Floyd, White Sox Shut Down Red Sox (4/29/12)

It was bad news all around for the city of Boston as the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of their first round NBA playoff series and the Chicago White Sox snapped the Boston Red Sox six game win streak. Gavin Floyd held the Boston lineup to just 1 run and 3 hits in 6 2/3 innings, following in Jake Peavy's footsteps from yesterday. Meanwhile the White Sox pounced on Josh Beckett (2-3, 4.45 ERA) for three early runs including an Adam Dunn home run. Beckett recovered to pitch into the seventh inning but the Red Sox could muster a Cody Ross rbi single. The White Sox got the insurance run in the bottom of the eighth and the White Sox bested Boston 4-1 at Comiskey Park.

                                                              Losing to Chicago?

Floyd got the ball in the top of the first and Mike Aviles flied out to center to start. Ryan Sweeney struck out swinging and Dustin Pedroia popped up to left to end the inning. The White Sox wasted no time getting to Beckett in the bottom of the first as Alejandro De Aza singled over the head of Adrian Gonzalez to start. Brent Lillibridge dropped down a bunt to move De Aza to second and Alejandro scored on the Alex Rios base hit to left to put the White Sox up for good. Adam Dunn hit the killshot with a two run home run to South America to ice the game. AJ Pierzynski struck out swinging and Alexei Ramirez grounded out to third to end the inning with the game already over 3-0 Chicago.

                                                       Dunn puts the ChiSox up for good

The BoSox failed to respond in the top of the second as Adrian Gonzalez struck out swinging to start. David Ortiz flied out to center and David Ross took strike three to end the inning. Beckett recovered in the bottom of the second as Kosuke Fukudome grounded out to first to start. Dayan Viciedo took strike three and Eduardo Escobar grounded out to first to end the inning.

Floyd dominated the top of the third as Nick Punto struck out swinging to start. Marlon Byrd also struck out swinging and Kelly Shoppach popped up to second to end the inning. The White Sox threatened in the bottom of the third as De Aza took strike three to start. Lillibridge dumped a base hit to right but Rios flied out to left. Lillibridge stole second and Dunn walked, but Pierzynski lined out to a running Ross to end the inning.

Aviles popped up to right to start the top of the fourth before Sweeney grounded out to second. Pedroia struck out swinging to end the inning. Ramirez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Fukudome flied out to left. Viciedo singled to left but Escobar struck out swinging to end the inning.

Gonzalez grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth before Ortiz grounded out to second. Ross walked to break up the perfect game but Punto took strike three to end the inning. De Aza struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth before Lillibridge flied out to left. Rios struck out swinging to end the inning. Apart from that first inning, Beckett had pitched very well.

The no-hitter continued in the top of the sixth as Byrd grounded out to short to start. Shoppach flied out to right as White Sox broadcaster Ken Harrelson told a funny story of how Blue Moon Odom won a big money bet by walking on his hands around the length of Municipal Stadium. Aviles grounded out to third to end the inning.

                                                       Kansas City handwalking champion

Dunn struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth before Pierzynski flied out to left. Ramirez flied out to right to end the inning. 

Sweeney struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh but Pedroia broke up the no-hitter with a base hit to center. Gonzalez struck out swinging but Ortiz doubled into the right field corner. Ross hit a seeing eye single to left to score Ortiz and chase Floyd from the game. Addison Reed came in and Punto grounded out to first to end the inning with the BoSox down 3-1.

                                                       Ross gets the BoSox on the board

Beckett ran out of gas in the bottom of the seventh as Fukudome grounded out to first to start. Viciedo popped up to first in foul territory but Escobar singled in the hole at first. De Aza and Lillibridge both walked to load the bases and chase Beckett. His one mistake to Dunn was the difference in the game as he left after 6 2/3 innings while allowing 3 runs. Scott Atchison came in to face Rios and got him to fly out to right to end the inning.

