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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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BOSTON STRONG - July 27, 2013 ... The fact that the Red Sox finally had a lead was irrelevant. So was the fact that after going 21 innings without stringing together consecutive hits, their offense was churning again. Stephen Drew's recent slump became a distant memory as the shortstop basically put the Red Sox on his back en route to a 7-3 victory over the Orioles. Putting together his most productive night in a Boston uniform, Drew cranked two homers and drove in five runs, helping to fuel an offense that had sputtered in recent days. Backed by Drew's big night, the Red Sox stayed just a half-game behind the Rays for first place in the American League East. There was some drama later in the game, when Sox slugger David Ortiz was ejected in the seventh for arguing balls and strikes with home-plate umpire Tim Timmons. Ortiz, who struck out in the at-bat, was upset about a 3-0 pitch that was called a strike and was ejected. After shattering a dugout phone with his bat, just inches away from teammate Dustin Pedroia, Ortiz bounded back on to the field, and had to be held back by manager John Farrell. Pedroia voiced his displeasure to Ortiz in the dugout. After a 27-minute rain delay before the first pitch, it was Drew who got the Red Sox started in the third, belting a single off the wall in right. With one out, Jacoby Ellsbury benefited from catcher's interference as he ripped a single to right. Thanks to rule 608 C, he was awarded with a hit, moving Drew to third. Shane Victorino drove home Boston's first run on a fielder's choice grounder. In the fourth, Boston rallied off Baltimore starter Scott Feldman with two outs. Mike Carp and Jarrod Saltalamacchia started it with singles. Then it was Drew again, and this time he hammered a three-run homer to right. It was Drew's first homer since June 4. Dempster earned the win, giving up six hits and two runs over 5 1/3 innings. Dempster kept the Orioles off the board for the first four innings, but ran into trouble in the fifth. After singles by J.J. Hardy and Henry Urrutia, Brian Roberts hammered one off the wall in right. Victorino played the carom well, and just one run scored on the single. Following a strikeout of Nate McLouth, Dempster made a huge pitch, getting Manny Machado on an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. Carp, again coming through in a spot start, belted a single to left to lead off the sixth. He went 3-for-4 on the night. Stephen Drew barreled his second homer, but it was controversial. The ball cleared the top of the wall in right and was initially ruled in play, causing mass confusion. Saltalamacchia also seemed to think it was a home run, and Drew nearly lapped him. Drew wound up coming all the way around, and avoided the tag on a rundown for what was temporarily an inside-the-park homer. But the umpiring crew reviewed the play and correctly ruled that it was over the wall for a homer and the Sox had a 6-1 lead. The O's got one back in the bottom of the inning on a fielder's choice grounder against Craig Breslow. But Victorino got that run back in the seventh when he cranked a solo homer down the line in right. The difference in the game was Drew. Koji Uehara pitched a scoreless inning in a mop-up role. While he doesn't want to pitch Uehara for the sake of pitching him, Farrell said he didn't want too much time to pass before he throws again. Even though he's 38 and he's coming off throwing 36 innings in 37 appearances last season, Uehara spoke to John Farrell he told the manager that the only time he felt soreness was when he doesn't pitch. Spacing out his appearances has kept him in solid shape to pitch. Although Uehara has made 48 appearances this season, the most he's thrown since 2011, he's averaging just 14.5 pitches per appearance. He made 18 tonight. |
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