Another close loss. After falling 2-1 and 8-6 in 2 games against the Rockies, Boston bashed out a 13-11 win to get back on track. But on Friday in San Francisco the Sox weren’t able to start a new streak. The teams traded runs late in the game and Boston was unable to put together a rally in a 5-4 loss.
Pedroia needed medical attention after hurting his foot at the plate
Stuck in a National League park, Terry Francona was forced to trim his lineup of the DH– that left David Ortiz on the pine and shuffled the order. Tito had Daniel Nava hitting second and the suddenly-hot Dustin Pedroia third, but it didn’t turn out quite the way he wanted. Nava went 0 for 3, and Pedroia left in the third after fouling a ball off his foot. Initially, it appeared as though the second baseman might stay in the game. He even finished out the at bat by drawing a walk. But once on base, Pedroia gave way to pinch-runner Mike Cameron. Bill Hall took over at second. Pedroia should probably be considered day-to-day.
Cleanup hitter Kevin Youkilis had a nice night, going 2 for 4 with a 3-run homer that constituted most of Boston’s offensive output. Victor Martinez had the team’s other RBI.
San Francisco starter Jonathan Sanchez managed to keep Boston in line in spite of some wildness; he yielded 3 hits and 4 walks over 5.1 innings. Youk’s 3-run blast was the only scoring he allowed.
Tim Wakefield went 7 innings but coughed up 11 hits to the fairly anemic Giants’ lineup. He walked 2 and struck out 3 while giving up 4 runs. Only 3 were earned thanks to Wake’s throwing error in the second.
The middle of the Giants order was tough to deal with. Juan Uribe, Pablo Sandoval, and Buster Posey combined to go 7 of 12 with 3 runs scored and 2 RBI. Jonathan Sanchez also collected a pair of hits to help his own cause.
Ramon Ramirez relieved Wakefield in the eighth, but surrendered a critical insurance run after a single, fielder’s choice, wild pitch, and sac fly. Boston answered with a run in the ninth, but it would not be enough.
Next, the team has to face Tim Lincecum.
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