GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: AL: BOSTON (68-45) at LA ANGELS (66-46)

AL: BOSTON at LA ANGELS

<div class="pre">AL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
BOSTON 0 0 0 4 2 0 1 2 0 9 14 2
LA ANGELS 1 2 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 6 11 1 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: BOS - JON LESTER, JULIAN TAVAREZ (4TH), MIKE TIMLIN (5TH), HIDEKI
OKAJIMA (6TH), ERIC GAGNE (8TH), JONATHAN PAPELBON (9TH) AND
JASON VARITEK

LAA - DUSTIN MOSELEY, DARREN OLIVER (5TH), JUSTIN
SPEIER (7TH), SCOT SHIELDS (8TH), GREG JONES (9TH) AND JEFF
MATHIS, RYAN BUDDE (9TH)

HOME RUNS: BOS - DUSTIN PEDROIA (5) OFF JUSTIN SPEIER IN THE 7TH, 0 ON

LAA - NONE</div>

 

AL: BOSTON at LA ANGELS

<div class="pre">AL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
BOSTON 0 0 0 4 2 0 1 2 0 9 14 2
LA ANGELS 1 2 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 6 11 1 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: BOS - JON LESTER, JULIAN TAVAREZ (4TH), MIKE TIMLIN (5TH), HIDEKI
OKAJIMA (6TH), ERIC GAGNE (8TH), JONATHAN PAPELBON (9TH) AND
JASON VARITEK

LAA - DUSTIN MOSELEY, DARREN OLIVER (5TH), JUSTIN
SPEIER (7TH), SCOT SHIELDS (8TH), GREG JONES (9TH) AND JEFF
MATHIS, RYAN BUDDE (9TH)


WP - HIDEKI OKAJIMA (3-0)
LP - JUSTIN SPEIER (1-3)
SAVE - JONATHAN PAPELBON (26)

HOME RUNS: BOS - DUSTIN PEDROIA (5) OFF JUSTIN SPEIER IN THE 7TH, 0 ON

LAA - NONE


TIME: 4:02 ATT: 44,243

PROBABLES: MIN - SCOTT BAKER (6-4, 4.43)
LAA - KELVIM ESCOBAR (11-6, 2.79)

PROBABLES: BOS - DAISUKE MATSUZAKA (13-8, 3.70)
BAL - ERIK BEDARD (12-4, 3.09)</div>

 

AL: BOSTON at LA ANGELS

<div class="pre">BOSTON (9) VS LA ANGELS (6) - FINAL

BOSTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Lugo ss 4 1 2 1 0 0 2 .228
D Pedroia 2b 5 3 3 1 0 0 0 .326
K Youkilis 1b 3 1 1 1 0 1 2 .306
M Ramirez dh 5 1 1 2 0 1 2 .296
J Drew cf-rf 4 1 2 1 1 0 0 .254
M Lowell 3b 4 0 4 2 1 0 0 .311
J Varitek c 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 .261
W Pena lf 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 .219
C Crisp cf 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 .276
B Moss rf-lf 5 1 1 0 0 0 3 .143

Totals 39 9 14 8 3 4 15

BATTING: 2B - M Lowell 3 (28, G Jones, D Moseley 2); M Ramirez (28, D Moseley);
J Drew (20, D Moseley). HR - D Pedroia (5, 7th inning off J Speier 0 on, 0
Out). SF - J Lugo , K Youkilis. RBI - M Ramirez 2 (75), J Drew (42), M Lowell 2
(77), K Youkilis (62), D Pedroia (35), J Lugo (50). 2-out RBI - M Lowell.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Ramirez 1, J Varitek 3, B Moss 2.
Team LOB - 9.

BASERUNNING: SB - J Lugo (27, 3rd base off D Moseley/J Mathis), D Pedroia (5,
2nd base off D Moseley/J Mathis). Picked Off - J Lugo (1st base, J Mathis).

FIELDING: E - J Drew (5, throw); J Lugo (13, pop up). DP: 2 (M Lowell-K
Youkilis-M Lowell, D Pedroia).


