teams go for the deciding game.

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Red Sox Continue To Fade Into Irrelevancy & Summer's Only Just Begun!

When did it come to this? The Boston Red Sox have transformed into that awful class you had to take in high school or college. All you can think about is when it will all be over and you can move on with your life. That pretty much sums up where fans of this team feel these days.

Beginning their interleague series at Marlins Park tonight, the Red Sox (29-32, 15-13 away) fell 4-1 to the Miami Marlins (32-29, 17-16 home). It was Boston's fourth loss in a row and seventh in its last eight games overall. Miami snapped a six-game losing streak and it's all thanks to the fact that they opened the roof-something they rarely do in rainy/steamy South Florida.

You have to give the Red Sox credit for one thing: they seemingly invent new ways to piss people off on a weekly basis. The latest chapter is their constant complaining about balls and strikes. It's an epidemic that starts at the top with manager Bobby Valentine crying about umpires every chance he gets. Still lacking leadership or flat out intelligence, the players see that and buy in for some reason like a bad Little League team.

For instance, Kevin Youkilis struck out (swinging) to end tonight's game yet he was barking at the umpires as he went into the dugout and up the tunnel. Suddenly a hateable team that's borderline unwatchable becomes even worse. Amazing.

Oh yes, the game. Well Josh Johnson (4-4) shutdown the Red Sox' depleted lineup for seven innings and handed it over to an equally stingy bullpen (for this game at least). Johnson allowed one run on four hits with seven strikeouts and a walk.

For the sixth straight time, Josh Beckett (4-7) went seven innings but Boston is only 3-3 in that time span. Don't think I'll let the Texas Toughguy off the hook that easily though since he handed the Marlins a 4-0 lead by the second inning, thereby ruling out any chance the Red Sox had of winning before it had even really started. Beckett allowed four earned runs on six hits with five strikeouts and a walk. He was great after the second inning but will anyone remember that?

Before Miami's typically late arriving crowd had settled in, the Marlins posted three runs in the first. Donovan Solano had a sacrifice fly, Logan Morrison stepped away from Twitter for a second to hit an RBI double and Gaby Sanchez added an RBI single.

Solano had a sacrifice fly in the second inning to give Miami a commanding 4-0 lead which felt like 10-0 with the way Boston is hitting at the moment.

Adrian Gonzalez provided the Red Sox' only run as he drove in Scott Podsednik (3 hits, stolen base) with a sacrifice fly in the sixth.

Falmouth High alum Steve Cishek worked the eighth for his seventh hold of the season and Heath Bell struck out the side in the ninth (second game in a row that's happened to Boston) for his 13th save of the season.

Mark Melancon had a 1-2-3 eighth for Boston which is huge news for him since the last time he appeared in a Red Sox uniform, he got lit up on April 17 vs. Texas (6 earned runs, 4 hits). He's been lights out in Pawtucket so let's hope he can continue to be that guy and not the April version of himself.

As an added bonus, this game was only two hours and 35 minutes long which gave the Miami "fans" plenty of time to hit the clubs and overpriced restaurants earlier than usual.

Clay Buchholz (6-2) will look to snap the Red Sox out of their latest funk tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN) when he faces former White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle (5-6).

UPDATED 6/12: Outfielder Marlon Byrd was released today by the Red Sox.

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