Another Game, Another Walk-Off Win (No. 11 of the season) for the Red Sox

As far as I know, tonight's incredible comeback win by the Red Sox occurred but for the life of me, I couldn't find a picture of it hence why I had to use a picture from Jake Peavy's press conference earlier in the day. Sorry! Boston (66-44 overall-season-high 22 games over .500, 37-20 home) was down 7-1 in the eighth and 7-2 in the ninth before mounting one of the craziest rallies you'll ever see in MLB. Daniel Nava (2 hits, double, run, walk) ended it with a walk-off single as the Red Sox beat the hapless Mariners (50-58 overall, 21-30 away) 8-7 at Fenway Park for a three-game sweep.

It was the 11th walk-off victory of the season for Boston which leads MLB (2 off their team record set way back in 1940) and is their most since 1978. Did I mention that they also have the most wins in MLB since the Pirates lost? I dare say that this is the most likable Red Sox team since 2004, care to disagree after they won in 15 innings and did this less than 24 hours apart?

For so many reasons, this will go down as one of the best wins of the season. Seattle had no business losing this game since Felix Hernandez (7 innings, 1 earned run, 6 hits, 8 strikeouts, 2 walks) shut Boston down and Ryan Dempster (6 innings, 7 earned runs, 9 hits, 6 strikeouts, 5 walks) got shelled. Things got so bad for Dempster-why did they sign him again?-that he gave up a grand slam to scrub backup catcher Henry Blanco in the fifth for a 7-1 Mariners lead.

Kyle Seager's (2 hits, 2 runs, walk, stolen base) bunt single scored a run in the first and Justin Smoak (2 hits, run, walk) drove in another with an RBI single in the third. Boston got a run in the home half of the third on David Ortiz's sacrifice fly but nobody could have predicted what happened in the eighth and ninth. Kendry Morales' (4 hits, run) RBI single preceded Blanco's grand slam over the Monster.

Victorino's solo homer in the eighth was his sixth of the season, cutting it to 7-2. The Mariners couldn't have choked worse in the ninth: it started with closer Tom Wilhelmsen (4 earned runs) failing to get anyone out (closers are useless in non-save situations) and extended to interim manager Robbie Thompson (Eric Wedge had a minor stroke last week) bringing in the wrong reliever (Oliver Perez).

Brock Holt started the comeback with an RBI double in the ninth and Victorino greeted Perez with a two-run single. Dustin Pedroia brought the Red Sox within one thanks to an RBI single and Jonny Gomes (who made a diving catch earlier then had an outfield assist in the same inning) tied it with an RBI single of his own. By the time Nava came up with the bases loaded and one out, you knew it was over.

Steven Wright (2-0) earned the improbable win with three scoreless innings of relief. The knuckleballer only allowed two hits and struck out two on the same day that he was recalled. It's been that kind of season for Boston, everyone is positively contributing. Jacoby Ellsbury was 2 for 4 with two runs, a double and walk. Even Ryan Lavarnway was 2 for 4 with a run.

Boston gets another taste of interleague play with Arizona (55-53 overall, 2nd in NL West) coming to Fenway for three games this weekend. Say hi to the cheerful Cody Ross for me! Jon Lester (10-6) faces Randall Delgado (3-3) tomorrow night (7:10, NESN), Peavy makes his Red Sox debut on Saturday night (7:10, NESN) vs. rookie sensation Patrick Corbin (12-2) and Felix Doubront (7-5) wraps it up Sunday afternoon (1:35, NESN) vs. Brandon McCarthy (2-4).

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Red Sox Reclaim 1st Place in AL East With Epic 5-4 15-Inning Win Over Mariners

I try to steer clear of using tired clichés like "Team of Destiny"-haha what does that even mean? However, when it comes to this edition of the Red Sox and all the amazing wins they seem to pull out of their asses, you have to wonder if something special is brewing here. Tonight, they waged a 15-inning marathon (5:03) with the Mariners (longest game of the season so far) and lived to tell the tale after Stephen Drew's (2 hits, walk) walk-off single won it 5-4 at Fenway Park.

The game was so long that it started on Wednesday and ended on Thursday, even better it was July when the evening began and August when Drew wrapped it up. The Red Sox lead MLB with 10 walk-off wins in 2013, their most since they had 10 in 1996. They are also tied with the Pirates for most wins in MLB, haha who would have guessed that happening on August 1?

Boston (65-44 overall, 36-20 home) was rewarded with a Rays loss earlier in the night meaning that this victory propelled them back into first place in the AL East. It feels like a different guy steps up in nearly every win and along with Drew, we should also heap praise on rookie reliever Drake Britton (1-0) who picked up his first MLB win with two scoreless innings (2 strikeouts) to close it out.

John Lackey went seven innings, allowing three earned runs on eight hits with six strikeouts and one walk. Mariners (50-57 overall, 21-29 away) hurler Hisashi Iwakuma was effective (5.2 innings, 2 runs, 7 hits, 4 strikeouts, 2 walks) but his pitch count was much too high (102) to last very long.

As is usually the case with extra innings games, there were some whacky numbers. Seattle had 16 hits to Boston's 12 but the Red Sox saw 44 more pitches (246-202). Boston left 13 men on base, one more than Seattle. The Red Sox were 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position while the Mariners were 3 for 11.

Kyle Seager (3 for 6, walk) and Kendry Morales (3 for 4) continued to rake against Boston. Dustin Pedroia (2 hits, walk), Shane Victorino (2 hits, run, walk), Jarrod Saltalamacchia (2 for 7) and Drew all had multiple hits in the victory.

Seager gave Seattle a 1-0 lead with an RBI double in the fourth. Boston tied it on a gift by Nick Franklin (0 for 7 with 4 strikeouts)-an error-and it became 2-1 on Pedroia's ground out.

Morales drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth and the Mariners took their final lead (3-2) later in the frame on an RBI single by Raul Ibanez (2 hits).

Dustin Pedroia hit his second two-run homer in as many nights, his eighth of the season, in the sixth for a 4-3 Red Sox advantage. Seager tied it in the eighth with a solo homer.