LA ANGELS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
R Willits rf 2 2 2 0 2 0 0 .304
R Budde c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
C Figgins 3b 4 0 2 3 0 1 3 .340
O Cabrera ss 5 0 0 1 0 1 7 .303
V Guerrero dh 5 1 2 0 0 0 0 .329
R Quinlan 1b 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .256
a-C Kotchman ph-1b 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 .304
G Anderson lf 3 1 1 0 2 0 0 .285
G Matthews Jr cf 4 1 1 1 0 1 2 .274
J Mathis c 3 0 0 0 0 1 3 .203
b-M Izturis ph-2b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .266
E Aybar 2b-rf 3 1 3 1 1 0 0 .255

Totals 35 6 11 6 5 7 16

a-grounded to third for R Quinlan in the 5th; b-flied out to left for J Mathis
in the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - C Figgins (18, J Lester); V Guerrero (37, J Tavarez). S - R
Willits. SF - C Figgins. RBI - O Cabrera (65), E Aybar (16), C Figgins 3 (41),
G Matthews Jr (65). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - O Cabrera 4, J
Mathis 1. Team LOB - 9.

BASERUNNING: SB - E Aybar 2 (4, 3rd base off J Lester/J Varitek, 3rd base off
H Okajima/J Varitek), R Willits (23, 2nd base off J Lester/J Varitek).

FIELDING: E - S Shields (1, throw). PB - J Mathis.


----------------------------------------------------
BOSTON - 000 420 120 -- 9
LA ANGELS - 120 210 000 -- 6
----------------------------------------------------

BOSTON ip h r er bb so hr era
J Lester 3 1/3 8 5 5 3 3 0 6.43
J Tavarez 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 5.20
M Timlin 1 1/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 3.47
H Okajima (W, 3-0) 1 1/3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.98
E Gagne (H, 3) 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 2.48
J Papelbon (S, 26) 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.99

LA ANGELS ip h r er bb so hr era
D Moseley 4 2/3 10 6 6 1 1 0 4.93
D Oliver 1 1/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.50
J Speier (L, 1-3) 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 2.15
S Shields 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 2.85
G Jones 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 8.44

WP - S Shields. HBP - K Youkilis (by S Shields). Pitches-strikes: J Lester
93-54; J Tavarez 14-7; M Timlin 22-17; H Okajima 23-13; E Gagne 24-13; J
Papelbon 10-10; D Moseley 83-55; D Oliver 21-15; J Speier 23-16; S Shields
26-15; G Jones 13-7. Ground balls-fly balls: J Lester 2-4; J Tavarez 1-1; M
Timlin 2-2; H Okajima 2-0; E Gagne 0-2; J Papelbon 0-2; D Moseley 6-6; D Oliver
2-1; J Speier 1-1; S Shields 1-2; G Jones 2-1. Batters faced: J Lester 20; J
Tavarez 4; M Timlin 5; H Okajima 5; E Gagne 5; J Papelbon 3; D Moseley 24; D
Oliver 4; J Speier 6; S Shields 6; G Jones 5.

UMPIRES: HP--Tom Hallion. 1B--Jerry Crawford. 2B--James Hoye. 3B--Phil Cuzzi.

T--4:02. Att--44,243.
Weather: 82 degrees, clear. Wind: 7 mph, out to
center.</div>

 

AL: BOSTON at LA ANGELS

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
AL
BOSTON 9
LA ANGELS 6 FINAL</div>

 

Pedroia homer helps Red Sox avoid sweep

<h3>BOSTON 9, LA ANGELS 6</h3>ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) -- Dustin Pedroia clubbed thedeciding blow in what became a battle of two stellar bullpens,leading the Boston Red Sox to a 9-6 come-from-behind victoryover the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Wednesday.

Mike Lowell and Manny Ramirez drove in two runs each for the RedSox, who avoided a sweep and pushed their lead over the NewYork Yankees (63-51) to six games in the American League East.

A back-and-forth contest that matched the longest nine-inninggame at Angels Stadium at 4 hours, 2 minutes, took its finaltwist when Pedroia's line drive just cleared the glove of GarretAnderson and landed in the bullpen over the left field wall fora solo homer, snapping a 6-6 tie.


"It definitely felt like this one was never going to end, but wegot on the board late in the game and pulled this one out," RedSox manager Terry Francona said.


Justin Speier (1-3) took the loss for the Angels as theirnormally stout bullpen allowed three runs.


"They have a good hitting team over there and our bullpen did anexcellent job keeping them off the board in the first twogames," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.


Pedroia, who remains one of the front-runners for the AmericanLeague Rookie of the Year Award, had three hits and scored threeruns, boosting his average to .326 - tops on the team and amongAL rookies.


"I was just trying to get on base to get something going for us,but I got a pitch in my zone that I could handle and hit ithard," Pedroia said.


