Sox Take Third Straight On 10th Inning Sacrifice.
Jonny Gomes hit a sacrifice fly in the top half of the 10th to give the Sox a 3-2 win in Minnesota, extending Boston’s winning streak to three-straight games.
Minnesota starter, Vance Worley, baffled the Sox all night long, allowing only one run on six hits and three walks, while striking out only one in six innings pitched. The Sox struck early against Worley, as Daniel Nava scored on a David Ortiz single to right field to put the Sox up 1-0.
May 17, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Clay Buchholz (11) walks off the mound after finishing the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
That was all the offense could muster against Worley and the rest of the night looked like an exercise in futility. Worley got the Sox to ground into double play after double play, as Dustin Pedroia had two which ended their respective innings. Will Middlebrooks quickly negated Ortiz’s leadoff single in the sixth with yet another twin killing
Clay Buchholz, who came into the game looking for his seventh win, was not nearly as sparing with the Twins offense. While Buchholz was lights out through two, he labored through the middle innings. After surrendering a leadoff double in the third to Trevor Plouffe, Buchholz then lost a curveball which Pedro Florimon sent over the right field wall to put the Twins up 2-1. Buchholz struggled through the next two innings, allowing men to reach all night long, but he sharpened up and survived through the seventh, having only given up two earned runs.
May 17, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Boston Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury (2), left fielder Jonny Gomes (5) and left fielder Daniel Nava (29) celebrate after beating the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. The Red Sox won 3-2 in 10 innings. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Clay wouldn’t suffer the loss however, with Worley out of the game; the Red Sox beat up on reliever Brian Duensing. Duensing walked Gomes to start the seventh, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a single to put men on the corners with only one out. Jacoby Ellsbury then hit a ball back up the middle that Florimon couldn’t wrangle, allowing Gomes to score and tie the game at two.
The tie lasted until the top half of the tenth. Pedroia singled to right, off of reliever Josh Roenicke who then walked David Ortiz to put two on with no one out. After a Middlebrooks sacrifice bunt, Stephen Drew took the intentional walk to load the bases for Gomes. Gomes flew out to center fielder, Aaron Hicks, who botched the throw home when left fielder Oswaldo Arcia collided with Hick. Pedroia tagged up and easily beat the wayward through to give the Sox the three to two lead. Koji Uehara pitched the tenth, closing the door on Boston’s third straight win.