Boston's bullpen was outstanding which was ironic since Red Sox GM Ben Cherrington didn't make any more moves at the Trade Deadline for relievers (like many expected) or anyone else for that matter. Koji Uehara threw two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Matt Thornton had a scoreless 11th then Craig Breslow pitched two scoreless innings and Britton did his thing.

The Red Sox should have ended it in the 14th when Brandon Snyder led off with a double then was bunted over to third by Jacoby Ellsbury. Victorino hit a shallow fly ball to center and Michael Saunders gunned out Snyder at the plate by a few feet. Why they felt the need to send him I'll never know, especially with Pedroia and David Ortiz due up next.

Jonny Gomes gave them a chance to win it in the Bottom 15th after he robbed Saunders of a hit then doubled up old man Raul Ibanez at second base by running it in himself for the ultra rare unassisted double play to end the Top 15th. I don't know if I've ever seen that happen before in MLB.

Boston goes for the series sweep tomorrow night (7:10, NESN) and it promises to be difficult to pull off since Felix Hernandez (11-4) takes the ball for the Mariners vs. Ryan Dempster (6-8). Jake Peavy is expected to make his Red Sox debut on Saturday night against Diamondbacks.

UPDATE 8/1: It was confirmed today that Peavy will start on Saturday and Jose De La Torre was sent down to Pawtucket. With last night's extra long contest, Boston needed another reliever so they sent Brandon Workman down and activated Steven Wright.

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Workman Picks Up 1st MLB Win, Red Sox Bats Come Alive Against Lifeless Mariners

To state the obvious: Joe Saunders (9-10) is not David Price. The Red Sox (64-44 overall, 35-20 home) must have been thrilled to get away from Tampa Bay's ace ( who stymied them twice in less than a week) as Boston beat up on Seattle (50-56 overall, 21-28 away) 8-2 tonight at Fenway Park in the series opener.

Rookie Brandon Workman (1-1) earned his first MLB win but will likely be sent to the bullpen (more on that in a subsequent post). He went six innings, allowing one earned run on six hits with nine strikeouts and one walk. Kendry Morales (2 hits) actually gave the Mariners a 1-0 lead in the first with an RBI single but they wouldn't score again until Henry Blanco's garbage time RBI single in the ninth.

Boston had 11 hits, led by Shane Victorino's (3 for 4 with 3 hits, 2 doubles and 2 runs) sixth three-hit game of the season, Dustin Pedroia (2 hits, 2 runs, 3 RBIs) and Jarrod Saltalamacchia (2 hits) both notched a pair of hits as well.

The Red Sox scored twice in the first to take the lead for good. Victorino came home on a passed ball and David Ortiz had an RBI single. Jacoby Ellsbury hit a solo homer into Seattle's bullpen in the second, his fifth homer of the season, and two batters later Pedroia cranked a two-run bomb (his 7th) into the Monster seats.

Pedroia added an RBI single in the fourth and Jarrod Saltalamacchia crushed a two-run homer to right center in the eighth (his 9th).

Tampa Bay stayed red hot with a 5-2 win over Arizona and Baltimore beat Houston 4-3 meaning things at the top of the AL East remained the same. The Rays lead the Red Sox by half a game and Boston is up 4.5 games on the Orioles.

Tomorrow night (7:10, NESN) John Lackey (7-8) takes on Hisashi Iwakuma (10-4) in the middle game of the series.

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Red Sox Rally For A Great Win In Extra Innings, Take 3 Out of 4 in Seattle

Ranking wins is always a useless exercise but I think most Red Sox fans would agree that today's come-from-behind 8-7 win over the Mariners in 10 innings at Safeco Field was one of Boston's (57-37 overall, 26-21 away) best victories of 2013. For starters, they rallied when they were down 5-1 in the third inning and took three of four in Seattle (40-52 overall, 22-25 home) to ensure that whatever happens this weekend in Oakland, they are guaranteed to lead the AL East at the All-Star break.

I'm not joking when I say that it feels like the Red Sox have a new hero nearly every game and this afternoon/early evening was no different as Steven Wright's (1-0) second career MLB appearance was a doozy (in a good way of course): 5.2 scoreless innings, three hits, three strikeouts and two walks. He bailed out Ryan Dempster who was terrible: 3.1 innings, seven runs (four earned) on nine hits.

Boston took this wacky series by scoring 34 runs including 30 in the past three games (all wins). The Red Sox had 10 hits and seven walks. Daniel Nava contributed the most important one with an two-out RBI single that scored Jackie Bradley Jr. in the 10th. Koji Uehara-who got snubbed in the Final Vote for the All-Star Game-shrugged it off to get a 1-2-3 10th with two strikeouts for his seventh save of the season.

Jacoby Ellsbury (2 hits, 2 RBIs, 2 walks) extended his hitting streak to 19 games with a leadoff homer-the eighth of his career and the third home run of the season. Seattle put up four runs in the second on Kyle Seager's (2 hits, 2 RBIs) solo homer, a ground-rule RBI double by Billy Butler and two-run single by Endy Chavez. An RBI single by Michael Saunders in the third gave the Mariners a 5-1 lead which the immortal Erasmo Ramirez promptly coughed up.

Brock Holt (2 hits, 2 RBIs, run), Jose Iglesias (2 hits, 2 RBIs) and Ellsbury all kept the line moving with two-out RBI singles that cut it to 5-4. Dempster couldn't do anything right as he allowed RBI singles to Kendry Morales and Seager for a 7-4 Mariners lead in the fourth.

From then on thanks to Wright's incredible relief and Uehara, the Red Sox were able to shut down Seattle's mighty (haha yeah right) batting order. Boston tied it with three runs in the fifth on Mike Carp's sacrifice fly and more RBI singles from Holt and Iglesias.

Beating up on shitbums like the Mariners is all well and good but I'm excited to see how Boston reacts to playing a great team like Oakland (54-38, 1st in AL West this weekend at that dump O.co Coliseum. The A's are one of the best teams in baseball but don't ask me to explain how that's possible with their mostly unimpressive roster. The sum is greater than the parts I guess.

