Most teams are happy to go .500 on a road trip. With all the challenges the Red Sox have had putting up wins this year away from home, they were absolutely thrilled to salvage a 3-3 record on their West Coast swing. That’s not to say their 6-3 victory over the Mariners yesterday was a walk in the park.
In fact, it took 12 innings, with the Red Sox bullpen, highlighted by 2 2/3 hitless innings by Justin Masterson in his relief debut, producing 6 2/3 scoreless innings of support. Mike Lowell’s two-run single in the 12th, followed by Sean Casey’s RBI single, gave the Red Sox the cushion they needed for the most pleasant of return trips home.
Two of the four hits allowed by the Sox relievers were of the infield variety and both took weird bounces that neither Jonathan Paplebon (in the 11th) nor Craig Hansen (12th) were able to make plays on. Hansen did nothing good for the blood pressure of Sox followers when he loaded the bases in the 12th on two singles and a walk, but he got three outs (and his second save) and the sweep of the Mariners was complete. Masterson came into the game in relief of starter Clay Buchholz with two on and one out in the sixth, just after the Mariners had tied the game on Jose Vidro’s two-run home run. He got two strikeouts to get out of the jam and his next two innings were perfect.
A day off today, followed by a weekend of baseball against the Yankees, lay ahead but after yesterday’s nail-biter, the Red Sox were a happy bunch of campers. If momentum means anything, the three consecutive road wins and the presence of Big Papi should give the Sox the kind of homefield advantage most would describe as unfair.
Nation Notes: Manny Ramírez showed up yesterday morning and reported his right knee was sore, an overnight development that caught the Red Sox by surprise. Manny didn’t play on Wednesday and is considered day to day. Dustin Pedroia stole second in the first inning for his 10th stolen base, which gives the Sox four players who have reached double digits in steals: Ellsbury (35), Crisp (14), and Julio Lugo (12). Short-stop Jed Lowie Lowrie has started in five straight games and performed well: .333 (6 for 18) with three RBIs and has played admiringly in the field.
