Red Sox 5 - 3 White Sox
Final
  for this game

Boston takes Sox series

Jul 31, 2011 - 11:05 PM

Video

Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Dustin Pedroia's two-run single in the seventh inning put Boston ahead for good and helped the Red Sox defeat the White Sox, 5-3, in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Jason Varitek added a two-run homer in the Red Sox's second straight win.

Alfredo Aceves (7-1) earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief of starter Andrew Miller. Miller allowed three runs on 10 hits and a walk while fanning eight in 5 2/3 innings.

Jonathan Papelbon struck out the side in the ninth to earn his 24th save of the year.

Jesse Crain (5-3) took the loss by allowing the deciding runs to cross the plate. Mark Buehrle started the contest and went six innings, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks in Chicago's third loss in five games.

Trailing by a run in the seventh, Boston took the lead against Crain. Marco Scutaro hit a one-out single before Jacoby Ellsbury hit a ball back up the middle that deflected off of Crain's glove to put runners on first and second. A passed ball by catcher Tyler Flowers put the go-ahead runs in scoring position, and Pedroia took advantage of the opportunity with a single into center field, scoring Scutaro and Ellsbury.

"I'm excited to hit with guys on base. I'm just trying to drive the ball into the outfield to get one run. It was lucky for us that we got two," Pedroia said.

The Red Sox put runners on second and third later in the inning, but Chris Sale got out of the jam by fanning David Ortiz to keep it a 4-3 game.

A Gonzalez RBI double in the ninth increased the lead.

Boston took the early lead on Varitek's two-run home run over the left-field wall in the second inning.

Chicago got a run back in the bottom half of the frame when Flowers hit a one- out single and came around to score two batters later on Brent Morel's double.

Three consecutive two-out singles by Carlos Quentin, Adam Dunn and Alex Rios in the third knotted the game at two.

The White Sox then took the lead in the fourth. Gordon Beckham and Morel hit back-to-back singles to start the frame, and moved to second and third on a sacrifice bunt by Brent Lillibridge. Alexei Ramirez came up next and slapped a base hit up the middle, scoring Beckham. Chicago then loaded the bases after Paul Konerko was hit by a pitch, but Quentin struck out looking and Dunn hit a little pop up to first to end the inning and keep it a 3-2 game.

Chicago stranded a total of 12 men on base in the game, including runners in scoring position in the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and eighth innings.

"We try to push every ball through that we can, but it's just not working," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said about his team's offense.

Game Notes

Konerko left the game after the fourth inning because a leg injury he occurred when he was hit by a pitch during his at-bat...Gonzalez has now hit safely in 10 straight games...Buehrle has now not allowed more than three earned runs in 16 straight starts...Chicago still leads the season series 4-2.






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