John Lackey (6-6) faces Jarrod Parker (6-6) tomorrow night (10:05, NESN) in the series opener. Jon Lester (8-5) will try to bounce back from an awful few months on Saturday night (10:05, NESN) against A.J. Griffin (7-5). The unofficial end of the first half comes on Sunday afternoon (4:05, NESN) as former Red Sox great Bartolo Colon (12-3)-who is an All-Star-faces TBA.

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David Ortiz: Greatest DH In MLB History? He's Got the Hits To Back it Up

One of the best parts about baseball is the history, none of the other major sports in America can instantly conjure up so many memories of past legends like MLB. That's what makes routine 11-4 blowout wins for the Red Sox (56-37 overall, 25-21 away) like tonight against the Mariners (40-51 overall, 22-24 home) at Safeco Field more memorable than you'd think.

David Ortiz was 2 for 3 with a two-run homer, double, sacrifice fly and two runs as he became the all-time leader in hits (1670 after tonight) for a designated hitter. He passed Harold Baines while former Mariners great Edgar Martinez is generally regarded as the best DH even though he's not in the Baseball Hall of Fame (he should be). Let the endless debates begin!

Ortiz's amazing season and by extension career was the obvious individual storyline but for the Red Sox as a team, it was the continued improvement of Felix Doubront (7 innings, 1 earned run, 5 hits, 6 strikeouts, 2 walks) who notched his third quality start in a row. Like John Lackey, Boston really needs Doubront (6-3) to pitch well since Jon Lester has been awful after April and Clay Buchholz hasn't pitched for over a month now.

It always helps when the Red Sox score double-digit runs (for the second straight game and the 11th time this season) with 12 hits and seven walks. In fact the winning team in the first three games of this series has scored 11 runs each time.

Jacoby Ellsbury was 3 for 4 with two runs, a double and RBI, extending his hitting streak to an MLB-best 18 games. Shane Victorino went 2 for 4 with two RBIs and a run.

Boston went up 9-0 by the sixth inning so they were able to comfortably withstand rookie reliever Brandon Workman's shaky MLB debut. He allowed three runs in the eighth including a solo homer to light-hitting Brendan Ryan-the first batter he faced. He rebounded nicely though to get a 1-2-3 ninth and more importantly, save Boston's patchwork bullpen.

The Red Sox will try to win the series (3 out of 4) tomorrow afternoon (3:40, NESN) as Ryan Dempster (5-8) faces Erasmo Ramirez (0-0) who's making his first start of 2013.

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You Can Never Have Enough Mediocre Backup First Basemen

MLB Spring Training is finally here which means for 2+ months we're subjected to non-stop puff pieces and non-news stories from the most boring time in the sporting calendar. That's why when something at least a little bit notable happens, we have to pump it up and make it seem way more important than it has a right to be. Today, the Red Sox traded a player to be named later or cash considerations to the Seattle Mariners for first baseman/outfielder Mike Carp.

Almost by default, he has to win the backup first baseman job (behind Mike Napoli) over such bums like Daniel Nava, Mitch Maier, Lyle Overbay and Mark Hamilton. Two years ago, when Carp played 79 games for Seattle, he seemed to have some promise: he's a left-handed hitter and he put up 12 homers and 46 RBIs on a bad team with an awful lineup in a cavernous park. Fast forward to last season when he missed 79 games because of shoulder and groin injuries and I guess you can see why the Mariners made him expendable.

Carp is only 26 and he's versatile which means he can also play in the outfield when I'm sure numerous Red Sox outfielders will go on the disabled list with assorted freak/fake injuries. He won't win them many games but at least compared to those scrubs I mentioned earlier, at least he's not a glorified Triple-A player which should be considered slight progress for the Red Sox front office.

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I Was One Game Off On My 0-9 Road Trip Prediction For The Red Sox

The West Coast trip from hell came to a quiet halt tonight as Boston fell 2-1 to Seattle at Safeco Field.

That wraps up a 1-8 stretch for the Red Sox (63-75, 31-37 away) while the Mariners (67-71, 36-33 home) clinched the series and basically guaranteed that they will finish with a better record in 2012 than the Red Sox. What's more, Seattle could even be .500 which is amazing when you consider the utter lack of talent they possess.

It was a battle of two guys that probably should not have jobs in MLB anymore as former Pawtucket Red Sox great Kevin Millwood (5-12) was a little better than Aaron Cook (3-9). Both went six innings but Millwood allowed one earned run on four hits with three strikeouts and three walks. Cook allowed two earned runs on seven hits with a season-high five strikeouts and three walks.

The only offense from these two punchless teams came via Dustin Ackley's two-run single in the fourth and Cody Ross' (3 hits) RBI double in the sixth.

Seattle has found a good new closer as Tom Wilhelmson struck out two in the ninth for his 24th save and the second of the series.

Boston returns home to Fenway Park and a city that is ready to eat them alive, that is if anyone is paying attention anymore since the Patriots get started for real this weekend. After an off-day tomorrow, the Red Sox and Blue Jays (61-75, 5th AL East) will find out who is the undisputed worst team in the division.

Felix Doubront (10-7) faces Henderson Alvarez (7-12) on Friday night (7:10 p.m., NESN), Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-4) opposes Ricky Romero (8-13) on Saturday night (7:10 p.m.) and best of all, Clay Buchholz (11-5) and J.A. Happ (10-11) get started at 1:35 p.m. on Sunday in the series finale that will be watched by five people (since the Patriots-Titans game starts at 1 p.m.).

If there is any justice, the Red Sox will finally acknowledge that their sham sellout streak has ended and the miserable souls that show up to these pointless games boo everything from start to finish. After another day off on Monday, they host the Yankees for three games as New York tries to hang on in the AL East.

