Tim Wakefield tied teammate Josh Beckett for the league lead in wins with 16 and the Boston Red Sox improved to 79-51 on the season with the 14-2 win over Mark Buehrle and the Chicago White Sox.
Wakefield, 16-10 on the season, still has a decision in all 26 games pitched in so far this season earning the win going for 7 innings, on three hits, no runs, three walks, and six strikeouts.
Buehrle who pitched for 6 innings (six hits, four runs, walked three, and struck out three) held the Boston lineup in check until the sixth inning. With the loss Buehrle is now 9-9 on the season.
Mike Lowell and Kevin Youkilis had RBI singles off of Buehrle and Bobby Kielty drove home two on another RBI single to left field giving Boston a 4-0 lead. Lowell was 4-6 in the game driving home two and scoring twice and in the three games played in the series has six RBI’s combined.
Youkilis put another run on the scoreboard in the seventh inning on an RBI double that scored Manny Ramirez giving Boston a bigger lead at 5-0.
Although, the eighth inning was the coming out party for the Boston lineup scoring eight runs in the eighth.
Dustin Pedroia had an RBI single, David Ortiz drove home two on a double, Coco Crisp scored on a Mike MacDougal wild pitch. Lowell got his second RBI of the game on a single to left as the Red Sox continued to knock around the White Sox bullpen in the eighth.
Kielty brought home Lowell on a double, and Pedroia and Crisp both walked with the bases loaded breaking the game open at 13-0.
In the eighth inning White Sox relief pitcher Ryan Bukvich did not record an out allowing five runs to plate and was followed by MacDougal who gave up three runs. All in all the bullpen gave up nine runs as relief pitcher Matt Thornton was touched up for a run as Kielty drove home his fourth RBI of the game in the top of ninth driving home Eric Hinske on his third single of the game.
Kielty was 3-5 with four RBI’s, a double, and one run scored in the contest.
As a consolation prize for White Sox fans Paul Konerko hit his 26th homerun of the season, a two run shot, off of Kyle Snyder, in the eighth inning.
In three games Boston has now scored a combined 35 runs off of Chicago White Sox pitching and the rampant offense seems like it could not have come at a better with the New York Yankees series that starts Tuesday.
