Recap - Red Sox offense comes to life to back Rodriguez

Jim Monaghan
Contributing Writer

Photo courtesy Boston Red Sox
Eduardo Rodriguez (pictured) sailed through his first five innings and the Red Sox offense got to Phil Hughes early and often as the Red Sox took game one of their Wednesday day/night doubleheader 6-3 against the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park.

Making only the second start of his major league career, and the first at Fenway Park, Rodriguez went seven innings allowing one run on two hits and a pair of walks while striking out seven. He threw 77 of his 103 pitches for strikes.

Boston took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning (honest!). Dustin Pedroia led off with a single off Minnesota starting pitcher Phil Hughes and one out later David Ortiz drove him in with the first of his two doubles on the afternoon.

Minnesota tied the game in the top of the third on Brian Dozier's tenth home run of the season but the Red Sox came back in the bottom of the inning to take a 2-1 lead. Pedroia again led off with a hit, Ortiz doubled him over to third, and he scored on a single by Hanley Ramirez.

Pedroia's third hit of the game, a two-out single in the fourth, drove in Xander Bogaerts with Boston's third run. Bogaerts drove in a pair of his own with a single, his third hit of the game, in the bottom of the fifth.

Mike Napoli tagged on another run with a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh, his ninth long ball of the year, to give the Sox a 6-1 lead.

In all, the Red Sox rapped out thirteen hits including multi-hit games for Pedroia (4), Ortiz (2), Ramirez (2) and Bogaerts (3).

Alexi Ogando pitched the final two innings in relief. He gave up a two-run home run in the ninth to Eduardo Escobar.

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