The Boston bullpen had to work overtime after starter Jon Lesterwas knocked out after just 3 1/3 innings.


"We lined this one up for Okajima, Gagne, and (Papelbon),"Francona said. "Our 'pen did great tonight."


The 23-year-old lefthander, who is making a comeback fromlymphoma, allowed five runs and eight hits while walking threeand striking out three in his worst outing since returning tothe team on July 23.


"I did terrible," Lester said. "You name it, I didn't do ittonight. This one is easier to shake off since we won the game,but I just have to pitch better."


Five relievers picked up the slack, allowing just three hits andone run over the final 5 2/3 frames. The Red Sox bullpen cameinto Thursday's contest sporting a major league-best 2.82bullpen ERA.


"We know that we have guys in the bullpen that can come in andget outs and tonight we did that," said Mike Timlin, who pitched1 1/3 scoreless innings.


Hideki Okajima (3-0) pitched 1 1/3 perfect innings for the win.Jonathan Papelbon pitched a perfect ninth for his 26th save.

The Angels jumped out to an early 3-0 lead with a run in thefirst and two in the second.


"We got off to a good start, but we know that these guys cancome back at anytime," Chone Figgins said.


Boston grabbed its first lead of the night when it got to rookiestarter Dustin Moseley for four runs in the fourth inning onback-to-back-to-back doubles by Ramirez, J.D. Drew and Lowell.

"I felt good early on, but then my stuff just started to go,"Moseley said.


Moseley was pulled in the fifth after allowing six runs and 10hits in 4 2/3 innings.


Anaheim wasted little time jumping back on top in the bottom ofthe frame, when Chone Figgins doubled in a pair of runs for a5-4 lead. Figgins has been on a tear over the past two months,raising his average from .133 on May 30 to .340 after Thursday'sgame.


"I just feel really comfortable at the plate and hope to keep itgoing so I can help our team win ball games," Figgins said.

The Red Sox came back with two runs in the fifth on a sacrificefly by Kevin Youkilis and Lowell's RBI single.


The Angels came back to tie it in the bottom of the fifth onGary Matthews Jr.'s groundout before Pedroia's homer snapped thedeadlock for good in the seventh.


All-Star slugger David Ortiz sat out the series finale with asore left shoulder.


"Obviously without a guy like Ortiz not in the lineup it hurts,but we know that we have enough guys that can pick up theslack," Francona said.

 

AL: BOSTON at LA ANGELS

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOSTON (9) AT LA ANGELS (6) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LA ANGELS 1ST: R Willits singled to center. C Figgins singled to right
center, R Willits to third, C Figgins to second on throwing error by center
fielder J Drew. O Cabrera grounded into double play, third to first to third,
R Willits scored, C Figgins out at third. V Guerrero singled to center.
R Quinlan grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, V Guerrero out at second.
(1 Run, 3 Hits, 1 Error) BOSTON 0, LA ANGELS 1.

LA ANGELS 2ND: G Anderson singled to right. G Matthews Jr singled to
right, G Anderson to third. J Mathis lined out to second. E Aybar singled to
left, G Anderson scored, G Matthews Jr to second. R Willits reached on infield
single to shortstop, G Matthews Jr to third, E Aybar to second. C Figgins hit
sacrifice fly to center, G Matthews Jr scored, E Aybar to third, R Willits to
second. O Cabrera popped out to second. (2 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) BOSTON 0,
LA ANGELS 3.

BOSTON 4TH: D Pedroia singled to center. K Youkilis singled to left,
D Pedroia to second. M Ramirez doubled to deep center, D Pedroia and K Youkilis
scored. J Drew doubled to deep left center, M Ramirez scored. M Lowell
doubled to deep left center, J Drew scored. J Varitek grounded out to second,
M Lowell to third. W Pena popped out to second. B Moss grounded out to
shortstop. (4 Runs, 5 Hits, 0 Errors) BOSTON 4, LA ANGELS 3.

LA ANGELS 4TH: J Mathis struck out swinging. E Aybar walked. R Willits
walked, E Aybar to second. E Aybar stole third, R Willits stole second.
C Figgins doubled to deep right, E Aybar and R Willits scored. J Tavarez
relieved J Lester. O Cabrera lined into double play, to second, C Figgins
doubled off second.(2 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) BOSTON 4, LA ANGELS 5.