                                                               Beckett made one mistake

Lars Anderson pinch hit for Byrd to lead off the top of the eighth and flied out to left to begin. Jarrod Saltalamacchia pinch hit for Shoppach and struck out swinging but Aviles walked to chase Reed. Matt Thornton came in to pitch to Sweeney but Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine countered by bringing in Darnell McDonald to pinch hit for Ryan. McDonald took strike three to end the inning....I could have done that. Rich Hill made his season debut in the bottom of the eighth and crapped his pants. Dunn walked and Brent Morel pinch ran for him. Pierzynski hit into a double play but Ramirez reached on a swinging bunt to Hill and Fukudome walked to chase Rich. Junichi Tazawa came in and Viciedo hit a single to left to score Ramirez for another run. Escobar flied out to center to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                         White Sox score another run

Thornton came back to close out the bottom of the ninth and Pedroia lined out to second to start. Gonzalez struck out swinging to earn the hat trick and Ortiz grounded out to first to end the game. The White Sox had won it 4-1.

                                                           White Sox win

Jackass of the Night is Adrian Gonzalez. He was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts in a game where one swing of the bat could have made the difference.

                                                         Gonzalez The Jackass

The Good:

Cody Ross was 1 for 2 with a walk and an rbi.

Scott Atchison retired the only man he faced.

The Bad:

Ryan Sweeney was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Darnell McDonald struck out as a pinch hitter.

Nick Punto was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Marlon Byrd was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Lars Anderson was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Kelly Shoppach was 0 for 2.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia struck out as a pinch hitter.

Rich Hill was charged with a run in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Mike Aviles was 0 for 3 but walked.

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

David Ortiz was just 1 for 4.

Josh Beckett allowed just 3 runs but couldn't get out of the seventh inning. He allowed 6 hits and 3 walks but struck out 8 batters.

Junichi Tazawa allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in the eighth inning.

Final Thoughts:

All good things must come to an end and the six game win streak was snapped. Its too bad the Red Sox couldn't generate any offense until it was too late because Beckett overcame his lousy first inning to pitch into the seventh inning. Punto leaving men on and Tazawa giving up the fourth run ruined any hope of a comeback. Just have to tip your cap to Gavin Floyd the same way Jake Peavy dominated last night. Hopefully the Sox bats can wake up in their next series because essentially they've scored two runs in the last two games against a starter. Getting good starts from Beckett and Jon Lester has certainly helped turn things around this month. Still, the bats lit up the White Sox the first two games and that's the kind of offense they should be having, not the one that's been shut down the last two games. The BoSox have one game left this month and now they return home for a set with the Oakland A's. Clay Buchholz (2-1) gets the start for Boston against Tommy Milone of Oakland tomorrow night. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Red Sox Bash White Sox Again (4/27/12)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Rich Hill was activated from the Disabled List and Justin Thomas was sent back down to Pawtucket. Thomas was straight batting practice so if Hill is even just mediocre, that's a lot better than the former.

                                                                      OUT

                                                                IN

As for the game, the American League could be in big trouble if the Boston Red Sox bats have awoke from their slumber for the rest of the season. For the second straight game the Red Sox feasted on the Chicago White Sox for a double-digit run game. David Ortiz and the surprising Darnell McDonald supplied the home runs while McDonald knocked in 4 total to out produce the entire Chicago lineup by himself. Cody Ross, Kelly Shoppach and Marlon Byrd all drove in runs themselves to put this game away in the middle innings. On the other side, Daniel Bard (2-2, 3.72 ERA) looks to have things figured out as a starter. He held the White Sox to 3 runs (2 earned) in 7 strong innings while striking out six batters. Matt Albers mopped up the mess in the ninth inning as the Red Sox won their fifth game in a row and second straight blowout against the White Sox 10-3 at Comiskey Park.

                                                     Olivia Munn approves of the win

John Danks got the ball in the top of the first inning and Mike Aviles popped up to second to start. Dustin Pedroia flied out to center and Adrian Gonzalez grounded out to second to end the inning. Bard got the ball in the bottom of the first and the White Sox wasted no time tagging him. Alejandro De Aza led off by slicing a double down the left field line but Alexei Ramirez popped up to first. Adam Dunn walked but Paul Konerko struck out swinging. AJ Pierzynski doubled into the left field corner to score De Aza to give Chicago the lead. Alex Rios popped up to first in foul territory to end the inning with Chicago up 1-0.

