Jered Weaver had owned the American League in 2011, just look at his record. He was 6-0 with a 0.99 ERA before last night’s game. But he’s had his struggles against the Boston Red Sox, especially at Fenway Park (1-2, 7.76 ERA in five starts).
He was relativity cruising along until the 5th inning. At that point, he had given up one run and three hits. But things changed that inning.
With one out in the inning, Carl Crawford picked up his second hit of the night with a double. Jason Varitek worked a walk but was quickly retired at second base on a Jacoby Ellsbury fielder’s choice in which Crawford advanced to third.
Enter Dustin Pedroia, the Red Sox’s Mr. Everything.
Pedroia has been striking out a little more than we’re used to but he’s also a master of protecting the plate with two strikes. Weaver had the count to Pedroia at 2-2 (two balls, two foul balls). Pedroia then fouled off two more pitches before a ball in which Ellsbury stole second. Pedroia then fouled off five straight pitches until the 13th pitch of the at-bat where he laced a 2-run single that would put the Red Sox up 3-2, a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the night.
Here’s what they both had to say about the at-bat:
Pedroia: “To be honest with you, man, I was just trying to put the ball in play. Jered’s tough, man. I faced him in college and the first few years in the big leagues, and it doesn’t get any better than him. I haven’t won too many of those but it was nice to drive in a couple and kind of get everything going.”
Weaver: “That’s what he does. He’s a great hitter. He didn’t win the MVP for nothing. He goes up there and he wants to battle. He’s a bulldog. I feel like I’m the same way. He won that battle this time. I’m not going to change anything about how it went down. I made some good pitches, 3-2 count, able to throw a couple sliders, a couple of changeups. It was a battle. That’s how he is. He’s not just going to give in and let you get him out. Like I said, he won that battle.”
The Red Sox would break the game open in the 7th inning when they scored six runs, three on a bases loaded wall ball double by Adrian Gonzalez, a double by Kevin Youkilis and a two-run home run by David Ortiz. The home run by Big Papi was a memorable one as he celebrated with a member of the military on his way back to the dugout.
We can’t forget about the solid 6 2/3 innings that Clay Buchholz gave the Red Sox although at first it looked like it might be a long night.
He gave up three hits in the first inning. He gave up a lead-off single to Maicer Izturis who tried to stretch it into a double but was called out after he was tagged by Jed Lowrie when he overslid second base. Buchholz then gave up three more hits before he got a double play.
Buchholz had good command and velocity on his fastball as he touched 96 MPH a few time. He was also able to effectively use his changeup which he threw along with his fastball for strikes.
The end result for Buchholz was a quality start, his first of 2011 making him the last Red Sox starting pitcher to get one.
Since losing to the Angels in the playoffs in 2009, the Red Sox have owned the Angels. They are 14-1 since that night when Jonathan Papelbon got lit up by Vladimir Guerrero. There’s still three games left in this series but I like the chances for the Red Sox, especially with Jon Lester going tonight, Josh Beckett tomorrow and new Angels killer John Lackey, who just also happened to play for the Angels.
We’ll be back later with tonight’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. But for now enjoy the overnight links by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.
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An epic grind: Breaking down how Red Sox beat Jered Weaver [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]
Red Sox offense shows signs of life [Boston Globe]
Dream Weaver start over [Boston Globe]
Side order of Beckett a hit with brass [Boston Globe]
Adrian Gonzalez’ big double helps Sox top Angels [Boston Herald]
Gonzalez sees Monster [Boston Herald]
Pedroia’s one tough act [Boston Herald]
Anatomy of an at-bat [Boston Herald]
Beckett’s not injured [Boston Herald]
Nation STATion: April showers us with stats [CSNNE.com]
Red Sox find timely hitting to beat Angels, 9-5 [CSNNE.com]
Pedroia sparks Sox by winning battle vs. Weaver [CSNNE.com]
Notes: Buchholz gets 2nd win; Ellsbury injured [CSNNE.com]
Rapid reaction: Red Sox 9, Angels 5 [ESPN Boston]
Pedroia shows spunk; offense shows life [ESPN Boston]
Boston Red Sox’s Jacoby Ellsbury bangs knee during awkward slide [ESPN Boston]
The persistence of Dustin Pedroia [Extra Bases]
Closing Time: Red Sox 9, Angels 5 [Full Count]
Red Sox Should Benefit From Easier May Schedule Chock-Full of AL Central Teams [NESN.com]
Dustin Pedroia Fuels Red Sox’ Offensive Outburst With At-Bat for the Ages Against Jered Weaver [NESN.com]
Patriotism, Positivity the Theme of the Night at Fenway Park [NESN.com]
Persistent Pedroia makes Weaver pay [Providence Journal]
So far, the best pitchers have brought out the best in Red Sox [Providence Journal]
Now a Tiger, Victor Martinez sees good times ahead for Red Sox [Providence Journal]
Red Sox journal: All eyes on Beckett bullpen session [Providence Journal]
Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia have left injury concerns in rear-view mirror [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]
For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSNNE, ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.
And if you must check out the enemy news, head over to the LA Times, Orange County Register and LA Daily News websites. Also be sure to check out our Bloguin brother, Monkey with a Halo.
Photo credit: AP Photo
