David Ortiz recorded his 1000th career RBI in a Red Sox uniform in about the greatest way possible (other than the opponent): by hitting a grand slam.
Yet again Boston's (64-38) offense was working overtime as it cranked out 16 hits in a 12-5 laugher over the Kansas City Royals (43-61) last night at Fenway Park.
The Royals are so bad that they let John Lackey (9-8) climb over the .500 mark for the season. In 5.2 workman like innings, he allowed four runs (three earned) on 11 hits with a walk and three strikeouts. They'll be talking about that start when he's inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
And speaking of Cooperstown, it takes a lot to make Lackey look like Roy Halladay but that's what happens when he opposes Bruce Chen (5-4). Don't ask me how Chen has been in MLB for 13 seasons (albeit on 10 teams) or has a 53-54 career record with last night's loss since every time I see him, I think he's the worst starting pitcher I've ever seen in MLB.
To say he throws meatballs is being kind. He's a lefty and he throws straight junk with no velocity. In four innings (haha 114 pitches!) Chen allowed ten earned runs on ten hits with three walks and three strikeouts.
Eric Hosmer (4 RBIs, 2 hits) actually gave Kansas City a 3-0 lead in the first with a three-run bomb. He's such a stud.
Didn't matter one bit though as Boston's juggernaut of an offense scored two in the first, three in the second and four in the fourth to send Chen back to the visitors dressing room.
Jacoby Ellsbury (3 runs, 3 hits, 2 RBIs, walk, stolen base) and Dustin Pedroia (3 hits, 2 runs, 2 RBIs) went back-to-back to start the game. For Ellsbury, it was his 17th homer of the season (off Pesky's Pole) while Pedroia extended his hitting streak to 24 games with his 14th.
Fitting, Ellsbury tied it up in the second with his bases-loaded walk and Pedroia made it 4-3 with a sacrifice fly. Adrian Gonzalez's groundout (3 hits, 3 RBIs, run) pushed it to 5-3.
Yamaico Navarro's (2 hits) RBI single in the fourth gave the Red Sox a 6-3 lead before Ortiz's bomb over the bullpen in right field.
Lackey tried his best to give the seven-run lead back as Billy Butler (3 hits) crushed a solo homer over the Monster in the fifth but Kansas City is too inept to comeback even against Lackey.
Gonzalez added an RBI single in the sixth and eighth, sandwiched around an RBI single by Hosmer in the eighth.
Not for nothing but 1-4 with Alex Gordon (3 hits, 2 runs), Melky Cabrera, Butler and Hosmer, the Royals have some serious pop. It's too bad with all their bats on the team and in their farm system, they don't seem to have any arms to match.
Boston ace Josh Beckett takes the mound in just a matter of minutes as the Red Sox look to finish off a successful home stand by taking three of four from Kansas City. The Royals counter with Luke Hochevar.
Follow @RichSlate
Tweet
No comments:
Post a Comment