July 7, 2008
Twins Bullpen Saves Beckett, Sox in Win
Boston 8, Minnesota 3
Trailing 3-1 heading into the seventh, the Red Sox were not looking good. Francisco Liriano had held the Sox in check, surrendering just four hits over five and two-third innings. But, the Red Sox did what they have done all season to opponents, they worked the count and drove up the pitch count. Liriano was gone after 108 pitches, his highest total since his season debut back on May 27th.
With Liriano out and Denys Reyes in, the Boston batters got to work. Josh Bard and Coco Crisp led off the sixth inning with a pair of four-pitch walks. With the go-ahead run at the plate, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire stuck with his lefty with David Ortiz on deck and the right-handed Kevin Youkilis at the plate. Behind 1-2 in the count, Youkilis launched a towering fly-ball over the wall in left out of the ballpark to put the Sox ahead 4-3. Matt Guerrier came out of the bullpen in relief of Reyes, and subsequently allowed a single to David Ortiz and a walk to Manny Ramirez before escaping the inning with a fly-ouy by Mike Lowell and a double play off the bat of Dustin Pedroia.
In the seventh though, Guerrier took a page right out of the Reyes handbook, when he walked J.D Drew, Coco Crisp and Kevin Youkilis to load the bases with two outs. David Ortiz, already 3-3 on the night with a walk, took the first offering from Guerrier to right field over Delmon Young's head and into the Red Sox bullpen for the Grand Slam. It round-tripper came 11 days after his last home run, and marked just the second multi-RBI game for the slugger since May.
Javier Lopez loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth, but was able get Justin Morneau to ground into a fielders choice to end the game.
W: Beckett (8-4) L: Reyes (1-2) SV: Lopez (2)
Code:
Twins 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 10 0
Sox 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 4 0 8 8 1
Player of the Game: David Ortiz (4-4, 2B, HR (19), BB 4 RBIs, R)
Around the League:
...C Ivan Rodriguez (DET) was named American League Player of the Week...LF Ryan Braun (MIL) won the National Player of the Week award...Toronto put LF Shannon Stewart (.215 avg., HR, 4 RBIs) on the trade block...Ryan Kalish (.287, HR, 11 RBIs w/ Greenville) fractured his foot and will miss 8 months of action...
Milwaukee remains desperate to move C.C. Sabathia, again offering us a below-market deal. 19-year old 1B Bill Rowell (20/24) and 23-year old C Jonathan Still (20/26) for the veteran SP.