Cook Continues Strong Comeback Effort in Red Sox 4-2 Win
By John Green
Despite Bobby Valentines decision to keep him out of the starting rotation, Aaron Cook came out today and showed another strong performance in the Red Sox’ 4-2 win over the Nationals.
There’s no doubt that if Cook continues to pitch the way he has, Bobby V will be forced to find a spot for him on the big club.
In the outing today against the Nationals, Cook allowed just two hits and a run in five innings of work.
Cook’s Line: 5IP, 2H, 1 ER, 1BB, 2K
The lone run allowed by the veteran sinkerballer came in the fourth when Danny Espinosa led off the inning with a solo homer.
The other Nationals run came in the eighth when Ian Desmond singled off of Matt Albers, driving in Steve Lombardozzi.
For the Red Sox, Adrian Gonzalez had two hits in the game and finished the game with a .357 batting average with just one game left this spring. It’s amazing how Gonzo flies under the radar so well, isn’t it? Rarely in the spotlight..
Kevin Youkilis had a hit in the game, bringing his spring average to .211 but he also drove in the Red Sox’ first run in the bottom of the fourth on a groundout that allowed Adrian Gonzalez to score. (Shocking, I know.)
Darnell McDonald drove in the second run for the Sox on a single later in the fourth and then eventually scored the third run on Mike Aviles‘ sac fly.
Nate Spears led off the bottom of the sixth with a double into right field. Nick Natoli came on to run for Spears and after Jose Colorado grounded out, Jason Repko ripped a double to left that allowed him to score the final run of the game for the Sox.
Behind strong performances from Aaron Cook, Vicente Padilla and Mark Melancon, the Red Sox were able to walk away with a victory. The two teams will meet again tomorrow for the final exhibition game before we get to the real stuff…
Opening Day 2012– A new chapter in Red Sox history- Be a part of it at BoSox Injection!
For all the latest news and analysis from BoSox Injection, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or with our RSS feed.