The most important sign of David Ortiz returning back to regular form happened in the bottom of the seventh inning in today’s 8-4 win over Seattle.
Ortiz had already hit a solo homer entering the at-bat against Miguel Batista, but what was most important was that Ortiz got the greenlight on a 3-0 count and made the Mariners pay for it.
Big Papi lined a single into right field driving home J.D. Drew to tie the game. Ortiz may have restored the fear of god mentality into opposing pitchers when he is up at the plate with the game on the line after that clutch RBI single.
Then, Boston poured on four more runs highlighted by a two-run single by Mark Kotsay.
Jon Lester suffered the no-decision pitching six plus innings allowing eight hits, four runs (just one earned), three walks and struck out nine batters.
Justin Masterson earned the win in relief on 1.1 innings with no hits and three strikeouts.
Star of the Game – Dustin Pedroia
Pedroia went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and a solo home run in the first inning.
Next Game – 7/06 vs. Oakland Athletics – The Return of Nomar
If you aren’t excited for this you are not a real Red Sox fan.
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Agree. Papi’s back. Pedroia’s back (keep him out of the leadoff position) with his BA and power #’s rising.
Don’t forget the importance of this game to Jacoby Ellsbury, who now leads the team with a .303BA, and has scored 51R to go with his 35SB and GG defense . . . and the importance of this game to the Pen, which looked like its old self.
Now to get Youk, Lowell, Bay, JD, Green back in the groove.
I hope Nomar gets a standing “O”, as he deserves it. Before I saw how well Green and Kotsay are doing, and how well they fit in, I was wishing he would finish his career in a Sox uniform. He would have solved a few issues this year.
Does mildly bemused count? Because I checked the calendar and it says 2009, not 2005.
It’ll be great to see him again, and I hope he gets a standing O — but he wouldn’t have helped the 2009 Red Sox at all. Nor the 2008, nor 2007. Nomar is injury-prone, defensively marginal, and offensively mediocre. Give him a nice welcome, and then let him go away again.