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Red Sox Decide To Give That Winning Thing A Try

Get the Duck Boats ready, the Red Sox won't go 0-9 on this West Coast road trip! Boston (63-74, 31-36 away) dug itself a 3-0 hole (which to them is more akin to 30-0) before rallying for a 4-3 victory tonight at Seattle's (66-71, 35-33 home) Safeco Field. That snapped a seven-game losing streak for the Red Sox which had sucked the life out of an already dead team.

Jon Lester (9-11) went six innings, allowing three earned runs on nine hits with four strikeouts and two walks. The real heroes were Junichi Tazawa (2 outs to wiggle out of a jam in the seventh), Vicente Padilla (scoreless 8th, 23rd hold) and Andrew Bailey who recorded his second save with a clean ninth.

The immortal Blake Beavan (9-9) couldn't get the job done for the Mariners. He went 5.2 innings and allowed four earned runs on eight hits with one strikeout and no walks.

Jesus Montero (3 for 5) had an RBI single in the first then Franklin Gutierrez (3rd of the season) and Kyle Seager (16th of the season) went back-to-back in the third for the 3-0 advantage.

Dustin Pedroia (2 hits, run, walk, stolen base) extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a single in the sixth. Even better, Cody Ross blasted his 20th homer-a 3-run shot-and two batters later Ryan Lavarnway (1st of the season) went deep in that frame. Things were going so well that Jose Iglesias (previously 0 for 17) notched his first hit of the season: a double.

James Loney was 2 for 4 with a double in the extremely rare Red Sox victory. Dustin Ackely was 2 for 5 with a run and stolen base for Seattle. Him, Seager and Montero are a nice trio, if only the Mariners would spend some money and surround them with proven veteran hitters.

In the finale of this torturous road trip, Aaron Cook (3-8) faces Kevin Millwood (4-12) tomorrow night (10:10 p.m., NESN). Make sure to flip over when there are commercials during the Giants-Cowboys game. Watching that instant classic pitching matchup should be almost as entertaining as seeing Tony Romo and the Cowboys pee down their legs like always.

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I Know Results Don't "Matter" Anymore This Season For The Red Sox But Dear Lord

The Red Sox celebrated Labor Day 2012-the unofficial end of the summer-the only way that they know how to these days: with another forgettable defeat, their season-high seventh in a row. At this juncture, they have become that nasty turd that takes multiple flushes to get rid of; they won't just go away quietly into the night.

In the series opener, Seattle (66-70, 35-32 home) breezed past Boston (62-74, 30-36 away) 4-1 this afternoon at Safeco Field. Over their last 32 games, the Red Sox are 9-23. It's their worst 32-game stretch since August 22-October 2, 2001, when they went 8-24.

The Red Sox have been outscored 58-16 during their current 7-game losing streak which makes 0-9 on this West Coast road trip seem very likely. Conversely, the Mariners have a good chance to finish at or above .500 (which is a big accomplishment when you look at their roster) thanks to their great play at home-17-3 last 20 at Safeco.

Jason Vargas (14-9) continued to bolster his reputation as one of the most underrated starting pitchers in the American League. He went seven innings, allowing one earned run on six hits with five strikeouts and no walks. Josh Kinney had a scoreless eighth inning for his fourth hold while closer Tom Wilhelmsen wrapped up his 23rd save with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Clay Buchholz (11-5) went seven innings but he allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits with eight strikeouts and a walk.

Dustin Pedroia has become the only brightspot left for the Red Sox. He was 2 for 3 with a double, run, walk and two stolen bases. Ryan Kalish added two singles for Boston which only had six total hits.

Cody Ross drove in Pedroia with an RBI single in the first. It was all downhill from there as Seattle scored all four of its runs in the fourth inning. John Jaso and Justin Smoak had RBI singles then two runs scored on Jacoby Ellsbury's throwing error and a ground out by Carlos Peguero.

Washington state native Jon Lester (8-11) gets the ball tomorrow night (10:10 p.m., NESN) vs. Blake Beavan (9-8). I'm already falling asleep just thinking about that electrifying matchup.

UPDATE 8/4: Red Sox acquired minor-league catcher Guillermo Quiroz from the Mariners for cash considerations. He has had cups of coffee with Toronto, Texas, Baltimore and Seattle; he was added to the Red Sox roster before Tuesday's game. He hit .278 with 15 doubles and 15 home runs in 89 games with Triple-A Tacoma this season.

Additionally, Boston brought up Clayton Mortensen for the sixth time this season. Despite that number, he's earned at least a long look in next year's spring training. He's basically a younger Scott Atchison which is a compliment.

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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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Heartless In Seattle: Red Sox Suffer 2nd Walk-off Loss In 3 Nights To The Shitbum Mariners

If they're going to lose, the Red Sox should at least have the decency to get it over with in nine innings when they are out on the West Coast.

Tonight, Boston (41-37, 20-16 away) fell to 0-5 in extra innings (0-2 on the road) as they lost 3-2 in 11 innings to Seattle (34-46, 15-22 home) at Safeco Field.

Chone Figgins's sacrifice fly scored Dustin Ackley (2 hits) with the winning run. Much like John Jaso's walk-off single two nights ago, right fielder Cody Ross made a fine throw to home but once again catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia couldn't handle it. Guess he didn't practice that between games. This was a tougher play (less time, bad hop) but he's still got to make it if he is to ever going to be considered an All-Star.

For those keeping track at home, Seattle has scored a total of four runs in the first three games of this series yet they are 2-1. Boston can do no better than a split provided that they win tomorrow afternoon.

Before the game, outfielder Darnell McDonald was designated for assignment which means the Red Sox have 10 days to trade, release or send him to Pawtucket. With all the young outfielders that have come up plus Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford rehabbing, it was simply a numbers decision. D-Mac was a good teammate but his lack of production didn't justify a spot with Boston anymore. Good luck to him moving forward.

This game couldn't have fallen much more in the Red Sox' favor since Mariners starter Erasmo Ramirez left in the third inning with an injury. That meant that Seattle had to use six relievers to close it out. Somehow it all worked with Shawn Kelley (2-2) getting a 1-2-3 11th with two strikeouts to earn the win.

