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BOSTON STRONG -
THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION
Jon Lester struggles again and
loses to the Orioles
June 16, 2013 ...
Jon Lester lost for the first time in 10 career starts at Camden Yards and the Red Sox dropped three of four games to Baltimore with a 6-3 setback before an announced crowd of 41,311. The Red Sox lead the second-place Orioles by 1 1/2 games in the American League East. Boston has
dropped 14 of its past 19 matchups with Baltimore. Not since July of 2011 have the Sox won consecutive games versus the Orioles. The Sox are eight games over .500 against the Yankees, Rays, and Blue Jays this season. But they match up poorly against Baltimore, a team with offensive
power and a lockdown bullpen.
Lester had his second consecutive shaky outing, allowing five runs on nine hits with eight strikeouts and no walks in five innings. Entering the game, Lester had been 7-0 with a 2.52 ERA in 10 starts in Baltimore. He has not won since May 15. Jacoby Ellsbury
had two hits for Boston, while Jose Iglesias extended his hitting streak to 17 games with an eighth-inning single.
Orioles starter Miguel Gonzalez had another solid outing. He allowed three runs on five hits with two strikeouts and two walks over 6 1/3 innings. Chris Davis went 2-for-4 and hit his Major League-leading 23rd home run for the Orioles. Manny Machado also
went 2-for-4 to record his 29th multihit game, also best in the Majors. Nick Markakis had four hits, including two doubles, and scored three runs.
Adam Jones provided Baltimore a 1-0 lead in the third on a two-out double to right that scored Markakis, who opened the inning with a single. Davis then followed with a towering home run to right-center that was also the 100th of his career. The Orioles
increased their lead to 5-0 in the fifth on an RBI single by Machado and a double by Davis. The Red Sox got on the board in the seventh when Will Middlebrooks hit his ninth homer of the season, a three-run shot to cut the margin to 5-3 and end Gonzalez's day.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox had trouble mustering any offense against Gonzalez, as a single by Ellsbury was their only hit through five innings. Also in the seventh, Mike Carp had to leave the game after his right hamstring tightened up while legging out a
double.
Jose Iglesias started at second base for the first time in his career. He handled three chances without any issues and was 1 for 4 at the plate, extending his hitting streak to 17 games, the longest for a rookie in the majors this season. Iglesias is 26 of 61
(.426) during the streak with six extra-base hits and eight runs scored. He had another infield hit, beating out a ball to shortstop in the eighth inning. Thirteen of the 39 hits Iglesias have not let the infield.
For the fifth time in the last six days, the Red Sox made a roster move involving their pitching staff. This time they returned righthander Rubby De La Rosa to Triple A Pawtucket and purchased the contract of righthanded reliever Pedro Beato. Beato appeared
in four games for the Red Sox last season then was taken off the roster. He returned on a minor league deal and has pitched well in Pawtucket. Beato has a 1.19 earned run average in 19 appearances and 33 1/3 innings. |
