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DAVID ORTIZ |
BOSTON STRONG -
THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION
Big Papi and Jon Lester
dominate the Orioles, 5-0
July 28, 2013 ...
Jon Lester went out and dominated the Orioles at Camden Yards, leading the Red Sox to a 5-0 victory in the rubber match of a three-game series between the division rivals. Over seven shutout innings, Lester allowed just four hits, walking two and
striking out eight. The performance was his best since the one-hitter he threw against the Blue Jays on May 10.
Lester's gem put the Red Sox back in sole possession of first place in the American League East, vaulting them ahead of the Rays by a half-game. To get back on top, the Sox had two win two out of three against the Orioles, who have haunted them since September
2011. Lester has pitched well in four of his last five starts, but none of the others had the lights-out feel of this one. In this one, he dominated with his fastball.
If Lester was the biggest story of the day, Ortiz was a close second. His performance came a day after he had a tirade in the dugout that included shattering a phone with his bat. After going deep, Ortiz playfully made a run at the repaired phone, bat in
hand, but he didn't strike this time. And as he rounded the bases following the homer, Ortiz, who was booed all day, put his finger over his lips as a playful reminder that the crowd could quiet down.
The Red Sox started a first-inning rally on a one-out walk by Shane Victorino. Then, with one out, Ortiz hit a single to right. Mike Napoli looped an opposite-field double down the line in right to make it a 1-0 game. It stayed that way until the third,
which Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a single to left. With two outs, Ortiz came through with that opposite-field two-run homer to left.
Lester made that three-run lead stand up by mowing through the Orioles.
The Rays lost and that meant that the Sox would travel back to Boston a half-game ahead of Tampa Bay for the lead in the division. After the Rays won two of their three games last week, the teams battle again in a makeup game Monday night.
After falling into a rut at the start of a 10-game test against AL East opponents, the Sox put up 20 hits and 12 runs to close out the last two games against the Orioles, both wins, and were able to see some light at the end of a grueling stretch.
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