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A SEASON IN THE DRINK
August 2, 2011 ... The Red Sox found themselves engaged in yet another tussle with the Cleveland Indians after dropping the first game of this four-game series. Clinging to a one-game lead over the Yankees in the American League East standings, the Sox got a much-needed victory when Jacoby Ellsbury delivered his first career walk-off RBI in the ninth to give the Sox a 3-2 win before 38,101 at Fenway Park. Varitek sparked the rally with his one-out single to center, prompting manager Terry Francona to insert Saltalamacchia as a pinch-runner. Reddick, in the game for Darnell McDonald, followed with a broken-bat flare to right-center. Saltalamacchia beat the throw from center fielder Ezequiel Carrera with a head-first slide. It made a winner of Jonathan Papelbon (3-0), who threw a perfect top of the ninth. Franklin Morales submitted perhaps his best outing of the season by throwing two scoreless innings in relief of Josh Beckett, who went six innings and gave up solo homers to rookies Jason Kipnis in the first and Lonnie Chisenhall in the fourth. Before he was ejected in the eighth for arguing a strikeout on a checked swing, Kevin Youkilis got Beckett off the hook with a leadoff homer in the sixth off Rafael Perez that made it 2-2. Beckett got off to a rocky start when he surrendered a one-out homer to Kipnis in the first. The Sox answered in the second by manufacturing an unearned run. David Ortiz drew a leadoff walk from lefthander David Huff (5 innings, 1 run, 3 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts). Carl Crawford followed with a ground ball to short, which had all the makings of a double play. But Kipnis bobbled the relay from Asdrubal Cabrera, enabling Ortiz to slide safely into second. Mike Aviles singled to left to load the bases for Varitek. The Sox catcher struck out on a pitch that got past Indians backstop Carlos Santana, allowing Ortiz to score. The Indians went back ahead in the fourth when Chisenhall wrapped a 90-m.p.h. changeup around the Pesky Pole, Chisenhall's third homer of the season. Huff handed it over Perez in the sixth after throwing 102 pitches. Youkilis greeted Perez by clobbering a homer, his 16th, into the Green Monster seats to tie it. Morales, who pitched a scoreless third of an inning in Monday night's setback, came on in the seventh and allowed just one hit (a seventh-inning double to Carrera) while striking out three. The Sox threatened in the eighth. Dustin Pedroia led off with a single, prompting Cleveland manager Manny Acta to summon Tony Sipp to face Adrian Gonzalez. Sipp got Gonzalez to fly to right, bringing up Youkilis, who tried to hold up on a 3-and-2 pitch. But first base umpire Gerry Davis ruled Youkilis had gone around, leading Youkilis to howl in protest as he started toward first base. Youkilis was within a few feet of the dugout steps when he was ejected by Davis. After Ortiz drew an intentional walk, Crawford stranded both runners with a popup to second. But Papelbon retired the Indians in order in the top of the ninth, setting the stage for Ellsbury. |
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