Red Sox 6 - 4 White Sox
Final/14
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Red Sox hope to get an offensive lift vs. White Sox

Apr 16, 2014 - 2:43 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Boston Red Sox hope to have Dustin Pedroia back in the lineup on Wednesday, as they try to get back on the winning track in the middle test of a three-game set against the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.

Boston fell for the third straight time in Tuesday's opener, as Alexei Ramirez scored from second on shortstop Xander Bogaerts' throwing error in the bottom of the ninth to carry Chicago to a 2-1 win.

"It's cold weather, but that's no excuse for that play," Bogaerts said.

Burke Badenhop (0-2), who recorded the final out in the eighth, stayed on to start the ninth for Boston. After Alejandro De Aza was caught stealing second, Ramirez singled to left. Badenhop got Tyler Flowers to go down looking before handing the ball over to Chris Capuano, who walked Adam Eaton. Marcus Semien then hit a grounder to Bogaerts, whose errant throw to first allowed the game- winning run to score.

"There were two outs so I was going all the way with two outs, so my idea was to go ahead and get to home plate regardless of what happened," Ramirez said.

Daniel Webb (1-0) picked up his first win in the big leagues after stranding men on first and second in the top of the ninth.

Ramirez has hit safely in all 14 games this year, while Adam Dunn hit a solo homer for the White Sox, who have won two in a row.

Daniel Nava hit a solo homer for the Red Sox, who may get Pedroia back but will likely be without first baseman Mike Napoli. Napoli had to leave last night's contest in the ninth inning with a dislocated finger.

Pedroia, who has been sidelined with inflammation in his left wrist, came on to pinch-run for Napoli and hopes to start on Wednesday.

"Hopefully Pedroia is all right, and we get him back in the lineup just to kind of find our identity and who we are," Napoli said.

Getting the call for Boston on Wednesday will be righty Clay Buchholz, who is 0-1 with a 6.97 ERA on the season. Buchholz was far better than he was his first time out on Thursday in New York, but still absorbed the loss, as he allowed four runs (2 earned) and seven hits in six innings. He had been rocked for six runs in 4 1/3 innings in his first start.

"With my arm strength and everything, it got a lot better within a five-day span," Buchholz told the team's official website after his last start. "Usually, it doesn't happen that quick. I felt a lot more comfortable with each pitch out there tonight. I've got to minimize the damage a little bit more in a couple of spots. Other than that I felt like I threw the ball pretty well."

Buchholz has faced the White Sox six times and is 2-2 with a 4.29 ERA.

Chicago, meanwhile, will turn to left-handed veteran John Danks, who picked up his first win of the season his last time out. After giving up two runs in the first, Danks limited Cleveland to three overall runs on six hits and four strikeouts over six innings to improve to 1-0, while lowering his ERA to 4.05.

"I feel like third inning on, I was able to throw the ball where I wanted to," Danks said. "I kept it down a little better, was getting some ground balls. It was kind of a tale of two games, but like I said, I've never had a bad win."

In nine starts against the Red Sox, Danks has gone 3-6 with a 5.37 ERA and a WHIP of 1.44.

Boston won last season's series, 4-2, and has captured 12 of the last 17 overall matchups.






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