Halfway to 96? Sox beat Jays 7-4
Jim Monaghan
Contributing writer
Jon Lester pitched into the eighth inning, and the Red Sox erupted for seven runs in the second inning to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-4 in the opener of a 4-game series at Fenway Park. Lester tossed six shutout innings, allowing two runs in the fifth and two more in the eighth before being removed with what was called a "jammed hip" after the game.
The Red Sox offense bounced Jays starter Chien-Ming Wang after just 1.2 innings. After walking David Ortiz and Mike Carp, Daniel Nava and Jarrod Saltalamacchia each drove in a run with RBI singles, and Stephen Drew drove in two more with what was credited as a double to right field (Jose Batista had some trouble finding the ball).
Jose Iglesias and Jacoby Ellsbury followed with RBI singles, and one out later, Dustin Pedroia slammed his fifth home run of the season (pictured) driving Wang from the game.
Junichi Tazawa pitched out of trouble in the eighth in relief of Lester and Koji Uehara picked up his second save in as many nights to seal the win for Lester and the Red Sox.
The win improved Lester's record to 8-4; it was Boston's 48th win of the year. With this being the 81st game of the year - the exact mid-point of the season - the Red Sox are on pace to win 96 games.
Click here to find more by Jim Monaghan on Red Sox Life. Follow him on twitter - @Monaghan21
Contributing writer
Jon Lester pitched into the eighth inning, and the Red Sox erupted for seven runs in the second inning to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-4 in the opener of a 4-game series at Fenway Park. Lester tossed six shutout innings, allowing two runs in the fifth and two more in the eighth before being removed with what was called a "jammed hip" after the game.
The Red Sox offense bounced Jays starter Chien-Ming Wang after just 1.2 innings. After walking David Ortiz and Mike Carp, Daniel Nava and Jarrod Saltalamacchia each drove in a run with RBI singles, and Stephen Drew drove in two more with what was credited as a double to right field (Jose Batista had some trouble finding the ball).
Junichi Tazawa pitched out of trouble in the eighth in relief of Lester and Koji Uehara picked up his second save in as many nights to seal the win for Lester and the Red Sox.
The win improved Lester's record to 8-4; it was Boston's 48th win of the year. With this being the 81st game of the year - the exact mid-point of the season - the Red Sox are on pace to win 96 games.
Click here to find more by Jim Monaghan on Red Sox Life. Follow him on twitter - @Monaghan21