                                                      Pain in the ass Pierzynski does it again

The Red Sox wasted no time striking back in the top of the second as Kevin Youkilis worked a leadoff walk. David Ortiz pounded his fourth home run of the season to put Boston on top. Cody Ross grounded back to the mound, Kelly Shoppach struck out swinging and Darnell McDonald also grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Red Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                        Home run Big Papi

Dayan Viciedo flied out to left to start the bottom of the second but Brent Morel ripped a base hit over the head of Pedroia into right. Gordon Beckham struck out swinging but Morel swiped second on the out. De Aza took strike three to end the inning.

The BoSox blew a rally in the top of the third as Marlon Byrd popped up to right to start. Aviles got a base hit to center and Pedroia walked, but Gonzalez lined out to De Aza. Youkilis took strike three to end the inning, The White Sox struck back in the bottom of the third as Ramirez hit a routine grounder to Youkilis who threw the ball into the left field bleachers for an error. Dunn took strike three but Darnell McDonald dropped a pop up by Konerko for a "single". Pierzynski forced Konerko at second but a passed ball scored Ramirez to tie the game. Bard bobbled a grounder by Rios to put runners at the corners but Viciedo popped up to short to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                 Nice throw Youk

Ortiz flied out to left on the first pitch of the top of the fourth before Ross grounded out to short. Shoppach launched his bat as he struck out swinging to end the inning. 

                                                    Shoppach's bat went further than the ball

Bard recovered in the bottom of the fourth as Morel popped up to shallow right to start. Beckham popped up to first in foul territory and De Aza grounded out to second to end the inning.

McDonald popped up to right to start the top of the fifth before Byrd also popped up to right. Aviles grounded out to third to end the inning. The White Sox struck again in the bottom of the fifth as Ramirez struck out swinging to start. Dunn flied out to deep left but Konerko crushed a home run all the way to Green Bay, Wisconsin to put Chicago on top. Pierzynski grounded out to second to end the inning with the White Sox up 3-2.

                                                     Home run Konerko

The BoSox exploded in the top of the sixth as Pedroia flied out to left to start. Gonzalez walked and took second on a wild pitch before Youkilis walked as well. Ortiz ripped a base hit to right to load the bases and Ross lined a base hit to left to score Gonzalez to tie the game. Shoppach struck out swinging to earn the hat trick but McDonald cleared the bases with a double into the left field corner to put the Sox on top. Byrd ripped a base hit to center to score McDonald and chase Danks. Nate Jones came in to pitch and Aviles took strike three to end the inning with the BoSox ahead 7-3.

                                                    McDonald clears the bases

Bard cruised in the bottom of the sixth as Rios grounded out to second to start. Viciedo also grounded out to second and Morel popped up to short to end the inning.

The BoSox struck again in the top of the seventh as Pedroia and Gonzalez stroked back to back base hits to center to start. Youkilis struck out swinging and Ortiz flied out to center, but Ross lined a base hit to left to score Pedroia. Shoppach lifted a base hit to center to score Gonzalez and McDonald walked to load the bases. Dylan Axelrod relieved Jones and Byrd flied out to left to end the inning with Boston ahead 9-3.

                                                    Red Sox pour it on

Bard returned for one final inning in the bottom of the seventh and Beckham struck out swinging to start. De Aza flied out to a running Byrd and Ramirez lined out to first to end the inning. That was it for Bard who pitched well, holding the White Sox to just two earned runs, 3 total runs and 6 hits in seven strong innings.

                                                             Bard gets it done

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the eighth as Aviles lined out to third to start. Pedroia singled to center and Gonzalez walked, but Youkilis struck out swinging. Nick Punto pinch hit for Ortiz to give David the night off and flied out to left to end the inning. Matt Albers took over for the bottom of the eighth and Dunn flied out to the centerfield wall to start. Konerko grounded out to short and Pierzynski grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Red Sox wrapped up the scoring in the top of the ninth against Brent Lillibridge as Ross flied out to center to start. Shoppach launched his bat for the third time tonight and struck out swinging to earn the golden sombrero. McDonald launched his first home run of the season to put the exclamation point on the game. Byrd singled to left but Aviles flied out to left to end the inning with Boston ahead 10-3.

