O's Take Two from Sox at Fenway

Everyone was looking forward to Baltimore playing Boston this weekend but most the talk was surrounding the football game. Nevertheless, Baltimore played meaningful baseball against the Red Sox this weekend. 

Here is how the series transpired.

Game 1

The first of the three game series between the division rivals had lefty Jon Lester for the Red Sox on the mound against Baltimore righty Miguel Gonzalez. Lester picked up the loss but had an overall okay game going 7 innings and allowing four earned runs. Gonzalez pitched six and one third innings only allowing two earned runs, picking up his seventh win of the season.

Boston was the first to strike in the bottom of the third with a Pedro Ciriaco double to left field that brought around Daniel Nava to give the Sox a 1-0 lead.

The lead did not last long after Matt Wieters singled in the top of the fourth scoring J.J. Hardy and Adam Jones.

The Red Sox retaliated in the bottom of the fifth as second baseman Dustin Pedroia hit a single to left scoring Pedro Ciriaco to tie the game.

Baltimore’s offense was too much for the Red Sox. In the sixth inning, the Orioles broke the tie with singles by Matt Wieters and Mark Reyonalds that scored two more runs, giving the O’s a 4-2 lead.

Jim Johnson came out of the bullpen in the ninth and closed the game giving the Orioles the 4-2 victory.

Game 2

The second of the three game series was and extra inning thriller. Randy Wolf for the Orioles faced off against Boston’s Aaron Cook. Both starters had mediocre games with Cook letting up five earned runs and Wolf going five deep letting up three runs. Neither pitcher was a factor in the decision.

Both teams were scoring early. The scoring started with Baltimore’s Adam Jones scoring Nate McLouth on a ground ball giving the O’s a 1-0 lead. Boston quickly responded with a Ryan Lavarnway single the next inning scoring Dustin Pedroia to tie the game.

The game went back and forth with both teams switching off scoring runs on each other. Later on in the eighth inning with the Orioles hanging onto a six to five lead, Scott Podsednik doubled to left center scoring Daniel Nava to tie the game at six.

The game remained scoreless for four innings until in the twelfth Jim Thome of the Baltimore Orioles hit a ground rule double to right bringing Adam Jones around to score.  Baltimore rattled off two more runs in the twelfth to make it nine to six O’s.

Jim Johnson came out of the pen in the bottle of the twelfth, earned his forty seventh save of the season, and gave the Orioles a 9-6 victory. Alfredo Aceves got the loss for the Sox.

Game 3

The Red Sox sent Felix Doubront to try to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Orioles. Baltimore sent out pitcher Chris Tillman to face the Boston lineup. Both pitched extremely well with Doubront going seven strong innings allowing only one run and striking out eleven and Tillman allowing one run in six innings of work.

The game was scoreless through four innings until Danny Valencia grounded into a fielders choice that brought Cody Ross to third and then on a throwing error by the Baltimore second baseman sent him home to give Boston a one to nothing lead.

Baltimore’s Manny Machado responded quickly in the top of the fifth with an RBI single to tie the game at one and ending Doubront's day. Junichi Tazawa came in at the start of the eighth inning and allowed no hit and no runs.

In the bottom of the eighth, Cody Ross doubled to left field and allowing Pedroia to score and give the Red Sox a two to one lead going into the ninth.

Andrew Bailey came in the ninth, earned his sixth game of the season, and helped avoid a sweep from the Orioles.

Looking Ahead

The Red Sox play their final two games at Fenway Park this season against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday at 7:10pm. The Red Sox will also be celebrating the 2004 World Series team on Tuesday and the All-Fenway team on the final game at Fenway this season on Wednesday.