Red Sox Beat Yankees 8-7 In 11 Innings On Mike Napoli's 2nd Home Run of the Game

It took a combined 405 pitches (203 for New York and 202 for Boston) and four hours and 46 minutes but the Red Sox didn't mind at all since Mike Napoli sent Fenway Park home happy with a walk-off solo homer in the 11th off Adam Warren (1-1) for an 8-7 Red Sox (60-40 overall, 33-17 home) win over Yankees (52-46 overall, 24-23 away). Boston improved to 6-4 in extra innings this season and they won their ninth contest in walk-off fashion (tied for 2011 for the most since 2006).

The Red Sox took two of three from the Yankees this weekend to take a healthy seven-game lead over them and tonight it was about their offense coming through just enough to overcome three errors and an early 3-0 lead by the Yankees in the second inning plus a 7-3 led for the Red Sox that they blew. Boston knew that Tampa Bay and Baltimore-their main competitors in the AL East this season-had already won by the time this ended right before 1 a.m. EST so they had to win to keep the Rays 1.5 games behind and the Orioles 3.5 in back of Boston. The Red Sox still have the most wins in MLB although they've played four more games than the Cardinals (59 wins).

With Jon Lester's start getting pushed back a few extra days, Ryan Dempster got the ball and predictably pitched mediocre (5.1 innings, 5 runs, 3 earned runs, 6 hits, 4 strikeouts, 4 walks) but that's more than you can say for CC Sabathia. The former Yankees ace is a shell of himself for whatever reason: 5 innings, 7 earned runs, 9 hits, 5 strikeouts, 2 walks.

Brett Gardner (3 for 4 with run, RBI, 2 walks, stolen base) scored New York's first run on a throwing error by Boston. The Yankees tacked on another run thanks to Vernon Wells' RBI single and Robinson Cano's (3 for 5 with two RBIs and walk) RBI single in the second inning.

Boston got on the board in the third on Dustin Pedroia's RBI single then Napoli put them ahead with a three-run homer over the Monster (his 12th of the season). Shane Victorino's (2 hits, 2 stolen bases) high chopper to left field scored two runs in the fourth and Jonny Gomes cranked a solo homer over the Monster in the fifth (his 8th of the season) for a 7-3 Red Sox advantage. Jacoby Ellsbury was 2 for 4 with a double, run, walk and stolen base in the win.

Gardner and Cano chipped into the lead with a pair of RBI singles in the sixth while Chris Stewart's RBI single cut it to 7-6 and a run scored on a groundout. Eduardo Nunez was 3 for 4 with two runs and a stolen base.

Some of the more obscure members of the Red Sox bullpen saved them in this game: Matt Thornton pitched a 1-2-3 eighth with two strikeouts, Koji Uehara had a scoreless ninth with two strikeouts, rookie Drake Britton appeared for the second straight day and got a scoreless 10th before Pedro Beato (1-0) held serve for the home team in the 11th.

Tampa Bay (58-41 overall, 2nd in AL East) is the hottest team in MLB: a scorching 17-2 in their last 19 games and they come to Fenway for a pivotal four-game series beginning tomorrow night (7:10, NESN) with rookie Brandon Workman (0-0) facing Matt Moore (13-3). Lester (8-6) takes on Roberto Hernandez (5-10) on Tuesday (7:10, NESN), Felix Doubront (7-3) meets David Price (4-5) on Wednesday (7:10, NESN) and John Lackey (7-7) opposes Jeremy Hellickson (9-3) on Thursday (7:10, NESN).

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The More Pedros The Better, The Red Sox Seem To Have Good Luck With Them

If only the Red Sox could play the Royals like 40 times a season, then they might be a playoff time once again.

Boston (61-67, 31-38 home) beat Kansas City (56-70, 30-37 away) 8-6 this afternoon at Fenway Park. The Red Sox bounced back from their latest extra innings disaster (10-9 loss in 12 innings on Saturday Night) thanks to its two newest players: reliever Pedro Beato (1-0) who earned the cheap win in his first outing for Boston and James Loney who had an RBI single in his Red Sox debut.

With Alfredo Aceves serving his second game of a three-game suspension and Andrew Bailey getting the day off (after working three of four games), it was up to Mark Melancon to nail down the save. He allowed a single but struck out one in the ninth for his first save as a Red Sox.

It looks like David Ortiz could be shut down for the season tomorrow (and who could blame them/him?) but we still have Pedro Ciriaco (3 for 5, 2 runs, 2 RBIs, solo HR) who has shown no signs of slowing down. Like all teams, the Red Sox are enjoying Royals pitching. They had 14 more hits today including two each from Jacoby Ellsbury (run, RBI, stolen base), Dustin Pedroia (solo homer), Cody Ross (run, RBI, walk) and Mike Aviles (double, RBI).

Felix Doubront came off the DL and continued to pitch like a guy that doesn't have much left in the tank. His bad habit of high pitch counts keep happening. He went five innings (98 pitches), allowing four earned runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.

The Fresh Prince of Kansas City Will Smith (4-6) didn't have it for the Royals. He went five innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits with a strikeout and two walks.

The Royals had 11 hits, led by Alex Gordon (2 hits, stolen base), Salvador Perez (2 hits, run) and Tony Abreu (Bobby's little boy; 2 hits, 2 RBIs, run).

Ross had an RBI single in the first and Aviles added an RBI double in the second for a 2-0 Boston lead. Kansas City hung four on the board in the fourth thanks to Abreu's RBI single and a three-run homer by Lorenzo Cain (5th of the season).

Ciriaco homered over the Monster in the fifth (his second of the season) and Loney notched his RBI single. A run scored on Ellsbury's infield single in the sixth and Kansas City shot themselves in the foot in the seventh: a run scored on an error and another infield single-this time from Ciriaco.

Beato threw a scoreless sixth and seventh but he labored in the eighth since Boston's bullpen was almost all unavailable. He was responsible for the two runs that scored against Craig Breslow (he entered with bases loaded, 0 outs) on Eric Hosmer's sacrifice fly and Abreu's RBI single.

After what was shaping up to be a lost season for him individually, Pedroia has turned it on in August even while Boston's season has circled the drain. His solo homer (12th of the season) in the eighth gave Melancon some more breathing room which was a smart idea.

There is actually another game between these teams tomorrow afternoon (a makeup date) because really now, who doesn't want more Red Sox vs. Royals? Haha to top it off, it features the glorious return of Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-3). He faces Luke Hochevar (7-11) starting at 1:35 p.m. as the Red Sox try to take three of four against the Royals.

The traffic should be a nightmare and I'll bet you can buy a front row seat for like $5 since most people will be at work while this terrible game occurs. After that, Boston hits the West Coast for nine games (three in Anaheim, Oakland and Seattle), they won't be back again at Fenway until Friday, September 7 vs. Toronto.

UPDATE 8/27: Ortiz was placed on the DL and Ryan Kalish was recalled from Pawtucket to take his place on the roster. With Dice-K activated, Beato was sent down to the PawSox.

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