Boston's closer Alfredo Aceves (0-5) ended up going 2.1 innings (25 pitches) which means he could be unavailable tomorrow in a save situation.

Josh Beckett's first start in 19 days was about all you could positively expect: six innings, two earned runs on four hits with four strikeouts and three walks.

The Red Sox' inept offense killed them this evening as they went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and they left 10 guys on base, brutal numbers for a team that had pounded the ball on its most recent homestand (7-2).

John Jaso gave Seattle a 2-0 lead with a two-run double in the sixth. Boston tied it with two in the seventh on Ryan Kalish's ground out and a passed ball by Miguel Olivo which allowed Will Middlebrooks to score.

Adrian Gonzalez was 3-for-5 with a run but he also got gunned out at second base in the eighth inning trying to stretch a single into a double. Making it sting more, that was the third out.

Cody Ross had two hits and a walk for Boston while Ichiro (run, stolen base) and Olivo each produced two hits for Seattle.

Felix Doubront (8-4) faces Jason Vargas (7-7) tomorrow afternoon (4:10 p.m., NESN) in the series finale. It's a must-win for the Red Sox because losing a series 3-1 to the Triple-A worthy Mariners would be an absolute disaster.

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Just Your Regular Old 2-Hitter By Aaron Cook, Wait What?

Short of a perfect game or no-hitter, you'll be hard pressed to see a better pitching performance than the one turned in by Red Sox starter Aaron Cook tonight in Seattle.

In only his third start for Boston (41-36, 20-15 away), the veteran sinkerballer threw a two-hitter as the Red Sox blanked the Mariners (33-46, 14-22 home) 5-0 at Safeco Field. It was the 12th complete game of Cook's career and third shutout.

Cook didn't walk anybody and only struck out two guys. He was super efficient and quick (the game took 2 hours and 18 minutes) since he needed just 81 pitches to get it all done. Of the 27 Seattle outs: 15 ground outs, 10 fly outs and two strikeouts.

This being the Mariners, who have one of the most wretched lineups in MLB history, we have to treat this is an anomaly. Still, it shows that Cook has something left in the tank if he can stay healthy.

In five innings, Hector Noesi (2-10) allowed all five earned runs on seven hits including four home runs.

After four scoreless innings, the Red Sox blasted a trio of solo homers in the fifth. Will Middlebrooks (10th of the season) and Cody Ross (12th of the season) went back-to-back before Daniel Nava (3rd of the season) also went deep.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia (15th of the season) continued his late All-Star push (yes I know voting is already over) with a two-run shot in the sixth. The 2012 All-Star teams are announced on Sunday afternoon. David Ortiz is the only lock for the Red Sox which says something about how much their other "stars" have underachieved in the first half.

Boston's defense clearly enjoyed playing behind a pitcher that worked fast, a big issue with almost every other starter, as they turned two double plays.

Josh Beckett (4-7) returns from almost three weeks on the DL tomorrow night (10:10 p.m., NESN) to face Erasmo Ramirez (0-2), a converted rookie reliever making his fourth MLB start. Franklin Morales and Cook have both put up zeros in the first two games of this series so it's not too much to ask of the Texas Toughguy to shut out this awful opponent.

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Tell Me Again Why Felix Hernandez Is Still Wasting Away With The Mariners

There is nothing worse in life than wasted talent and that is precisely why I can't believe that Felix Hernandez is still employed by the Seattle Mariners.

One of the best pitchers in MLB is reduced to playing for a perennially mediocre team in a division (AL West) that they'll never win anytime soon since the Texas Rangers are loaded and the Los Angeles Angels aren't that far behind. Oh and the stadium was less than half full tonight as Hernandez showed just what the big market teams are missing by throwing a five-hitter as the Mariners (33-45, 14-21 home) beat the Red Sox (40-36, 19-15 away) 1-0 at Safeco Field.

With one out in the bottom of the ninth, pinch-hitter and former Ray John Jaso singled to right. Casper Wells had doubled and ended up scoring the winning run on the play even though he should have been out. Red Sox right fielder Cody Ross had a good throw to catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia who had time to brace himself for Wells. There wasn't a big collision yet Salty dropped the ball for some reason. The umpire called Wells out initially but once the ball popped loose, it was over. A truly awful way to lose this game and start a seven-game road trip in Seattle and Oakland.

King Felix (6-5) tied a career-high with 13 strikeouts in his fifth career shutout. He had one walk and threw a career-high 128 pitches (84 strikes including 22 swinging strikes which is silly).

The crazy part is that Boston starter Franklin Morales (7 innings, 3 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts) has been lights out since he entered the rotation and he nearly matched the former American League Cy Young winner.

Andrew Miller had a 1-2-3 eighth on seven pitches but Atchison (2-1) wasn't able to send it to extra innings after Wells got the only extra-base hit of the contest.

The Red Sox squandered their only real chance to score, in the top of the ninth. With one out, David Ortiz singled and Salty walked. Hernandez finally seemed to be tiring and after a good at bat, Adrian Gonzalez flew out to center where Michael Saunders made an outstanding running catch. Will Middlebrooks could have put Boston ahead but he popped out to let Felix off the hook.

Aaron Cook (1-1) faces Hector Noesi (2-9) tomorrow night (10:10 p.m., NESN) in a game that the Red Sox really need to win. Tonight's game is the only one that they should honestly lose to the Mariners, who are one of the worst hitting teams in the AL.

Boston missed a great opportunity to move up on everybody else in the AL East last night as the Yankees, Orioles, Rays and Blue Jays all lost. What's more, if you look at the other teams at the moment, they are all messes. The Yankees rotation is in shambles, the Rays and Orioles have lost seven of nine and the Blue Jays are 4-6 in their last 10 with few healthy starting pitchers left standing as well. This all means that the Red Sox need to take advantage; they're playing better and they have a favorable schedule while all their main rivals are scuffling to varying degrees.

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Red Sox Sweep The Mariners, Win 5th Straight But Head Out On The Road To Play Some MLB Teams

Thank God this homestand is over for the Red Sox, I don't know how many one-sided games I can take against these piss poor opponents.

