Marlins 5 - 7 Red Sox
Final
  for this game

Red Sox down Marlins, despite Morrison's effort

Jun 20, 2012 - 4:03 AM

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Boston, MA (Sports Network) - David Ortiz and Kelly Shoppach each hit two-run homers, as Boston downed Miami, 7-5, in the opener of a three-game interleague series.

Will Middlebrooks added two hits and drove in a run, while Cody Ross homered in his return from the disabled list and Adrian Gonzalez added an RBI for the Red Sox, winners in three straight and five of six.

Clay Buchholz (8-2) snagged the win despite allowing five runs and nine hits over six innings. Alfredo Aceves tossed a scoreless ninth for his 17th save.

"Clay didn't have his best stuff tonight but the offense seemed to sense that and just took over," said Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine. "They knew what they had to do to get him enough runs and did it."

Logan Morrison finished with two doubles, a two-run blast and set a career high by knocking in all five runs for the Marlins, who lost for the 11th time in their last 13.

Mark Buehrle (5-8) was dented for seven hits and six runs over five full frames in the setback.

Mike Aviles started the home fifth with a ground-rule double, moved up on a Dustin Pedroia sacrifice and scored on a liner to right from Gonzalez to put the Sox ahead for good, and Boston led 7-5 in the home sixth after Kevin Youkilis hit a one-out double and scored when Middlebrooks followed with a double.

Morrison stranded a runner on third in the seventh, then Gaby Sanchez left one on second in the eighth.

Aceves retired the side in order in the ninth.

Morrison's two-run shot in the top of the first was countered in the home half by an Ortiz two-run blast.

Middlebrooks began the Boston second with an infield single and came in on a two-out, two-run homer from Shoppach to make it 4-2 for the hosts.

Morrison doubled home Hanley Ramirez to pull Miami within one in the third, but Ross cleared the Green Monster with one out in the fourth to restore the two-run margin.

Morrison struck again in the fifth, plating two with a two-out double to tie the score at 5-5, but was thrown out at home to end the frame on a Greg Dobbs infield hit.

"We finally come out and score a bunch of runs today, after struggling to do so recently," Buehrle said. "But I went out there and gave them all back. I was definitely frustrated by it."

Game Notes

Since interleague play began in 1997, the Red Sox sport the fourth-best record in baseball at 157-121 and lead the majors with a 112-63 mark since 2003...The Marlins fell to 6-10 all-time in Boston...Morrison's previous single-game record was three RBI, last done on September 9, 2011 at Pittsburgh...Coming into play, Buehrle was tied with Freddy Garcia for the most wins by a pitcher in interleague play (24)...The Red Sox placed outfielder Scott Podsednik on the 15-day DL, retroactive to Monday, with a left groin strain, to make room for Ross...Pedroia left the game with an apparent right thumb injury.






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