Texas @ Boston preview
Fenway Park
Last Meeting ( Jul 17, 2010 ) Texas 2, Boston 3
Nothing has come easy for the Boston Red Sox lately. With 11 players on the disabled list and facing Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee, the odds seemed stacked against them.
But Kevin Youkilis doubled in the tying run in the ninth inning and drove in the winner with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the 11th to lead Boston to a 3-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Saturday night.
The two teams wrap up a four-game series Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park.
Texas had won the first two games and looked like it would make it three in a row on Saturday. Lee, who struggled a bit in the first inning, settled down to dominate the Red Sox afterward. Boston scored once in the first inning on an RBI single by David Ortiz before Lee set down 22 of the next 23 batters.
Lee was acquired from Seattle in a six-player deal a couple of weeks ago and is one of the few pitchers in baseball who typically throws complete games, so it was no surprise to see him take the mound in the ninth.
But Boston’s Marco Scutaro led off the ninth with a single and took second on a sacrifice by Darnell McDonald. Scutaro went to third on a groundout and Youkilis tied the game with a double down the left-field line.
Lee walked Adrian Beltre intentionally - his only walk of the game - before getting J.D. Drew to ground out.
Sensing the importance of the game, Boston manager Terry Francona had closer Jonathan Papelbon work two innings of relief. Manny Delcarmen, who was activated from the disabled list earlier in the day, pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win.
Boston got some help from the Rangers’ defense to score the winning run. Scutaro led off the 11th with a walk and McDonald once again bunted. Pitcher Alexi Ogando (3-1) fielded the bunt and threw to second, but it hit Scutaro and bounced into left field, allowing Scutaro to reach third base.
After an intentional walk to David Ortiz, Youkilis flied out to center field, easily deep enough to score Scutaro.
The Red Sox threw out two potential base stealers on Saturday night, ending a string of successful stolen bases by the Rangers against Boston at 35.
Bengie Molina was 0-for-4 for Texas, a night after hitting for the cycle.
Both teams enter today’s game at 52-39 but the Rangers are clearly in a better position. Texas leads the American League West by four games while Boston trails the New York Yankees by 5 1/2 games in the East.
Boston starts ace Jon Lester today. Lester has lost just one of his last 15 starts, winning 11 of them. The Rangers go with C.J Wilson, who beat the Red Sox 3-0 earlier in the year.
The Red Sox called up catcher Dusty Brown from Triple-A Pawtucket and optioned Friday’s starter Felix Doubront back to the club.