Watching Boston (17-19, 9-11 home) beat up on shitbums like the Seattle Mariners (16-22, 9-14 away) does nothing for me, even when they roll like they did this afternoon-5-0 at rainy Fenway Park.

The Red Sox' fifth win in a row allowed them to finish 5-1 on this cakewalk homestand against Cleveland and Seattle.

To illustrate how hopeless the Mariners are, they let Josh Beckett (3-4) take a time machine back to 2007-when he was motivated and not a fat loser. He pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out nine. Seattle managed only four hits against him and he walked two. Rich Hill (8th) and Alfredo Aceves (9th) had clean innings for the shutout, something which barely alluded Jon Lester the night before.

On Tim Wakefield Day, David Ortiz (2 runs, 2 hits, walk) honored his old pal with a solo home run in the third. His eighth of the young season went into Boston's bullpen.

Mike Aviles had an RBI double in the fourth and Daniel Nava scored on the next at bat-Ryan Sweeney's ground out. Kevin Youkilis is set to start his rehab in the minors tomorrow but who cares, we've got Will Middlebrooks. The rookie third baseman provided an RBI single in the fifth while Aviles had another RBI double in the ninth to wrap it up and send Boston to the airport on a good note.

Things should really pick up in the next week and truth be told, we should know much more about this team over the next eight games: two in Tampa (23-14, first in the AL East), three in Philadelphia this weekend then three in Baltimore. The Red Sox took three of four a month ago as they faced the Rays in their season-opening home series but with the problems that Tampa Bay has given them the last few seasons, don't expect Boston to keep that up.

Tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN) Clay Buchholz (4-1) faces Jeremy Hellickson (3-0) and Thursday night (7:10 p.m., NESN) Felix Doubront (3-1) opposes Matt Moore (1-3). Boston is in the middle of an insane 20 games in 20 days stretch, they've gone 6-6 so far and needless to say, these next eight games will give a good indication if the Red Sox are contenders at all this season or just a bully that beats up on bad teams (not named the Royals or A's).

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Wake Me When The Red Sox Beat A Good Team

There's nothing like padding your win total against some crappy teams that are going nowhere fast; at least that's what you have to say when you objectively look at the Red Sox right about now.

Boston (16-19, 8-11 home) won its fourth straight game, 6-1 over the Seattle Mariners (16-21, 9-13 away) tonight at Fenway Park.

Pardon me if I don't sound very excited about this fraudulent win-streak vs. the Indians and M's. I will only start to take the Red Sox seriously if they can beat quality opponents and/or do that on the road against non-AL Central squads.

So I don't sound too negative, I can be happy about the fact that Jon Lester (2-3) nearly recorded the shutout but more importantly, he pitched his first nine-inning complete game in almost two years. The perennially poor hitting Mariners could only squeeze one run across in the ninth inning when it was long over. Lester's pitch count was high (119) but he didn't walk anybody, he struck out six and he scattered eight hits.

Jason Vargas (4-3) allowed five earned runs in six innings which meant that Seattle might as well have been down 20-0 with the way that they struggle to score runs.

David Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez had RBI doubles in the first but Daniel Nava (2-run, his 1st of the season) and Kelly Shoppach (1st of the season) bested that with homers over the Monster in the fourth. It was Nava's second career home run, everyone remembers that he hit a grand slam two years ago in his first MLB at-bat. Shoppach had a cup of coffee with Boston in 2005 but this was his first long ball for them. Marlon Byrd drove in the final Red Sox run in the eighth with a sacrifice fly.

Thankfully, this series which bores me to tears is over tomorrow afternoon (4:05 p.m., NESN) as Josh Beckett (2-4) takes a break from his main duty-golfing-to face Blake Beavan (1-3). Best case scenario for Boston is that Beckett somehow gets the win (completing a full turn around the rotation, with each guy winning) and the Red Sox head out for a very important eight-game road trip with some momentum, namely in the form of a five-game win-streak.

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Mariners Take Two Out Of Three From The Red Sox (Jumps Off Tobin Bridge)

If you're enough of a degenerate to wager on regular season MLB games, I've got a hot tip for you: bet the house against the Red Sox every time Tim Wakefield makes a start.

That might sound like crazy talk but it's hard to explain how the best team in the American League continues to find ways not to give the old guy his 200th career win. It also marked the first series since June 28-30 (at Philadelphia) that the Red Sox had lost.

This afternoon marked the fourth straight start that Wakefield (6-5) has pitched ok but has received a loss or no-decision. He pitched a complete game (eight innings) which saved Boston's taxed bullpen. Wake allowed five runs (four earned) on nine hits with two walks and four strikeouts.

Likewise, I'd love to hear a non-homer explanation for why Boston (73-46) can consistently do well against MLB's best pitchers like CC Sabathia, Jered Weaver, Felix Hernandez, etc. but time and again they get shut down by mediocre bums.

However, if the Red Sox are going to get completely embarrassed by a nobody, I'm happy it's one from South Portland, ME and with as cool a name as Charlie Furbush.

An LSU product (he has to be the only person in the history of Maine to attend LSU), Furbush (3-4) went seven strong innings, allowing one earned run on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Kevin Youkilis made it exciting for about as long as it took him to round the bases when his two-run homer (his 17th of the season) in the eighth cut Seattle's lead to 5-3. However, Mariners closer Brandon League got his second straight 1-2-3 inning and save (his 28th of the season) in the span of about 17 hours and change.

The best part about this forgettable game was that it clocked in at two hours and 14 minutes, sure to be one of the fastest of Boston's season. In other words, as long as a Dice-K first inning or two innings of Yankees-Red Sox.

Seattle got three runs in the third as Jack Wilson (infield single), Franklin Gutierrez and Mike Carp (RBI single) all produced runs.

Jed Lowrie's sacrifice fly in the fourth got Boston on the board at 3-1 but the M's got one in the fifth (on Dustin Ackley's RBI single) and Casper Wells took Wakefield deep with a solo shot in the sixth.