                                                          Home run McDonald

Albers returned to finish off the bottom of the ninth with Lars Anderson now at first base. Rios grounded out to first, Viciedo struck out swinging and Morel grounded out to second to end the game. The BoSox had won it 10-3.

                                                         Sox win

Hero of the Night is Darnell McDonald. His bases clearing double put the Red Sox on top for good.

                                                      McDonald Hero

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Adrian Gonzalez was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored.

David Ortiz was 2 for 4 with a 2 run home run and 2 total runs scored.

Cody Ross was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Marlon Byrd was 2 for 5 with an rbi.

Daniel Bard earned the win by going 7 innings and allowing just 2 earned runs. He allowed 6 hits but struck out 6 batters.

Matt Albers tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Nick Punto was 0 for 1 at the plate.

The Ugly:

Kevin Youkilis was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked twice and scored two runs.

Mike Aviles was just 1 for 6 with a strikeout.

Kelly Shoppach was just 1 for 5 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Honorable Mention:

Lars Anderson played first base in the bottom of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Welcome back Red Sox offense. Youkilis seems to have figured it out and Marlon Byrd is filling in nicely after Jason Repko failed to replace Jacoby Ellsbury. Darnell McDonald had a hell of a game and hopefully the Sox can keep his pace up. Ortiz, Gonzalez and Pedroia are going to deliver the goods so the Sox may be in good shape after all. Bard pitched a hell of a game and that's three starts out of four he's looked good in before running out of gas. If the Sox can get Ellsbury and Carl Crawford back healthy and at full strength this lineup is going to be scary. Hopefully the Sox can fix the bullpen along the way but that'll be easy if they're willing to trade some prospects when the time comes. Boston looks to make it six wins in a row and three straight over the White Sox tomorrow evening when Jon Lester (0-2) takes on White Sox ace Jake Peavy in what should be a great pitcher's duel. The game begins at 8:10 PM eastern time at Comiskey Park.

Red Sox Bash White Sox (4/26/12)

Don't look now but not only have the Boston Red Sox won four games in a row but their offense has risen from the dead. After the Sox scored 7 runs last night against the Minnesota Twins, they ragdolled the Chicago White Sox tonight for 12 hits and 10 runs. Felix Doubront (1-0, 4.09 ERA) won his first game of the year as he held the ChiSox to 3 runs in 6 solid innings. The BoSox feasted on Chicago starter Phillip Humber for nine runs including a backbreaking grand slam by the struggling Kevin Youkilis. Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit two home runs and Junichi Tazawa earned his first save of the season with three shutout innings as Boston beat Chicago 10-3 at Comiskey Park.

                                                    Brock Lesnar approves of the win

Humber got the ball in the top of the first inning and Mike Aviles walked to start. Ryan Sweeney took strike three but Aviles swiped second base. Dustin Pedroia beat out a roller down the third base line and Adrian Gonzalez doubled to left to score Aviles, putting Boston on top. David Ortiz got a base hit to left to score Pedroia and put runners at the corners. Kevin Youkilis watched strike three go by and Saltalamacchia grounded out to second to end the inning with Boston ahead 2-0.

                                                         Ortiz with an rbi single

Doubront got the ball in the bottom of the first and Alejandro De Aza broke his bat grounding out to second to start. Alexei Ramirez grounded out to short but Adam Dunn walked. A wild pitch moved Dunn to second and Adam scored on the Paul Konerko double over the head of Marlon Byrd to cut the lead. AJ Pierzynski walked and Sox pitching coach Bob McClure sprinted to the mound to shout that cleaning the gutters is very hard. Alex Rios forced AJ at second to end the inning with Chicago down 2-1.

