Red Sox Beat Tigers 7-4 But Lose Pedroia to Injury
For the seventh time this season the Red Sox are back at .500 following a 7-4 win over the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park on Memorial Day. The Sox take the first of a four-game series against the Motor City bunch and after getting shelled in the opening series of the season, this victory is a small measure of revenge for Boston.
Felix Doubront was once again dazzling on the mound going 6.0 innings while only giving up 2 earned runs (both solo home runs) on 4 hits. He struck out 6 and walked only 1 batter, lowering his ERA to 3.86 on the year. Doubront has become the reliable fourth starter that every team dreams about having and now has a record of 5-2, good enough for the most on the Sox staff.
Scott Atchison continued his stellar relief pitching working in 2.0 innings and only allowing 1 hit and fanning 4 before giving way to Alfredo Aceves in the ninth. There may be some concern over Aceves after allowing a two-run homer for the second straight game making this contest much closer than it needed to be.
From an offensive standpoint it was a wide range of contributors today. Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit his catcher leading 9th home run of the year while Mike Aviles drove in a pair. Will Middlebrooks continues his fine play going 1-for-3 with a RBI and Big Papi was 2-for-4 with 2 RBI’s to round out the scoring.
The win was a costly one however for the Red Sox as second baseman and team leader Dustin Pedroia left the game in the top half of the 5th with what is being reported as a jammed thumb. There is no word yet on Pedey’s condition and if he will miss any game time. The last thing this club needs is another injury to a pivotal piece of the lineup.
It was one of the faster games played this year with the game time clock ending at 2 hours and 37 minutes. The Sox will attempt to get over .500 for the first time all season but it won’t be easy as reigning Cy Young winner and flat out stud pitcher, Justin Verlander takes the hill for the Tigers. The Red Sox will counter with Daniel Bard.
Check back here for a full game recap following the game. Go Sox!