3 Stars of the Game: Game 85

Ryan MacLeod
Contributing Writer

In a game that saw Pedro Ciriaco return to Fenway Park, as a member of the Padres, the Red Sox used a big 4th inning and dominant pitching to down the San Diego Padres. 3 runs in the 4th was enough but the Sox tacked on another in the 6th as an insurance run. The Sox have been dominant against the National League this season and they look to continue this success in the rest of the series against San Diego. Here are the 3 stars of the game:

Star 3: David Ortiz
Ortiz continues to hit ridiculously well this season. Currently he is hitting a mind blowing .320 and went 2-4 tonight. He scored a run in the 4th inning on the bases clearing double by Snyder.
Star 2: John Lackey
Lackey is dominant at home this year, he is currently 4-1 in 6 starts in Fenway. Tonight he turned out another brilliant outing, it may be a crazy thought but right now its hard to argue that Lackey is pitching like an ace, like the Lackey of old. Tonight he pitched 8 strong innings allowing 6 hits and 1 run. He struck out 6 and only walked one. He lowered his ERA to 2.81 on the season.
Star 1: Brandon Snyder
Snyder was the provider of offense tonight with a bases clearing double in the 4th inning, his 3 RBI's tonight brought his total to 5 on the season and is looking like a good fill in at third while Middlebrooks is still out. He went 1-3 tonight before he was pinch it for.

This Red Sox team has caught fire this past week, winning 6 of their last 7. They are currently 3 games up in the AL East over Baltimore and 6.5 games up over the Yankees. This team is playing amazing, they have 51 wins and are on pace for around 98 wins this year, a number that nobody would have estimated at the beginning of the season. What does the team need to do to continue this success? Leave an answer in the comments section or on twitter @Ryanthahawaiian.