                                                       Konerko drives in a run

Lars Anderson led off the top of the second with a fly ball to left before Byrd popped up to right. Aviles grounded out to third to end the inning. Dayan Viciedo led off the bottom of the second by popping up to Aviles to start. Brent Morel lined out to right and Gordon Beckham struck out swinging to end the inning.

The BoSox struck again in the top of the third as Sweeney pounded a ground rule double down the left field line to start. Pedroia hit a bullet to short but Gonzalez walked followed by Ortiz drawing a walk to load the bases. Youkilis put his slump to bed by belting a grand slam into the bullpen to ice the game. Saltalamacchia then drilled a home run off the right field foul pole for back to back jacks. Anderson hit a bullet but right to Anderson and Byrd took strike three to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-1.

                                                      Party time for the Red Sox

The White Sox tried to fight back in the bottom of the third as De Aza flied out to left to start. Ramirez walked and Dunn got hit before Ramirez moved to third on the fly ball to right by Konerko. Pierzynski ripped a base hit to left to score Ramirez with another run. Rios forced AJ at second to end the inning with the White Sox down 7-2.

                                                    Pain in the ass Pierzynski

Aviles flied out to center to start the top of the fourth before Sweeney grounded out to second. Pedroia grounded out to short to end the inning. The White Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Viciedo hit a home run all the way into Lake Eerie to cut the lead. Morel lined out to center before Beckham grounded out to third. De Aza doubled to left but Ramirez took strike three to end the inning with Chicago down 7-3.

                                                             Viciedo hits one out

The Red Sox answered in the top of the fifth as Gonzalez took strike three to start. Ortiz flied out to center but Youkilis ripped a base hit to left. Saltalamacchia pounded his second home run of the game to increase the lead but Anderson took strike three to end the inning with Boston ahead 9-3.

                                                      Home run Saltalamacchia

Doubront cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Dunn popped up to short to start. Konerko grounded out to short and Pierzynski grounded out to first to end the inning.

Will Ohman came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Byrd beat out an infield single to second to start. Aviles banged into a double play and Sweeney grounded out to short to end the inning. Doubront returned for one last inning in the bottom of the sixth with Darnell McDonald now in left. Rios grounded back to the mound to start but Viciedo lined a base hit to right. Morel flied out to right and Beckham forced Viciedo at second to end the inning. That was it for Doubront who was solid but not spectacular, allowing 3 runs in 6 innings to put himself in position to win.

                                                       Doubront gets it done

The BoSox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the seventh as Pedroia grounded out to short to start. Gonzalez grounded out to second and Ortiz grounded out to short to end the inning. Junichi Tazawa came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and De Aza took strike three to start. Ramirez hit a bullet to Youkilis but Dunn and Konerko stroked back to back singles. Pierzynski grounded out to second to end the inning.

Brent Lillibridge took over at first with Zach Stewart now on the mound for the top of the eighth inning. Youkilis beat out a roller to third but Saltalamacchia banged into a double play. McDonald popped up to second to end the inning. Rios hit a routine grounder to Youkilis who let the ball bounce off his chest for an error to start the bottom of the eighth. Tazawa gave him the middle finger but recovered to strike out Viciedo swinging. Morel flied out to center but Beckham was hit in the stomach. De Aza popped up to center to end the inning.

De Aza made a great catch to rob Byrd of extra bases to start the top of the ninth before Aviles doubled off the left field wall. Sweeney drilled a base hit to left to score Aviles before taking second on the throw home. Pedroia popped up to right in foul territory to move Sweeney to third but Gonzalez grounded out to second to end the inning with Boston ahead 10-3.

                                                          Sweeney drives in a run

Tazawa came back to close out the bottom of the ninth and Ramirez hit a bullet right to Pedroia to start. Dunn struck out swinging and Lillibridge took strike three to end the game. The Red Sox had won it 10-3.

                                                                Red Sox win

Hero of the Night is Kevin Youkilis. His grand slam ignited the offense and outscored Chicago by himself.

                                                          Youkilis the Hero

The Good:

Ryan Sweeney was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

David Ortiz was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and run scored.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 2 for 4 with 2 home runs and 3 total rbis.

Felix Doubront got his first win of the season by tossing 6 solid innings allowing just 3 runs while striking out 2.

