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BOSTON STRONG -
THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION
Papi, off the bench, helps
the Sox win in Anaheim
July 5, 2013 ...
David Ortiz came off the bench and stepped up as a pinch-hitter in the eighth and drilling a towering, two-run blast to right to help lead the Red Sox to a 6-2 victory. When Ortiz stepped to the plate, Boston was clinging to a 3-2 lead. After taking a 95-mph heater for a strike from
Angels reliever Dane De La Rosa, Ortiz belted an 88-mph splitter for his 17th long ball of the season.
With first base open after Daniel Nava led off the inning with a double. It was the fifth pinch-hit homer of Ortiz's career, and second in Anaheim. Ortiz's first home run in a Boston uniform was a game-winner off the bench in a road game against the Angels
on April 27, 2003. In truth, pinch-hitting is a lot more difficult to Ortiz than he made it seem in this once. Since the start of the 2005 season, he is a .148 hitter in 34 plate appearances with two homers and three RBIs.
Mike Napoli added another prodigious home run for Boston in the ninth, clubbing a towering shot that landed on the grassy hill in center. It was Napoli's first home run since June 1.
Felix Doubront earned the win for the Sox with yet another strong performance, allowing five hits and two runs over 6 2/3 innings. The lefty walked two and struck out five, throwing 97 pitches. In a 10-start stretch that began on May 16, Doubront has a 2.86
ERA. He has allowed three earned runs or fewer in all of those starts. Doubront's hot streak started after he had been skipped for a turn in the rotation because of a lack of success and diminishing velocity. But Doubront made all the necessary
adjustments and then some, and is currently riding the best stretch of his career.
Held in check by left-hander C.J. Wilson for most of the night, the Red Sox created an opportunity in the seventh inning and capitalized on it, thanks to some help from the Angels. Shane Victorino opened the inning with a single. With two outs, Jonny Gomes
blooped one into right. Right fielder Josh Hamilton ran a long way, and got there in time, but dropped the ball for an error. Victorino scored from first, allowing Boston to snap a 2-2 tie.
As for the Red Sox, they are on a certifiable roll, with wins in nine of their last 10 games to stretch their lead in the American League East to 5 1/2 games. Much of the success has been achieved via late-inning rallies. |
