Boston Red Sox Win in Dramatic Fashion Again To Down Detroit Tigers

Yesterday, David Ortiz was Big Papi for the Boston Red Sox, socking a game-winning, three-run double in the bottom of the ninth inning off Detroit Tigers reliever Phil Coke to erase what was a 4-0 deficit. It was a magical moment at Fenway Park, one Ortiz has been behind many, many times.

The victory was badly needed as it moved Boston to within 7.5 games of arch-rival New York, and allowed them to remain five games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East.

It wouldn’t be much of a confidence-booster if they couldn’t defeat the Tigers Sunday in the final game of their series, however. Everything started out swimmingly in their effort to prove victorious once more. Singles by Adrian Beltre , Jed Lowrie , and Eric Patterson helped plate a run in the second backing starting pitcher Clay Buchholz , and two more crossed to score in the following frame.

Buchholz made this lead hold up by pitching beautifully. Josh Beckett is back. Jon Lester , Daisuke Matsuzaka , and John Lackey have pitched well of late. But, as he demonstrated against struggling Detroit, Buchholz is the ace of the Red Sox pitching staff.

He surrendered only two hits over the first eight innings and allowed no runs in large part due to the pep on his fastball and the brilliant location of his curveball and change-up. He did all he could against the potency of the Tigers lineup. But his masterful performance would not translate to his 12th win.

His name has swirled in trade rumors for years, but he’s going nowhere. The pitcher that should be sent packing is Jonathan Papelbon . I don’t care if he converts a majority of his saves. There are better fish in the sea, and one of them is closer-in-waiting Daniel Bard . Papelbon has a lot of talent. He closes the opponents door a lot. But he has let a lead slip far too often. And today was another one of those days.

Buchholz didn’t give him much to work with, as he allowed a single and a walk to begin the ninth, but Papelbon still didn’t do his job. Buchholz sat in the dugout, with his jacket in his arms, donning his Red Sox cap, waiting for Papelbon to do solely what he’s paid for.

He didn’t sit long, as Papelbon wasted little time in ruining his superb outing. Miguel Cabrera , one of the major’s best hitters, clubbed a first-pitch fastball deep to center field. Cabrera thought it was gone. The Fenway Park crowd groaned, expecting it to drift over the high wall. But it did not, ricocheting off for a two-run double.

Cabrera stood on second as the tying run, and soon he was the tying run, scoring on a single up the middle by newly acquired Jhonny Peralta . The crowd booed loudly and, as soon as Cabrera crossed the plate, Buchholz got up and left down the dugout steps. A win should have been notched in his book, but thanks to another implosion by Papelbon, it was not to be.

A double-play ended the Tigers three-run ninth, and now it was Boston’s turn to rally and bail out their incapable closer. Their half of the inning got off to an excellent start, as Lowrie fouled off three 0-2 pitches before reaching on an infield single dribbled to Peralta at third. After pinch-runner Darnell McDonald took his place, Patterson drew a four-pitch walk. The Red Sox were now in prime position to take the series from Detroit.

They did, as Marco Scutaro 's half-swing single to rookie pitcher Robbie Wienhardt was thrown away down the right-field line. Scutaro threw his arms jubilantly in the air as McDonald zipped home for the winning run . It should never have come to this. Buchholz, who said after the game he “would give the ball to him [Papelbon] any day,” should have improved to 9-2 over his last 13 starts.

But notching a win in Buchholz’s column doesn’t matter much. What matters, as he would be first to say, is that Boston—a team nearing full strength—won. And if they can feed off these consecutive game-winners and turn good health into many more victories during the remaining Dog Days of Summer, his Red Sox will soon be on the doorstep of the scrappy Rays and the vaunted Yankees.