Junichi Tazawa earned his first save with 3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Lars Anderson was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Darnell McDonald was 0 for 1 at the plate.

The Ugly:

Mike Aviles was just 1 for 4 but walked, stole a base and scored two runs.

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.

Adrian Gonzalez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Marlon Byrd was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

That's four wins in a row and another where the offense stepped up. Its a shame Jacoby Ellsbury is hurt because the rest of the bats have woke up. Youkilis and Saltalamacchia have stepped up lately and maybe Sox manager Bobby Valentine really did wake him up with his comments. Either way the Sox are on a winning streak and hopefully they can ride the momentum for the rest of the month. Doubront was solid but not spectacular and Tazawa slammed the door when he came in. The Sox bullpen is pathetic with Andrew Bailey out and Daniel Bard in the rotation but hopefully Tazawa can be effective out of it. All in all it was a good win and hopefully the offense is here to stay. They're going to need it with their bullpen woes and John Lackey out for the season. The Sox look to make it five in a row and 2 straight against the White Sox tomorrow night when Daniel Bard (1-2) takes on John Danks of Chicago. The game begins at 8:10 PM Eastern time at Comiskey Park.

Beckett, Sox Thrash Twins (4/24/12)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox announced Nate Spears cleared waivers and was returned back to Pawtucket. As for the game, the Boston Red Sox left no doubt in this one against the Minnesota Twins. The Boston bats woke up to launch an 18 hit attack against Nick Blackburn and the Minnesota bullpen. Mike Aviles and David Ortiz both went yard and Adrian Gonzalez drove in a couple of runs. On the other side of the ball Josh Beckett tossed 6 solid innings and held the Twins to just two runs. Scott Atchison and Matt Albers was perfect out of the bullpen and the Sox ran away with an 11-2 victory over the Twins at Target Field.

                                                 Jill Valentine approves of the win

The Sox ambushed Blackburn in the top of the first as Mike Aviles doubled to center to start. Ryan Sweeney singled up the middle to score Aviles but Dustin Pedroia forced him at second. Adrian Gonzalez singled to right to move Pedroia to third and David Ortiz scored Dustin with a base hit to left. Kevin Youkilis dropped a base hit to right to load the bases and Gonzalez scored on the Cody Ross grounder to first. Marlon Byrd grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                            Sox take the lead

The Twins wasted no time getting to Beckett in the bottom of the first as Denard Span drilled a base hit to center to start. Jamey Carroll forced Span at second and Joe Mauer walked. Josh Willingham walked to load the bases and Justin Morneau walked to score Carroll. Beckett recovered to strike out Ryan Doumit swinging but felt he was getting squeezed. Danny Valencia grounded out to third to end the inning and Beckett started screaming at home plate umpire Adrian Johnson who screamed back. All this mayhem had the Twins down 3-1.

                                                         Twins score a run

Kelly Shoppach doubled off the right field wall to start the top of the second and Aviles dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Kelly to third. Unfortunately Sweeney grounded out to second and Pedroia grounded out to short to end the inning. Chris Parmalee struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second before Trevor Plouffe grounded out to third. Span grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox iced the game in the top of the third as Gonzalez walked to start. Ortiz clubbed his third home run of the season to increase the lead but Youkilis struck out swinging. Ross flied out to the left field warning track but Byrd ripped a base hit to left. Shoppach struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-1.

                                                        Ortiz jacks one out

Carroll grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third but Mauer singled to center. Willingham doubled to right but Morneau hit a liner to short. Doumit popped up to Byrd to end the inning.

Matt Maloney came in to pitch the top of the fourth and Aviles greeted him with his third home run of the season to increase the lead. Sweeney doubled to the centerfield wall but Pedroia grounded out to short. Gonzalez got a base hit to right to score Sweeney but Ortiz forced Adrian at second. Youkilis got a base hit to left but Ross struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-1.

                                                              Aviles hits one out

Beckett cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Valencia grounded out to third to start. Parmalee flied out to center and Byrd made a running catch to rob Plouffe of a double to end the inning.

The Sox rallied in the top of the fifth as Byrd singled to center to start. Shoppach struck out swinging but Aviles hit a double that got caught under the centerfield wall to score Byrd. Sweeney struck out swinging but Pedroia doubled off the right field scoreboard to score Aviles. Gonzalez doubled to left to score Pedroia and chase Maloney. Jeff Gray came in and Ortiz struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 10-1.

                                                     Gonzalez drives in a run

Span blooped a double into center to start the bottom of the fifth but got caught in a rundown on a grounder to the mound by Carroll. Mauer flied out to center but Willingham doubled to left to score Carroll to cut the lead. Morneau flied out to left to end the inning with the Twins down 10-2.

                                                       Twins score a run

The Sox did nothing in the top of the sixth inning as Youkilis flied out to right to start. Ross struck out swinging and Byrd grounded out to short to end the inning. Beckett returned for one last inning in the bottom of the sixth and Doumit took strike three to start. Valencia and Parmalee both struck out swinging to end the inning. Beckett tossed 6 solid innings, survived early squeezing and held the Twins to two runs.

                                                           Beckett gets it done

Shoppach struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh before Aviles also went down hacking. Sweeney flied out to center to end the inning. Scott Atchison came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Plouffe flied out to right to start. Span took strike three and Carroll grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the eighth with Alex Burnett now on the mound. Pedroia flied out to right and Lars Anderson pinch hit for Gonzalez. Anderson got a base hit to left and Ortiz drew a walk. Nick Punto pinch hit for Youkilis and walked to load the bases. Darnell McDonald pinch hit for Ross and beat out a double play ball to score Anderson. Byrd grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 11-2.

                                                                    Anderson scores a run

Atchison returned for the bottom of the eighth and Mauer took strike three to start. Clete Thomas pinch hit for Willingham and struck out swinging while Morneau grounded out to first to end the inning.

Shoppach grounded out to third to start the top of the ninth but Aviles got a base hit to left. Sweeney forced Aviles at second and Pedroia grounded out to third to end the inning. Matt Albers came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Doumit grounded out to second to start. Sean Burroughs pinch hit for Valencia and doubled to right but Parmalee flied out to left. Plouffe popped up to McDonald to end the game. The Sox had won it 11-2.

                                                          Sox win

Hero of the Night is David Ortiz. He outscored the Twins by himself by driving in three runs including a 2 run homer.

                                                           Aviles salutes our Hero

The Good:

Mike Aviles was 4 for 5 with a two run home run and 3 total runs scored.

Ryan Sweeney was 2 for 6 with an rbi and a run scored.

Adrian Gonzalez was 3 for 3 with a walk, 2 rbis and two runs scored.

Lars Anderson singled and scored.

Kevin Youkilis was 2 for 4.

Nick Punto walked as a pinch hitter.

Darnell McDonald drove in a run in his only at-bat.

Marlon Byrd was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Josh Beckett earned the win by tossing 6 innings and allowing just the two runs. He allowed 5 hits and struck out 5.

Scott Atchison pitched two scoreless innings.

Matt Albers pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 6 but drove in a run and scored twice.

Cody Ross was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Kelly Shoppach was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

Looks like the New York Yankees woke up the Red Sox as they've scored 17 runs against the Twins so far. The Sox are flexing their offensive muscle and the addition of Marlon Byrd is paying off already. Instead of having the black hole of Nate Spears/Jason Repko, Byrd is a threat to get on base to give the Sox a deadly 1-9 when everyone's healthy and hitting. Youkilis and Jarrod Saltalamacchia are beginning to come around too and that's bad news for the rest of the league. Pitching wise Beckett looked good although he was definitely squeezed early. It was encouraging to see Atchison and Albers do well out of the bullpen, especially Albers after that disaster on Saturday. All in all it was a good win and hopefully the Sox can keep up the momentum to have a good rest of the month. The Sox look for the series sweep tomorrow night against the Twins when Clay Buchholz (1-1) gets the ball against Liam Hendriks of Minnesota. The game begins at 8:10 PM Eastern time at Target Field.