BOSTON 5TH: J Lugo reached on infield single to shortstop. D Pedroia
reached on infield single to third, J Lugo to second. J Lugo stole third.
D Pedroia stole second. K Youkilis hit sacrifice fly to center, J Lugo scored,
D Pedroia to third. M Ramirez flied out to right. J Drew walked. M Lowell
singled to right, D Pedroia scored, J Drew to third. D Oliver relieved
D Moseley. J Varitek flied out to right. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) BOSTON 6,
LA ANGELS 5.

LA ANGELS 5TH: V Guerrero doubled to deep center. C Kotchman hit for
R Quinlan. C Kotchman grounded out to third, V Guerrero to third. G Anderson
walked. M Timlin relieved J Tavarez. G Matthews Jr grounded out to second,
V Guerrero scored, G Anderson to second. J Mathis fouled out to first. (1 Run,
1 Hit, 0 Errors) BOSTON 6, LA ANGELS 6.

BOSTON 7TH: J Speier relieved D Oliver. D Pedroia homered to left.
K Youkilis struck out looking. M Ramirez grounded out to third. J Drew singled
to right. M Lowell walked, J Drew to second. J Varitek fouled out to right.
(1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) BOSTON 7, LA ANGELS 6.

BOSTON 8TH: S Shields relieved J Speier. C Crisp struck out swinging,
C Crisp safe at first on passed ball by J Mathis. B Moss singled to center,
C Crisp to second. C Crisp safe at third, B Moss safe at second on throwing
error by pitcher S Shields. J Lugo hit sacrifice fly to left, C Crisp scored.
D Pedroia grounded out to second, B Moss to third. K Youkilis hit by pitch.
B Moss scored, K Youkilis to second on wild pitch by S Shields. M Ramirez flied
out to center. (2 Runs, 1 Hit, 1 Error) BOSTON 9, LA ANGELS 6.</div>

 

AL: BOSTON at LA ANGELS

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOSTON (9) AT LA ANGELS (6) - EVENT LOG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Boston Starting Lineups -- J Lugo SS, D Pedroia 2B, K Youkilis 1B, M Ramirez DH,
J Drew CF, M Lowell 3B, J Varitek C, W Pena LF, B Moss RF, J Lester LHP.

La Angels Starting Lineups -- R Willits RF, C Figgins 3B, O Cabrera SS,
V Guerrero DH, R Quinlan 1B, G Anderson LF, G Matthews Jr CF, J Mathis C,
E Aybar 2B, D Moseley RHP.

Umpires -- Tom Hallion (HP), Jerry Crawford (1B), James Hoye (2B), Phil Cuzzi (3B).

Gametime Weather: 82 degrees, Clear, wind out to center at 7 mph.


BOSTON 1ST: J Lugo singled to center. J Lugo picked off first. D Pedroia
grounded out to shortstop. K Youkilis grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs,
1 Hit, 0 Errors) BOSTON 0, LA ANGELS 0.

LA ANGELS 1ST: R Willits singled to center. C Figgins singled to right
center, R Willits to third, C Figgins to second on throwing error by center
fielder J Drew. O Cabrera grounded into double play, third to first to third,
R Willits scored, C Figgins out at third. V Guerrero singled to center.
R Quinlan grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, V Guerrero out at second.
(1 Run, 3 Hits, 1 Error) BOSTON 0, LA ANGELS 1.

BOSTON 2ND: M Ramirez struck out looking. J Drew flied out to left.
M Lowell doubled to deep center. J Varitek flied out to right. (0 Runs, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) BOSTON 0, LA ANGELS 1.

LA ANGELS 2ND: G Anderson singled to right. G Matthews Jr singled to
right, G Anderson to third. J Mathis lined out to second. E Aybar singled to
left, G Anderson scored, G Matthews Jr to second. R Willits reached on infield
single to shortstop, G Matthews Jr to third, E Aybar to second. C Figgins hit
sacrifice fly to center, G Matthews Jr scored, E Aybar to third, R Willits to
second. O Cabrera popped out to second. (2 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) BOSTON 0,
LA ANGELS 3.

BOSTON 3RD: W Pena grounded out to shortstop. B Moss flied out to center.
J Lugo grounded out to third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) BOSTON 0, LA ANGELS 3.

LA ANGELS 3RD: V Guerrero flied out to left. R Quinlan struck out
swinging. G Anderson walked. G Matthews Jr struck out swinging. (0 Runs,
0 Hits, 0 Errors) BOSTON 0, LA ANGELS 3.

