Final
Matsuzaka wins 15th as Red Sox top Orioles
Aug 20, 2008 - 4:19 AM By Rich Dubroff PA SportsTicker Contributing WriterBALTIMORE (Ticker) -- Daisuke Matsuzaka may lead the American League in walks, but it's how he escapes the jams that have led him to 15 wins.
Matsuzaka struggled through five innings and walked five but allowed two runs to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 7-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday.
Matsuzaka (15-2) matched his win total from his 2007 rookie campaign and continued his streak of not allowing a run with the bases loaded. His fourth straight win did not come easily.
Clinging to a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning, Matsuzaka struck out Melvin Mora on a slider to preserve his bases-loaded mastery.
Matsuzaka, who threw 105 pitches, allowed two runs and six hits while walking five and striking out six, was helped by Kevin Youkilis, who had three hits and drove in three runs.
"Whether I allow hits or allow walks, the important thing is not to allow runs to score," Matsuzaka said through an interpreter. "My job is not to let runners score."
Jason Varitek added his 10th homer for the Red Sox (73-53), who have won seven of 10 to remain 4 1/2 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays (77-48) in the American League East.
Boston took a 2-0 lead in the first when Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a single, stole second and advanced to third when Ramon Hernandez's throw wound up in center field. Dustin Pedroia followed with a walk before Ellsbury scored on David Ortiz's single off Daniel Cabrera (8-8).
With two outs, Pedroia scored on Jason Bay's sacrifice fly.
Varitek led off the second with a home run to right field - his second in two nights - to make it 3-0.
The Orioles fought back with two runs off Matsuzaka (15-2) in the third. With two outs, Mora singled and moved to second on a wild pitch. Aubrey Huff walked before Hernandez and Luke Scott hit back-to-back RBI singles.
"It's kind of a tightrope act sometimes," Boston manager Terry Francona said of Matsuzaka. "A lot of men on base and only two of them scored. It wasn't that easy. It was a lot of work."
Javier Lopez, Justin Masterson and Manny Delcarmen combined for four scoreless innings of relief.
"Boston played a very good game tonight," Baltimore manager Dave Trembley said. "We had some opportunities and Matsuzaka made some big pitches and got out of (jams).
In the fifth, Youkilis ignited a three-run rally with a two-run home run into the Red Sox's bullpen - his 24th. Bay singled, Sean Casey walked, and Varitek doubled off reliever Alberto Castillo to score Bay and push the advantage to 6-2.
The Red Sox added their final run in the eighth on an RBI single by Youkilis. During the inning, Pedroia was ejected from the game after disputing a call by home plate umpire Bob Davidson.
"It was stupid on my part to get thrown out," Pedroia said.
Pedroia said he enjoys playing behind Dice-K - despite the walks and the slow pace.
"He finds a way to win," Pedroia said. "That's all you can ask out of a starting pitcher. He's 15-2."
Cabrera, who was charged with six runs and nine hits in 4 1/3, is 2-11 against Boston in his career.
"My mechanics were really bad the first two innings," Cabrera said. "They started getting better after the third, but still no good."
- AL
FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
BOSTON 2 1 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 7 15 1
BALTIMORE 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 9 1 (FINAL)
BATTERIES: BOS - DAISUKE MATSUZAKA, JAVIER LOPEZ (6TH), JUSTIN MASTERSON (7TH),
MANNY DELCARMEN (9TH) AND JASON VARITEK
BAL - DANIEL CABRERA, ALBERTO CASTILLO (5TH), LANCE
CO
Aug 19 10:27 PM - AL
AT BALTIMORE - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY KEVIN YOUKILIS SCORED JACOBY ELLSBURY.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, K YOUKILIS ON FIRST, D ORTIZ ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: BOSTON 7
BALTIMORE 2 TOP, 8TH
DUE UP FOR BOSTON: J BAY (.348, 1-FOR-3, SF, RBI)
Red Sox 7, