Rangers-Red Sox: Boston Outlasts Texas 19-17 in Boston "Pitching" Massacre

A three-game series in Boston. For the Red Sox, this is an important series because Boston can continue to beat down a Rangers team they have owned the past few years and move closer to the still well-playing Rays. 

For the Rangers, this is an important series because Texas can win the series and still consider themselves in the hunt for the wild card.

Boston is known for their pitching, timely hitting, and ability to play well at Fenway.

Texas is known for their lack of pitching consistency, college-baseball-type atmosphere, and ability to comeback from ANY deficit.

Charlie Zink took the ball and the mound for the Red Sox, the knuckleballer was making his major-league debut, in for the injured knuckler Tim Wakefield.

Zink flew through the first inning, one, two, three. With his first inning under his belt, he took a seat in the dugout to see what his Red Sox offense could do for him.

Scott Feldman took the mound for the Rangers, and things didn't exact go as planned.

J.D. Drew drew a leadoff walk, Dustin Pedroia followed with a single, and then David Ortiz did his best impression of, well, Big Papi, with a three-run bomb to right field.

Not to be too rattled, Feldman struck out Kevin Youkilis, but Boston's offense stayed hot. Mike Lowell singled, and Jason Bay reached on a Ramon Vazquez error. After a double steal, Jed Lowrie doubled off the Monster, scoring both Lowell and Bay.

After Coco Crisp flied out for the second out, Kevin Cash drew a walk for the Red Sox to hit around. Drew and Pedroia continued with back-to-back RBI singles, and then Big Papi went POP-pi off Feldman again.

Ortiz's second three-run homer of the inning, his 15th and 16th of the season, and the inning finally ended on a Youkilis strikeout, 10-0 BoSox.

In a game that seemed over before the second inning, and caused viewers around the nation to switch channels to watch Michael Phelps instead, the game went on.

Instead of giving up, the Ranger bats did what the Ranger bats do...they hit.

Milton Bradley and Marlon Byrd led the inning off with a walk and single, and then later in the inning, Chris Davis singled to right field scoring both Bradley and Byrd.

Both teams stayed quiet until the bottom of the third, where the Red Sox got the two runs back. An RBI walk from Lowell and an RBI single by Bay, both with two outs, extended the lead back to 10, 12-2.

In the fifth, the Rangers batters had their own breakout party. Ian Kinsler led off with a double, and after a groundout from Michael Young, Josh Hamilton singled to score Kinsler. Hamilton's RBI was his ML-leading 112th of the season.

Bradley kept the bats rolling with single to left, then an RBI double from Byrd, and a two-RBI double from Frank Catalanotto cut the deficit to 12-6.

Gerald Laird then doubled off the Monster for back-to-back-to-back doubles from the Rangers. After a pitching change to remove starter Zink, Davis singled to right, scoring another run.

Kinsler would end the Rangers' rally with a three-run homer over the Monster and bringing Texas back within two runs, 12-10.

In the bottom of the inning the Red Sox got two of the runs back, with a Youkilis home run, giving Boston a two touchdown to a one-touchdown-and-field-goal lead.

In the top of the sixth, the Rangers continued their hot hitting. After a leadoff walk by Hamilton, Bradley singled to right and moved Hamilton to third.

The Rangers then scored a run on each of the next four at-bats: Byrd single, Catalanotto double, Laird sacrifice fly, and then Davis reaching first on an error by Youkilis, scoring Catalanotto and tying the game at 14.

The Rangers would complete the comeback with a sacrifice fly from Kinsler, scoring Davis and giving the Rangers a 15-14 lead.

The Rangers added another run the seventh on a Byrd single, scoring Hamilton.

In the bottom of the inning, with two on and nobody out, Youkilis grounded back to the pitcher, Jamey Wright. Wright threw to third to get the lead runner, but an error by Vazquez allowed Pedroia to score and cut the Rangers' lead in half, 16-15 Texas.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Red Sox timely hitting finally came through. An RBI double by Pedroia scored Jacoby Ellsbury. After intentionally walking Ortiz, Youkilis who already homered once, did it again. A three-run shot gave Boston the 19-16 lead.

In the top of the ninth, the Red Sox brought in their stud closer Jonathan Papelbon, game over, right?

Well, Papelbon struck out Bradley, and then Byrd reached first on an error. Brandon Boggs entered the game and doubled to deep center, scoring Byrd. The Rangers brought the tying run to the plate, but Laird flied out to right, and Davis lined out to second.

GAME OVER: 19-17 Red Sox.

Kinsler 2-5, HR, double, 2 runs, 4 RBI.           Pedroia 5-6, double, 5 runs, 2 RBI

Hamilton 2-5, double, 3 runs, RBI                 Ortiz 3-4, 2 HR, double, 4 runs, 6 RBI

Byrd 5-6, double, 4 runs, 3 RBI                    Youkilis 2-5, 2 HR, 2 runs, 5 RBI 

Catalanotto 2-4, 2 doubles, 2 runs, 3 RBI      Lowrie 2-5, 2 doubles, run, 2 RBI

Davis 2-5, 2 runs, 4 RBI                             Drew 2-4, 3 runs, 1 RBI

Game Notes:

• Texas and Boston tied the AL record combining for 36 runs.
• David Ortiz became the fifth player to hit two HRs in the first inning and tied the AL record with six RBI in the first inning.
• Scott Feldman became the second player since 1900 to give up 10 runs in the first inning and stay in the game, the other was Mark Redman for the Rockies earlier this season.
• Marlon Byrd had his first career five-hit game and has nine hits in the last two games.
• The Rangers have at least 20 hits in back-to-back games, first time in franchise history.
• The Rangers became only the fourth team since 1900 to score 17 runs and lose.