BOSTON 4TH: D Pedroia singled to center. K Youkilis singled to left,
D Pedroia to second. M Ramirez doubled to deep center, D Pedroia and K Youkilis
scored. J Drew doubled to deep left center, M Ramirez scored. M Lowell
doubled to deep left center, J Drew scored. J Varitek grounded out to second,
M Lowell to third. W Pena popped out to second. B Moss grounded out to
shortstop. (4 Runs, 5 Hits, 0 Errors) BOSTON 4, LA ANGELS 3.

LA ANGELS 4TH: J Mathis struck out swinging. E Aybar walked. R Willits
walked, E Aybar to second. E Aybar stole third, R Willits stole second.
C Figgins doubled to deep right, E Aybar and R Willits scored. J Tavarez
relieved J Lester. O Cabrera lined into double play, to second, C Figgins
doubled off second.(2 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) BOSTON 4, LA ANGELS 5.

BOSTON 5TH: J Lugo reached on infield single to shortstop. D Pedroia
reached on infield single to third, J Lugo to second. J Lugo stole third.
D Pedroia stole second. K Youkilis hit sacrifice fly to center, J Lugo scored,
D Pedroia to third. M Ramirez flied out to right. J Drew walked. M Lowell
singled to right, D Pedroia scored, J Drew to third. D Oliver relieved
D Moseley. J Varitek flied out to right. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) BOSTON 6,
LA ANGELS 5.

LA ANGELS 5TH: V Guerrero doubled to deep center. C Kotchman hit for
R Quinlan. C Kotchman grounded out to third, V Guerrero to third. G Anderson
walked. M Timlin relieved J Tavarez. G Matthews Jr grounded out to second,
V Guerrero scored, G Anderson to second. J Mathis fouled out to first. (1 Run,
1 Hit, 0 Errors) BOSTON 6, LA ANGELS 6.

BOSTON 6TH: C Kotchman at first base. W Pena struck out swinging. B Moss
grounded out to shortstop. J Lugo grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits,
0 Errors) BOSTON 6, LA ANGELS 6.

LA ANGELS 6TH: E Aybar singled to center. R Willits sacrificed to first,
E Aybar to second. C Figgins popped out to shortstop. H Okajima relieved
M Timlin. E Aybar stole third. O Cabrera struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) BOSTON 6, LA ANGELS 6.

BOSTON 7TH: J Speier relieved D Oliver. D Pedroia homered to left.
K Youkilis struck out looking. M Ramirez grounded out to third. J Drew singled
to right. M Lowell walked, J Drew to second. J Varitek fouled out to right.
(1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) BOSTON 7, LA ANGELS 6.

LA ANGELS 7TH: J Drew in right field. C Crisp in center field. B Moss in
left field. V Guerrero grounded out to shortstop. C Kotchman struck out
looking. G Anderson reached on error by shortstop J Lugo. G Matthews Jr grounded
into fielder's choice to third, G Anderson out at second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits,
1 Error) BOSTON 7, LA ANGELS 6.

BOSTON 8TH: S Shields relieved J Speier. C Crisp struck out swinging,
C Crisp safe at first on passed ball by J Mathis. B Moss singled to center,
C Crisp to second. C Crisp safe at third, B Moss safe at second on throwing
error by pitcher S Shields. J Lugo hit sacrifice fly to left, C Crisp scored.
D Pedroia grounded out to second, B Moss to third. K Youkilis hit by pitch.
B Moss scored, K Youkilis to second on wild pitch by S Shields. M Ramirez flied
out to center. (2 Runs, 1 Hit, 1 Error) BOSTON 9, LA ANGELS 6.

LA ANGELS 8TH: E Gagne relieved H Okajima. M Izturis hit for J Mathis.
M Izturis flied out to left. E Aybar singled to center. R Willits walked,
E Aybar to second. C Figgins struck out swinging. O Cabrera popped out to
second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) BOSTON 9, LA ANGELS 6.

BOSTON 9TH: R Budde catching. M Izturis at second base. E Aybar in right
field. G Jones relieved S Shields. J Drew flied out to center. M Lowell hit a
ground rule double to deep left. J Varitek grounded out to second, M Lowell to
third. C Crisp walked. B Moss grounded out to first. (0 Runs, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) BOSTON 9, LA ANGELS 6.

LA ANGELS 9TH: J Papelbon relieved E Gagne. V Guerrero popped out to
second. C Kotchman struck out swinging. G Anderson flied out to right.
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) BOSTON 9, LA ANGELS 6.</div>