On a day when the baseball could not stay in Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox (29-12) clobbered the Atlanta Braves (25-17) by a score of 13-3.
Daisuke Matsuzaka’s (6-2) solid performance was overshadowed by the Red Sox offense onslaught who hit four homeruns against the Braves. Matsuzaka picked up the win going eight innings, striking out six, walking zero, giving up nine hits and allowing three earned runs on 104 pitches (72 for strikes).
Dice-K’s only blemishes came in the top of the eighth inning giving up an RBI single to Braves catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia that scored third baseman Chipper Jones and a two-run homerun to Braves right fielder Jeff Francouer that scored Saltalamacchia.
Julio Lugo started off the homerun parade for the Red Sox belting his third of the year into left field off of Braves pitcher Anthony Lerew (0-2) making the score 1-0 in the bottom half of the first inning.
Lerew managed to get out of the first inning unscathed after the lead-off homerun from Lugo, but ran into trouble in the second. Kevin Youkilis continued the homerun barage by launching his fifth homer into the centerfield stands. Scoring on the four base hit was Dustin Pedroia making the score 3-0.
Both teams went scoreless until the bottom of the fifth until Mike Lowell made a “grand” statement.
With the bases loaded and Mike Lowell up against Mark Redman, Lowell pounded one over the Green Monster that still has not landed. Lowell’s grand slam scored David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, and J.D. Drew which made the score 7-0.
Lowell ended the day going four for five with two singles, a double, a homerun, and five RBI’s.
Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona decided to replace Ramirez for Willy Mo Pena defensively in the top of the seventh due to the game being laughable at a score of 12-0.
Pena thanked Francona for some playing time with a homerun, the fourth Red Sox homer, that almost landed on the Mass Pike over the Green Monster.
The Boston Red Sox (29-12) play the Atlanta Braves (25-17) at 7:35 p.m. in the second half of the day-night double header. The Sox send Devern Hansack(0-0, 13.50 ERA) against Braves ace starter John Smoltz(5-2, 3.19 ERA).
NOTES: Saltalamacchia is the owner of the longest name in Major League Baseball history.
Ortiz played in today’s game after not playing in the second half of the double header against the Detroit Tigers earlier this week due to illness. Ortiz went three for three with two singles, a double, one walk, and two runs in the game.
Boston Red Sox have won 10 out of their last 12 games.