Adrian Gonzalez had two hits and a run in the loss while Ichiro had two hits and a run in the win.

The Red Sox have tomorrow off as they return to the East Coast. They host a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays starting with a day-night doubleheader (Lester vs. Shields and Bedard vs. Niemann) on Tuesday at Fenway Park. Then it's back on the road with four in Kansas City and four in Texas, two miserable places to play in well always but especially during the August heat.

Let's all spend the time between now and then wisely, by washing off the stink of from awful series in Seattle.

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King Felix & Mariners Beat Beckett & Red Sox On A Weird Night In Emerald City

Anytime the Seattle Mariners score five runs in an inning, let alone against one of the American League's best pitchers (Josh Beckett), it is cause for national headlines.

Ironically enough, that one random inning allowed the M's (51-67) and Felix Hernandez (11-10) to hold off the Red Sox (73-45) and Beckett (9-5) tonight 5-4 at Safeco Field.

Weird doesn't begin to describe a game that featured a homer by Ichiro Suzuki on the first pitch Beckett threw, a two-run home run by something called Casper Wells, Terry Francona's ejection after a call at home plate and a balk that happened but I guess didn't officially occur.

After Ichiro's homer, rookie Mike Carp added a two-run single and Wells put the exclamation point on the five-spot with a two-run homer.

Beckett (5 innings, 5 earned runs, 8 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts) was able to settle down after that (3 hits in the last 4 innings) but the damage had been done. It's too bad that Boston lost for the simple fact that Matt Albers (1.2 innings, 3 strikeouts), Franklin Morales (0.2 innings, 1 strikeout) and Alfredo Aceves (0.2 innings, 2 strikeouts) combined to give up one hit in some of their best collective work of the season.

It shouldn't be a surprise that the Mariners were blanked after the first inning as they had Wily Mo Pena of all people hitting fifth as the designated hitter. The former Red Sox great was 0 for 4 with two strikeouts.

When Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia each hit a pair of two-run bombs in the sixth inning, it looked like the Red Sox were brewing up yet another comeback but Felix Hernandez, Jamey Wright and Brandon League didn't let it get any closer.

Ellsbury's homer was his 20th of the season, making him the sixth player in Boston history to have 20 homers and 20 steals in the same season. Get used to seeing that often from him. Likewise, Pedroia's 16th homer (to go with 23 stolen bases) means that he could join his teammate in that select company within the next month or so.

Felix didn't have his best stuff either but the big lead that Seattle staked him to proved to be just enough. He went seven innings, allowing four earned runs on nine hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

Wright threw a scoreless eighth for his 14th hold while League struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth for his 28th save of the season.

The two wacky plays happened in the fourth and eighth when the Red Sox were batting. In the fourth, Jacoby Ellsbury tried to score on a shallow fly ball to right field by Pedroia. Ichiro delivered a perfect throw to the plate and catcher Josh Bard held on despite getting kneed in the head by Ellsbury. At first, the home plate umpire called him safe but then after a long wait he reversed the call. Incensed, Terry Francona came out and got his money's worth before he was ejected. It was the right call as Bard held onto the ball on his stomach but who knows how or why the umpire suddenly changed his mind?

In the eighth, Wright appeared to balk with pinch runner Darnell McDonald at first. After that didn't transpire, McDonald tried to steal second but would you believe he was thrown out on a close play. The replay made it seem like again the second-base umpire got it right but I'd like to know how the balk was reversed.

Tim Wakefield tries to win No. 300 for the fourth time tomorrow afternoon as Boston closes out its six game road trip (3-2 so far) against Portland, ME native Charlie Furbush of the Mariners.

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Three Red Sox Homers Help Them Survive John Lackey's Usual Mediocrity

The Seattle Mariners might have the worst offense in the American League but don't tell that to John Lackey.

Nope, it took everything he had to hold off the M's (50-67) as the Red Sox (73-44) won 6-4 tonight at Safeco Field in the series opener in the Pacific Northwest.

It was Lackey's (11-8) sixth straight win in seven decisions which is probably the most misleading statistic in the history of sports. Every player in Boston's lineup had a hit as they continue to dominate the woeful Mariners.

In six plus innings, Lackey allowed four earned runs on 10 hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

Seattle rookie starter Blake Beaven (3-3) was shelled. In 6.1 innings, he allowed six earned runs on 11 hits with a walk and a strikeout.

Nine Mariners have made their MLB debuts this season, the highest total of any team, so clearly this is a team that's building for the future. With hitters like Dustin Ackley (2 hits, RBI, walk) and Mike Carp (3 hits, 3 RBIs), Seattle has two studs to build around. Justin Smoak will also probably be good but he caught a tough break-no pun intended-when Jarrod Saltalamacchia's (2 hits, run) grounder took a wicked hop and broke his nose in the second inning.

Carp gave the M's a 2-0 lead in the first with a two-run single which scored Ichiro and Franklin Gutierrez.

David Ortiz's 24th homer of the season cut it to 2-1 in the second and Mike Aviles tied it later in the frame with a sacrifice fly (scoring Carl Crawford).

Ackley put Seattle ahead again with an RBI single in the second and Carp increased it to 4-2 in the fourth with an RBI double.

Jed Lowrie's fourth homer of the season (his first left-handed and first since April 20) brought Boston within 4-3 in the fifth and Josh Reddick provided the night's biggest hit with a two-run bomb off a window in right during the sixth.

Ortiz added an insurance run with an RBI single in the seventh that plated Adrian Gonzalez (2 hits; MLB-leading 52nd multi-hit game).

As it became a battle of the bullpens, predictably the Red Sox held on as Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon both had solid outings. Bard got four outs including three strikeouts (his 27th hold of the season) while Papelbon recorded his 27th save.

The Muddy Chicken himself-Dustin Pedroia-had two hits and a stolen base in the win as well. Great story about him in this week's Sports Illustrated, haha it explains the hilarious origin of his latest nickname.

