BOSTON STRONG -
THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION
 2013 ALDS, GAME #2
The Sox beat up David Price

October 5, 2013 ... The Sox have been the most productive offense in the Majors all season, and it doesn't look like the postseason is forcing them to change their game plan.  David Price is the Rays' biggest weapon, and the Red Sox completely disarmed the lefty and his team in a big way at Fenway Park.

Coming through with a collection of timely hits against Price, Boston notched a 7-4 victory that has put Tampa Bay in an 0-2 stranglehold in this best-of-five American League Division Series.  This, after the Red Sox throttled Matt Moore, another ace-caliber lefty, en route to a 12-2 rout in Game 1.

David Ortiz put on the most emphatic display of offense in this one, hitting two prodigious solo shots, the latter of which nearly soared over the foul pole in right.  Price had given up two homers to lefty batters all season. Ortiz took him deep twice in this one game.  For all his October heroics over the years, it was the first time Ortiz hit two home runs in the same postseason game.

There were a couple of starts at Fenway earlier this season when Price simply manhandled the Red Sox, but the Boston bats have been in a relentless frame of mind lately, and it started from the outset in this one. Ortiz's solo rocket in the bottom of the first was a tone-setter. From then on, Price (seven-plus innings, nine hits, seven runs) never looked in rhythm. It was Ortiz's first multihomer game in the playoffs. With 14 career homers in the postseason for the Red Sox, Ortiz extended his team record.

Right-hander John Lackey relied more on guile and breaking stuff in this one, and he did enough to get the win. Over 5 1/3 innings, Lackey scattered seven hits and four runs, walking three and striking out six.  The second story was the bullpen, which got big performances from lefty Craig Breslow and Junichi Tazawa, setting up Koji Uehara for an overpowering (11 pitches, 11 strikes) save in the ninth.

JOHN LACKEY

The Red Sox rallied early. Jacoby Ellsbury, who had a three-hit night, led off the game with a single. And not only did Ellsbury steal second, but he moved to third on a throwing error by catcher Jose Molina. With one out, Dustin Pedroia lifted a flyout to center that was plenty deep to score Ellsbury. Ortiz followed by mauling a home run into Boston's bullpen in right-center.

Back came the Rays in the second. Delmon Young's sacrifice fly cut Boston's lead to 2-1.

But the Red Sox again got to Price in the third. Ross, making the start in place of Jarrod Saltalamacchia, led off with a double off the Monster. Ellsbury followed with a blooper just over third base that somehow turned into an RBI double. Then it was Victorino's turn and he hit a single up the middle. Pedroia hit a grounder to third, and Victorino made sure it wasn't a double play as he barreled into Ben Zobrist at second. Ellsbury scored on the play to make it 4-1.

Stephen Drew's triple to left in the fourth brought Gomes home, and Lackey had a four-run cushion.

Despite the continued onslaught of productive at-bats from the Red Sox, the Rays didn't make it easy for Lackey. They roared back in the fifth on a two-run double to center by James Loney to make it 5-3. Evan Longoria kept the rally going with a walk. One big swing by Zobrist could have reversed the momentum of the game. It didn't happen though, as Lackey caught him looking on a 3-2 fastball on the inside corner to end the threat, and elicit roars from the Fenway faithful.

Each time the Rays inched closer, the Red Sox seemed to have an answer. Ellsbury kept jump-starting rallies, and he did it again in the fifth with a single up the middle. With one out, Pedroia belted a double off the Monster and Ellsbury roared all the way around from first to make it a 6-3 game.

Yunel Escobar belted an RBI single to right in the sixth that knocked Lackey out of the game. Entrusted with a two-run lead, lefty Craig Breslow came on and retired the next two batters to end the threat.

Breslow came back out for the seventh and nearly got himself into some big trouble, hitting Loney and walking Longoria. With two on and one out, Breslow gave up hard contact to Zobrist, but Pedroia had quick instincts as always, fielding it and feeding Drew for a 4-6-3 double play.  And after Ortiz's second homer sent Fenway into a frenzy, Uehara took the crowd to an even higher decibel level in the ninth.

When Shane Victorino shot a ball at Wil Myers for his first put out of the game, he made the catch without any issues.  He was applauded, sarcastically, as if it were a web gem by the crowd in right field.  Myers let a slight grin slip.  Even though he wanted to put the Game 1 play behind him as quickly as possible, the humor wasn't lost on him by any means.

Former Red Sox pitcher Jim Lonborg, the Cy Young Award winner in 1967, threw out the first pitch to Saltalamacchia.  The Boston Fire Department color guard was on hand for the national anthem, which was performed by The Jimmy Fund Chorus. 

In a bit of gamesmanship, the Red Sox do not play music on the public address system when opposing teams take batting practice at Fenway Park. The Rays have retaliated over the years with either silence or by playing classical music. With no tunes, Clay Buchholz hooked his iPhone up to a portable speaker and set it next to the batting cage when the Red Sox worked out.

The souvenir stores around Fenway Park are now selling fake beards and dozens of fans, male and female, poured through the gates as though on their way to an early Halloween party.

CLICK TO
VIEW SCORECARD