Final
Red Sox rally for win despite allowing 9 steals.
Apr 21, 2010 - 4:05 AM BOSTON(AP) -- Darnell McDonald spent the day in Boston, hanging out just in case he was needed. A few hours later, he saved the Red Sox from another embarrassing loss.McDonald, called up from the minors earlier in the day, hit a pinch-hit two-run homer in the eighth inning to tie the game and won it with an RBI single in the ninth to lift the struggling Red Sox to a 7-6 comeback win over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night.
"I don't care how we did it. We desperately needed to win a game," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "We hung in there and won a game that we definitely needed to win."
The Red Sox snapped a five-game losing streak despite allowing the Rangers to steal a club record nine bases. Texas has dropped five straight.
McDonald, 31, signed as a minor league free agent on Nov. 24, finished last season with Cincinnati and was a non-roster invitee to the Red Sox camp.
"I couldn't write a script any better than this," he said. "A lot happened. A dream come true. That's why I signed over here to be able to play in this type of atmosphere."
He was the first Red Sox player to homer in his initial plate appearance since Orlando Cabrera did it on Aug. 1, 2004, at Minnesota.
Kevin Youkilis opened the ninth with an infield hit off the body of Frank Francisco (2-3), advanced on a passed ball and was sacrificed to third by Bill Hall. After Mike Lowell was intentionally walked and Adrian Beltre popped to first, Jason Varitek then walked on four pitches before McDonald lifted a fly ball that scrapped the Green Monster just over the leap of Josh Hamilton.
He was mobbed in short left field as the Rangers trotted off.
"They got me pretty good out there," he said, still beaming.
Nelson Cruz and Elvis Andrus each had three of Texas' club record nine stolen bases as the Rangers opened a 6-1 lead after five innings.
"We didn't figure out a way to shut the game down," Rangers manager Ron Washington said.
Jonathan Papelbon (1-1) pitched a hitless ninth for the win.
The Rangers swiped all nine against knuckleballer Tim Wakefield and catcher Victor Martinez.
"I was just concentrating on throwing strikes and wasn't keeping an eye on the running game, which showed, they stole nine bases off me," Wakefield said. "I know it'll get better."
Texas stole one in the first, five in the third and two in the fourth. Cruz set the club record with his third of the game, swiping third in the fifth.
"If we got one base, of course, we were going to run - a knuckleball, tough to handle," Washington said.
Josh Reddick, recalled earlier in the day from Triple-A, had a two-run double for Boston, cutting the deficit to 6-4 in the sixth.
The Rangers were 18 for 18 in stolen-base attempts against the Red Sox last season.
The previous club record was eight, set against Boston in Arlington, Tx. last August 15.
Cruz started the Rangers' running game in the first when he had an RBI single to make it 1-0 and followed by stealing second.
Martinez's RBI single in the first tied the game. Boston had gone 0 for its last 32 with runners in scoring position.
Texas set a club record for steals in an inning with five in the third. Hamilton's grounder scored Andrus to make it 2-1. Andrus walked leading off, then stole second and third. Vladimir Guerrero had a pair of stolen bases and Cruz the other in the inning.
Julio Barbon's RBI single triggered a three-run fourth. Joaquin Arios scored on a wild pitch and Michael Young added a run-scoring single, making it 5-1.
Before the inning, Martinez threw the ball into center field while warming up Wakefield. He also threw it past the pitcher in the fifth inning.
Boston's catchers have thrown out just one of 31 runners this season.
The nine steals allowed matched the most by Boston since Oct. 3, 1913.
Hamilton overran Reddick's fly ball down the line; that fell in for a double to make it 6-4 in the sixth. The ball appeared to bounce back into play off a fan.
"I just misplayed it," he said.
Rangers starter Colby Lewis allowed three runs on five hits in five innings. Wakefield gave up six runs on seven hits in six innings.
NOTES: Cruz left the game in the ninth with a cramp in his left hamstring. ... The Red Sox put outfielders Mike Cameron (strained abdominal muscle) and Jacoby Ellsbury (bruised chest) on the 15-day DL before the game. They recalled Reddick and selected McDonald from Triple-A Pawtucket. ... Wakefield surpassed Cy Young to move into second place on the Red Sox all-time list with more than 2,729 innings pitched.
- Red Sox 7, Rangers 6 - FINAL
TEXAS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
E Andrus ss 2 1 0 0 3 1 0 .308
M Young 3b 5 0 2 1 0 2 1 .269
J Hamilton lf 3 1 0 1 2 0 2 .205
V Guerrero dh 4 0 1 0 1 0 4 .340
N Cruz rf 4 1 2 1 1 1 0 .333
D Murphy rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .071
C Davis
Apr 20 10:57 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY DARNELL MCDONALD SCORED KEVIN YOUKILIS
FINAL SCORE - BOSTON 7, TEXAS 6.