Josh Beckett faces Felix Herandez tomorrow night in what promises to be a low-scoring pitcher's duel, in other words the exact opposite of tonight's proceedings.

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With Rich Harden Legally Dead, The Red Sox Turn To His Left-Handed Equivalent (Erik Bedard)

After the deal for A's pitcher Rich Harden fell threw last night (praise Jesus!), Red Sox GM Theo Epstein might be Ivy League educated (Yale) but he clearly has a pants tent for injury prone starting pitchers who have never really put it all together.

Today, Boston was involved in a three-team trade and they ended up with Seattle Mariners pitcher Erik Bedard and minor league righty Josh Fields (who was a first-round pick in 2008).

The Red Sox sent Double-A catcher Tim Federowicz and right-handers Juan Rodriguez and Stephen Fife to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who dealt OF Trayvon Robinson to the Red Sox. Finally, the Red Sox sent Robinson and Double-A OF Chih-Hsien Chiang to Seattle.

Much like Harden, who I wrote about last night but deleted after he failed his medical check, I can't get too excited about Bedard since he gets hurt all the time and has failed to live up to the potential he showed with the Baltimore Orioles in 2006 and 2007.

He's 4-7 in 16 starts this season with a 3.45 ERA and he just came off the DL on Friday from a sprained knee (and promptly got lit up). Bedard was 15-14 with a 3.31 ERA in 46 career appearances with the Mariners. He missed most of the 2009 season and all of 2010 after left shoulder surgery.

He was 40-34 in five seasons with the Orioles, going 15-11 with a 3.76 ERA in 2006 and 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA the following season.

Fields, 25, the 20th player taken in the 2008 draft out of Georgia, was 2-1 with a 2.77 ERA for Double-A Jackson and 0-0 with a 6.23 ERA in nine games for Triple-A Tacoma.

From what everyone has said, Bedard is tough to deal with and a bit of a headcase. Let's also not overlook the fact that he's never played in a pressure-packed environment (Baltimore, Seattle) so basically we're getting a left-handed John Lackey, who has done less in his career.

Ugh. The truth is that he'll only have to be a fourth or fifth starter going forward as the Red Sox come down the stretch with a little over two months left in the regular season.

Federowicz is nothing special, I've never heard of Rodriguez or Fife but I will say that people who pay attention to prospects say that Chiang is a good one. His numbers this season for the Sea Dogs (.338 with 36 doubles, 18 home runs and 76 RBIs in 87 games) attest to that. Also, Robinson is hitting .293 with 26 home runs and 71 RBIs in Triple-A so he seems like a decent prospect too.

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Wakefield Records A Milestone, Mariners Hit New Low In Red Sox' Sweep

Tim Wakefield and the Boston Red Sox sent the Seattle Mariners out of town with basically the Scarlet Letter for their inept team.

With Boston's (62-37) 12-8 win yesterday afternoon at Fenway Park, Seattle (43-58) was not only swept in the three-game series but they set a new low for the franchise with its record 15th straight loss.

It's basically impossible to see a pitcher get two standing ovations after getting knocked around for seven earned runs on 10 hits in 6.1 innings (with a walk and four strikeouts) but that was the strange scene at Pink Hat Central.

Wakefield (6-3) got the extra dose of love since he became just the second pitcher in Red Sox history, joining Roger Clemens, to put up 2000+ strikeouts.

The win also gave Wake 199 in his Boston career, putting him on the cusp of even more history the next time he starts (Friday in Chicago against the White Sox).

Mariners rookie Michael Pineda (8-7) was a surprise All-Star this season but he was anything but in that type of form yesterday. In 4.1 innings, he allowed seven earned runs on eight hits with a walk and four strikeouts.

The conveyor belt (somewhere Claude Julien smiles) that is the Red Sox lineup continued to churn out double-digits with 17 hits in the game.

Jarrod Saltlamacchia led Boston with three hits and four RBIs. Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez each had three hits, two runs and two RBIs. Josh Reddick had two hits, two runs and an RBI, David Ortiz had two hits and two runs while Jacoby Ellsbury had two hits, a run and an RBI.

Kevin Youkilis smacked a two-run homer and scored two runs while Dustin Pedroia's double extended his hit streak to a career-high 21 games (an AL high this season) and he's reached base in 32 consecutive games (tops in the majors).

Brendan Ryan led Seattle with two hits and five RBIs. Franklin Gutierrez had two hits and three runs while Ichiro (run), Dustin Ackley (RBI) and Mike Carp all had two hits apiece.

Miguel Olivo gave the Mariners a 2-0 lead with a two-run bomb in the first.

No surprise, the lead was short-lived as the Red Sox put up a five-spot in the home half of the inning. Gonzalez drove in Ellsbury with an RBI single and Youk put Boston up 3-2 with a two-run shot (his 14th of the season). Salty's two-run single made it 5-2.

Ryan's RBI double in the fifth cut it to 5-3 in favor of the Red Sox.

Once again, Boston put up five runs, this time in the fifth inning. Crawford hit a two-run single to left (all three of his hits were to the opposite field, a good sign), Reddick had an RBI double and Saltalamacchia had another two-run single.

Gonzalez's RBI single in the sixth made the lead balloon to 11-3 for Boston.

Ryan's grand slam in the seventh cut it to 11-7, not that you had to worry since it was the M's. It also signaled the end of Wakefield's outing. Alfredo Aceves got the last eight outs of the contest.

Ellsbury added an RBI single in the seventh before Ackley closed out the scoring with an RBI double in the ninth.

The Kansas City Royals, a team that has an even worse record than Seattle, comes to Boston for their first meeting with the Red Sox this season. Jon Lester gets his first start since July 5 when he left a game early with the injury to his left latissimus muscle.

Facing Kyle Davies (1-9) and a team that he's 4-1 against all-time (including a no-hitter) with a 1.22 ERA seems like the perfect matchup for Lester to get back on his feet. Needless to say, he's a huge piece of the Red Sox' playoff hopes in this season which gets brighter as each day passes by. Boston remains three games ahead of New York for first-place in the AL East.

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