Jason Bay hit a 2-run homer to give the Boston Red Sox the lead for good as they held on for a 5-1 win over the Detroit Tigers in front of 25,914 at Comerica Park in Detroit.
The win was Terry Francona’s 500th Red Sox manager and he’s just the third to do it. He joins Joe Cronin (1,071) and Mike Higgins (560) as the only Red Sox managers to win 500 games. The win keeps the Red Sox (30-22) one game behind the Yankees, who won tonight, for first place in the AL East. The Tigers drop to 28-22.
Daisuke Matsuzaka started this one for the Red Sox and was his normal adventuresome self but picked up his first win of the season. He threw 96 pitches in just 5 innings, allowing 1 run on 6 hits and 3 walks while recording 6 strikeouts.
Manny Delcarmen, Hideki Okajima and Ramon Ramirez combined to give up no hits and runs in 3 innings while Jonathan Papelbon gave up 3 hits but rebounded to strike out the side.
Rick Porcello had won five straight games before tonight but ended up taking the loss. He lasted 4 1/3 innings, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits and a walk while striking out 2. Ryan Perry gave up 2 runs on 1 hit and 3 walks with a strikeout in an inning. Former Red Sox pitcher Brandon Lyon allowed a hit, a walk and hit a batter while striking out 1. Nate Robertson struck out 1 in his inning of work.
J.D. Drew, Jason Varitek and Jacoby Ellsbury all had 2 hits to lead the Red Sox with Drew adding an RBI and Ellsbury had his 22nd stolen base of the season. Bay’s only hit of the night was the 2-run homer. Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis had the other RBIs for the visiting nine from Boston.
The Red Sox got things going quickly in the 1st inning as Pedroia led off with a double and quickly came around to score on a single by Drew.
The Tigers came back with a run of their own in the bottom half.
Dice-K walked the leadoff hitter in Clete Thomas who went to second on a Placido Polanco single. Magglio Ordonez then grounded into a double play as Thomas went to third. Miguel Cabrera tied it up at 1 with a single. Curtis Granderson moved Cabrera to third with a single and stole second with Brandon Inge at the plate. Dice-K avoided any further damage by striking out Inge.
Drew led off the 3rd with a single off of Porcello. After Youk popped out to first, Bay took a Porcello offering and put into the seats in left field for a 2-run homer and a 3-1 Red Sox lead.
Perry had taken over in the 5th for Porcello and started the 6th with a strikeout of David Ortiz. He then walked Varitek, allowed a single to Ellsbury and walked Green to load up the bases for Pedroia. Perry ended his night when he walked Pedroia to force in the Captain from third.
Lyon came in and got Drew to ground into a fielder’s choice with Ellsbury being forced at the plate. Lyon plunked Youk with a pitch to force in the final run of the night for the Red Sox.
Papelbon of course had to make things interesting in the 9th inning.
He gave up three straight singles to Cabrera, Granderson and Inge to bring up the tying run in Josh Anderson. After a lengthy at-bat, Anderson ended up striking out. Jeff Larish pinch-hit for Gerald Laird and struck out and Papelbon finished off the game with a strikeout of Ramon Santiago.
The outing wasn’t the best from Dice-K but he gave the Red Sox a chance to win. Hopefully, he’s starting to feel more comfortable on the mound as this was his third start back after being on the DL.
These same two teams will be back at it again tomorrow as Josh Beckett and Armando Galarraga will do battle on the mound.
Notes and musings:
Boston Red Sox @ Detroit Tigers 6.2.09 box score
Terry Francona is now the 7th active manager with at least 500 wins for his current club. Bobby Cox, Tony LaRussa, Mike Scioscia, Cito Gaston, Ron Gardenhire and Eric Wedge are the others.
John Smoltz, who has been on the 15-day DL since April 4 (retro to March 27) while recovering from right shoulder surgery, is scheduled to make his 4th rehab start on Friday, June 5 for Triple-A Pawtucket vs. Louisville (Reds).
Jason Bay finished May with 30 RBI, his 2nd-highest total for any month in his career (35 RBI, May 2006). It was the 3rd-highest May total by a Red Sox player since 1954 trailing only Nomar Garciaparra (33 in 1999) and Jim Rice (33 in 1978).
