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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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BOSTON STRONG - July 11, 2013 ... Ryan Dempster allowed seven runs over just 3 1/3 frames, while knuckleballer Steven Wright scattered only three hits over 5 2/3 scoreless innings and Daniel Nava hit a go-ahead RBI single in the 10th inning to give the Red Sox the win over the Mariners, 8-7 at Safeco Field. Nava's soft grounder up the middle in the 10th inning off Tom Wilhelmsen scored pinch-runner Jackie Bradley Jr. from second for the winning run. It was the first hit in six at-bats for Nava, who came to the plate after Wilhelmsen intentionally walked Jacoby Ellsbury. Seattle got a runner on base in each inning pitched by Wright, but time and again, he left them stranded with his deadly knuckleball. Wright threw 83 pitches, allowing just three hits and walking two. He also induced two double-play grounders that got him out of innings quickly. This was Wright's second big league appearance. He debuted April 23 in a 13-0, rain-shortened loss to Oakland at Fenway. He allowed five runs over 3 2/3 innings. Entering the game, Dempster had posted a 3.33 ERA in his previous eight starts, lasting at least six innings in all but one of them. Thursday's outing was Dempster's shortest since May 23. Ellsbury hit his eighth career leadoff home run to welcome Erasmo Ramirez, who was recalled from Triple-A on Thursday, back to the big leagues. Seattle's Kyle Seager answered with a home run of his own in the second to knot the game. A two-out error by third baseman Brock Holt put runners on the corners, and leadoff hitter Brad Miller hit a double to put Seattle ahead. A single from Endy Chavez brought in two more. The Mariners made it 5-1 in the third on Michael Saunders' single to score Justin Smoak, who got on base with a walk and was advanced by a hit batter. With two on and two outs in the fourth, Holt, Jose Iglesias and Ellsbury hit a string of singles to cut Seattle's lead to 5-4. Ortiz drew a walk to start the inning and took second when Mike Carp was hit by a pitch. Seattle responded with a hit parade of its own, sandwiching four singles around a strikeout of Raul Ibanez to score two, extending its lead to 7-4 in the fourth. But that was all they would get, as Wright shut the Mariners down to earn his first Major League win. Boston tied the game in the fifth, knocking Ramirez from the game and nearly batting around. Dustin Pedroia led things off with a single and was advanced when Ortiz recorded his second walk. Jonny Gomes loaded the bases with a single and Carp hit a sacrifice fly to pull within two. Holt made it a one-run game with a single, and Iglesias tied it up with a single. Koji Uehara picked up the save for Boston with a clean inning just an hour after it was announced that he would not be the final American League representative in the All-Star Game. With the win, the Red Sox took the series three games to one. Their Major League-leading 19 series wins are one fewer than their total series victories last season. To win the series, Boston twice had to come back from early 5-1 deficits. |
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