Rangers 6, Red Sox 7 Bot 9, 0 OutsApr 20 10:56 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
TWO-RUN HOME RUN BY DARNELL MCDONALD (1) TO LEFT CENTER WITH
0 OUT IN THE 8TH OFF DARREN OLIVER SCORED JASON VARITEK.
CURRENT SCORE: TEXAS 6, BOSTON 6
DUE UP FOR BOSTON: M SCUTARO (.271, 0-FOR-3, HBP)
Rangers 6, Red Sox 6 Bot 8, 0 OutsApr 20 10:15 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
ERROR BY JOSH HAMILTON ALLOWED JEREMY HERMIDA AND VICTOR
MARTINEZ TO SCORE.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, J REDDICK ON SECOND, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: TEXAS 6
BOSTON 4 BOTTOM,6TH
DUE UP FOR BOSTON: M SCUTARO (.277, 0-FOR-2, HBP)
Rangers 6, Red Sox 4 Bot 6, 0 OutsApr 20 9:17 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY MATT TREANOR SCORED NELSON CRUZ
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, M TREANOR ON FIRST, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: TEXAS 6
BOSTON 2 TOP,5TH
DUE UP FOR TEXAS: J ARIAS (.412, 1-FOR-2)
Rangers 6, Red Sox 2 Top 5, 0 OutsApr 20 8:44 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY JEREMY HERMIDA (3) TO RIGHT WITH 2 OUT IN
THE 4TH OFF COLBY LEWIS.
CURRENT SCORE: TEXAS 5, BOSTON 2
DUE UP FOR BOSTON: J REDDICK (.000, 0-FOR-1)
Rangers 5, Red Sox 2 Bot 4, 0 OutsApr 20 8:35 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY MICHAEL YOUNG SCORED JULIO BORBON
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, M YOUNG ON FIRST, E ANDRUS ON THIRD, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: TEXAS 5
BOSTON 1 TOP,4TH
DUE UP FOR TEXAS: J HAMILTON (.214, 0-FOR-1, BB, RBI)
Rangers 5, Red Sox 1 Top 4, 0 OutsApr 20 8:26 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
WILD PITCH BY TIM WAKEFIELD ALLOWED JOAQUIN ARIAS TO SCORE.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, J BORBON ON SECOND, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: TEXAS 4
BOSTON 1 TOP,4TH
DUE UP FOR TEXAS: E ANDRUS (.316, 0-FOR-1, BB)
Rangers 4, Red Sox 1 Top 4, 0 OutsApr 20 8:21 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY JULIO BORBON SCORED MATT TREANOR
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, J BORBON ON FIRST, J ARIAS ON THIRD, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: TEXAS 3
BOSTON 1 TOP,4TH
DUE UP FOR TEXAS: E ANDRUS (.316, 0-FOR-1, BB)
Rangers 3, Red Sox 1 Top 4, 0 OutsApr 20 8:19 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
GROUND OUT BY JOSH HAMILTON SCORED ELVIS ANDRUS
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, NONE ON, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: TEXAS 2
BOSTON 1 TOP,3RD
DUE UP FOR TEXAS: V GUERRERO (.362, 1-FOR-1)
Rangers 2, Red Sox 1 Top 3, 0 OutsApr 20 8:00 PM - AL
AT BOSTON - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY VICTOR MARTINEZ SCORED J.D. DREW
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, V MARTINEZ ON FIRST, K YOUKILIS ON THIRD, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: TEXAS 1
BOSTON 1 BOTTOM,1ST
DUE UP FOR BOSTON: D ORTIZ (.158, 0 HR, 2 RBI)
Rangers 1, Red Sox 1 Bot 1, 0 OutsApr 20 7:31 PM - AL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
TEXAS 1 1 2 0
BOSTON 0 0 0 (BOT 1)
CURRENT PITCHERS: TEX - COLBY LEWIS
BOS - TIM WAKEFIELD
DUE UP FOR BOSTON: M SCUTARO (.289, 1 HR, 3 RBI)
J DREW (.146, 1 HR, 2 RBI)
D PEDROIA (.346, 5 HR, 13 RBI)
Rangers 1, Red Sox 0 Bot 1, 0 OutsApr 20 7:18 PM
Related News
- Tuesday Morning Texas Rangers Update Dec 26
- Christmas Morning Texas Rangers Update Dec 25
- OTM Open Thread 12/25: It is Monday Dec 25
- Garver to the M’s, per reports Dec 24
- Christmas Eve Rangers things Dec 24
- Saturday morning Rangers things Dec 23
- OTM Open Thread 12/23: It is Saturday Dec 23
- OTM Open Thread 12/22: It is Friday Dec 22
- LSB Offseason Community Prospect Rankings — #15 Dec 22
- Friday morning Rangers stuff Dec 22
- From Roman Gladiators to Red Sox, We’re Still Here Dec 22
- Yamamoto to Dodgers, per reports Dec 21