Lester, Big Papi, and LaRoche Get Boston Red Sox Back on Track

After flying out twice and grounding out in his first three at-bats as a member of the Boston Red Sox, left-handed first baseman Adam LaRoche officially became a member of the team and a fan favorite in the eighth inning.

Mike Lowell led off the frame with a single against Mark Hendrickson to set the scene for LaRoche. The ex-Pittsburgh Pirate, an excellent hitter to the opposite field, which made him so enticing to the Red Sox, drove a first-pitch fastball high to left-field.

LaRoche, used to clearing a 10-foot high wall at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park, hit the ball just high enough to clear the 37-foot Green Monster.

The Fenway crowd rose immediately as one, and clapped in unison as he rounded the bases. As he tapped home-plate and slapped hands with Lowell, the crowd serenaded him with boisterous cheers. Welcome to Boston, Mr. LaRoche.

Red Sox starting pitcher Jon Lester struck out two of the first three hitters he faced, an opening inning similar to his next six.

His offense gave him all the insurance he needed in the bottom of the frame, making his outing that much more comfortable.

Dustin Pedroia watched each pitch he saw from Orioles pitcher Jeremy Guthrie sail out of the strikezone, then walked down to first to jumpstart the Red Sox offense.

Jason Bay, who is reunited with LaRoche, his former teammate in Pittsburgh, clocked a two-out single to keep the inning alive. Next up was David Ortiz, who made his single pay immense dividends.

Ortiz entered the at-bat with eleven home-runs over the last two months, ten more than April and May combined. He upped that total to twelve and his overall to fourteen by clubbing a high fastball from Guthrie into the center-field seats, a mere 410 feet away from where he stoically stood.

Lester, staked a three-run lead, went to work and pitched around a one-out walk and a two-out single to send his offense to the plate once more. 

They rewarded him for his efforts against a  talented bunch of Orioles by adding to their advantage. Jacoby Ellsbury socked a double to center-field, scoring captain Jason Varitek, who reached earlier by double. Ellsbury stole third without a throw, his 43rd theft of the season, but nothing came of it.

Ellsbury’s batting average has dipped in recent weeks, but still hovers around .290. It rose above that mark with another double by turning on a fastball that rocketed off the base of the right-field wall to plate shortstop Nick Green, who hustled home all the way from first.

Ellsbury was anxious to swipe third again, but got too careless, straying too far off second base. Guthrie saw second baseman Brian Roberts sneak to the bag, then immediately turned and fired to catch Ellsbury napping.

It was a bad way to end the inning, especially with Pedroia, the reigning American League Most Valuable Player, at the plate. Yet, with the way Lester was pitching, his base-running mistake wouldn’t backfire on the Red Sox.

Lester lived between 95-97 miles-per-hour with his fastball, then offset his heater with a 80-miles-per-hour curveball that seemingly took forever to reach home-plate, tumbling in and out of the strikezone to befuddle the Orioles.

This combination was very effective and helped him strike out six through the first three innings and nine total in an outing that lasted into the eighth inning.

Their was no action whatsoever until LaRoche’s unforgettable at-bat in the eighth. Not only was his blast his first hit as a Red Sox, but it gave his new teams their most runs in a game since their final contest before the All-Star break.

While the offense made things interesting over the first eight innings, closer Jonathan Papelbon, as always, made things interesting in the ninth.

It seems he hasn’t had a clean inning all year and this outing only prolonged the streak of adventurous appearances, as he allowed a leadoff single to 23-year-old catcher Matt Wieters, then a two-out knock to Nick Markakis before ending the threat and the game by getting Adam Jones, the potential tying run, to fly-out.

With the win, coupled with the New York Yankees first loss in nine games, the Red Sox cut into their arch rival’s American League East lead and trail now by only a game and a half. They are rejuvenated after a tough road trip and determined to take back what’s rightfully theirs, the division lead.

So, a return home, a dazzling performance by Lester, a home-run by Big Papi Ortiz, and a stellar debut by LaRoche were certainly enough to turn the Red Sox frowns upside down and restore order in Boston.