Clay Buchholz wins 14th game to keep Red Sox in post-season hunt
After the first two batters things were not looking good for Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Clay Buchholz.
Bobby Abreu led off the game for the Los Angeles Angels with a double to left field. The next batter, Maicier Izturis stepped on Buchholz' foot trying to beat him to first. Izturis ended losing the race and the rest was all up-hill for Buchholz and down-hill for the Angels from there.
Buchholz earned his 14th win of the season after scattering five hits over seven innings, walking two, and striking out three while keeping the Angels off the scoreboard. Felix Doubront and Michael Bowden from the bullpen combined with Buchholz to complete the shutout and win 6-0.
The Angles threatened to score twice getting runners to third in the sixth and eighth innings. Both times there were already two outs in the innings and the next batter got the final out of the inning to end the threat.
All of the scoring came in the third, fourth, and fifth innings for the Red Sox. Darnell McDonald hit his eighth home run of the year in the third to give the Red Sox the lead. Ryan Kalish hit his second home run of the season and first grand slam of his career to stretch the lead out to 5-0 in the fourth. Victor Martinez’s RBI double in the fifth inning closed out the scoring on the day to make the final score 6-0.
Jered Weaver got his eighth loss of the season after giving up all six runs off six hits including two home runs and two walks while striking out four; it is his first loss in four starts. For Buchholz it was the fifth start in a row that saw him last seven innings.
Dustin Pedroia returned to the field for the Red Sox after missing the last 44 games due to a broken bone in his foot; he was hitless and committed an error on the night.
Boston improved to 68-52 in the tough AL East, five and a half games behind the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees. Los Angeles remained eight games behind the Texas Rangers in the AL West thanks to the Rays demolishing the Rangers 10-1 Tuesday night.
Scott Kazmir is scheduled to take the mound for the Angels in the second game of the three game series Wednesday night against former Angel John Lackey for the Red Sox.
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