Jeremy Guthrie kept the Red Sox at bay for 8 1/3 innings but a Ramon Hernandez error essentially opened up the flood gates as the Red Sox came back from a 5-0 deficit to win 6-5 in front of a full house at Fenway Park on Mother’s Day.
Guthrie was dealing for 8 1/3 innings. He got Julio Lugo out and then Coco Crisp hit a pop up that Hernandez dropped. This ended Guthrie’s day. Danys Baez came on and promptly gave up a double to Big Papi, which scored Coco making the score 5-1 O’s. Wily Mo Peña singled moving Big Papi over to third. Sensing trouble, O’s manager Sam Perlozzo brought in his closer, Chris Ray, to try and finish the Red Sox off.
Unfortunately for Ray, he couldn’t find the strike zone. He walked J.D. Drew to load the bases and walked Kevin Youkilis, bringing in Big Papi from third making it 5-2. Next up was Varitek and he didn’t disappoint the Fenway faithful at all. He delivered a two run double making it 5-4. Ray then delivered his third walk of the inning, although this one was an intentional walk, to Eric Hinske setting the stage for Alex Cora. Cora almost got the job done but he grounded into a fielder’s choice that got Youkilis at home. Looking at the replay on TV, he should have been called safe.
Now with two outs, Lugo came up for his second at bat of the inning. Lugo worked the count full (3-2) and then hit a grounder to Kevin Millar in the hole between first and second. It was a footrace from there between Ray and Lugo to the bag but Ray dropped the throw and Lugo was safe at first. Eric Hinske who was on second just kept running home when the ball got away and thus it was 6-5 Red Sox victory.
The big news of the game before the rally was the early departure of Josh Beckett. Beckett had been going for his 8th straight win to start the season. But an avulsion to his right middle finger cost him a shot at the victory. The way Guthrie had been pitching, it was highly unlikely that Beckett would have gotten it anyways. Right now Beckett is day-to-day and we will know in a day or two if he will miss any starts.
Guthrie was phenomenal for the Orioles today. He only allowed 3 hits and 1 unearned run in his 8 1/3 innings of work. He walked 2 and struck out 2.
The O’s got to Beckett for 2 runs in the first inning. Brian Roberts walked and Nick Markakis singled, moving Roberts to second. As Miguel Tejada was striking out, Roberts and Markakis were executing a double steal. Varitek’s throw got away from Youkilis at third and Roberts scored. After a Hernandez strikeout, Aubrey Huff singled in Markakis to put the O’s up 2-0.
The O’s touched up Kyle Snyder for one run and Joel Piñero for two runs. J.C. Romero threw 1 1/3 innings for the victory.
Notes: Peña took over in the field for Manny, who had left the game with hamstring tightness. Amalie Benjamin from the Boston Globe provides this update on Beckett.
Josh Beckett addressed the injury situation. He said that the skin tore away underneath the pad on his right middle finger on a curveball, the first pitch to Kevin Millar in the fourth inning. He’s not sure how long it will keep him out. He’s hopeful he’ll make his next start, but not sure how the recovery process will go. It’s a matter of drying out the skin, then toughening it up.
“Hopefully I can make my next start,” Beckett said, “but that is a big hopefully.”
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