The Boston Red Sox (33-15) beat the Texas Rangers (18-31) by a score of 7-4 with another big five run inning and a near Manny Ramirez cycle.
Tim Wakefield (5-5) notched the win for the Sox going seven innings, on five hits, four runs, one walk, and four strikeouts.
Vicente Padilla was the loser in the contest only going five and one-thirds’ innings, on five hits, six runs, five earned, three walks, and four strikeouts.
A five run sixth was the key inning for the Sox win, but the story that is intriguing for the Sox was that Ramirez was a homerun shy of the cycle.
Ramirez started off his cycle bid in the top of the second leading off the inning with a single.
Manny walked in the top of the fourth and later tripled in the sixth that started the five run inning for the Sox.
Ramirez doubled in the top of the seventh and later singled in the top of the ninth. Ramirez missed the cycle bid in the ninth, but the main story is that Ramirez turned the tide in his “so-so” hitting performance so far. The 4-4 day showed an indication of Ramirez turning the corner at the plate.
Jonathan Papelbon picked up his 12th save in the bottom of ninth with a little bit of trouble when Sammy Sosa reached on a Julio Lugo erro, but managed to get out of the jam unscaved leaving the score at 7-4.
The Boston Red Sox will send Julian Tavarez (3-4, 5.27 ERA) to the hill against Texas Rangers’ pitcher Kameron Loe (1-4, 6.38 ERA).
