Projo Sox Blog

By Joe McDonald
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON _ It wasn't a home run, but it did the job and that's all that was needed.

Red Sox slugger David Ortiz - still without a homer this season - came through with some timely hitting in the bottom of the eighth inning Sunday night. He doubled and later scored the would-be game-winning run to give Boston a 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Red Sox starter Josh Beckett (no-decision) looked sharp from the get-go, but surrendered a run in the top of the first inning. The Rays' Pat Burrell provided the one-out RBI-single to give Tampa a 1-0 lead. Beckett's velocity reached 96 a few times in the inning.

The Sox evened the game at 1-1 when Jason Bay led off the bottom of the second inning with a double before he was knocked in by J.D. Drew.

Boston gave Beckett a little more cushion with two run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Jeff Bailey's two-out double started it before Jason Varitek provided an RBI-double for a 2-1 lead. Nick Green was credited with a RBI thanks in part to some defensive miscommunication by the Rays.

Tampa scored two more off Beckett - one in the fifth and one in the sixth - to tie the game at 3-3.

Ortiz came through in the bottom of the eighth inning.

He led off with a double off the Monster, reached third on a wild pitch by Rays reliever Dan Wheeler and was driven home on a Bay double for a 4-3 advantage.

With the one-run lead, Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon made it interesting. He allowed runners to reach second and third with no outs, but he was still able to record his eighth save of the season when he struck out the next three batters he faced.

 Tags  David Ortiz Rays Red Sox

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