4 real? Four at bats that changed the game. Red Sox vs Rays 4-13-13

Game 10: Red Sox win in extras, 2-1
There was a pitcher's duel at Fenway this afternoon, as David Price and Jon Lester had aces up their sleeves. The two combined for 13 strikeouts and 13 innings pitched, but in the end, timely hitting and smart managerial moves by John Farrell gave the Red Sox the 2-1 win in extra innings. Here are the four at bats that changed the game:

1) Top of the third inning, and Desmond Jennings singles to left. Sean Rodriguez then takes Lester to left as well, and his double plates Jennings. A wild pitch brought Rodriguez to third with no outs, but Lester settled down and got out of the inning by getting the next three batters out, and only giving up one run. 1-0 Rays.

2) In the bottom of the firth, and with Price only giving up one hit all day, David Ross steps up to the plate and hits a Price change-up clear over the Green Monster to tie it at one. You knew runs would be a premium on this cold day with two pitchers pitching gems, so this one must have felt good for Ross, who has a batting average near .150.

3) Although the game in tied, Farrell elects to put in closer Joel Hanrahan in the top of the ninth to keep the game knotted. Hanrahan continues to have trouble with his location, and walks the first two men he sees. Farrell wastes no time and knows this game is important, so he pulls Hanrahan in favor of Koji Uehara. Uehahra strikes out James Loney, induces a short pop fly to Yunel Escobar and gets Ryan Roberts to pop out to second. Uehara is our savior, and he ends the inning with the game still tied at 1.

4) Bottom of the tenth, and Jacoby Ellsbury steps up. Brandon Gomes is pitching, and it's clear he is trying to get Ellsbury to swing at a pitch away in the zone. After taking a huge cut at the first fast ball, Ellsbury hits a hard single up the middle on a pitch away. When Shane Victorino steps up, you can see Ellsbury is trying to get a good read on Gomes. It's not a matter of if Ellsbury will run but when. He picks his pitch at a 2-1 count and not only reaches safely, but an errant throw by Jose Lobaton gets Ellsbury to third. Manager Joel Maddon brings in an outfielder to the infield to keep all ground balls playable, but Ellsbury is off on Victorino's perfectly placed hit between 1st and 2nd base, and he scores easily to give the Red Sox their first walk-off win of 2013.

Red Sox win 2-1. Next up, the Red Sox play the Rays at Fenway Park tomorrow at 1:35pm.

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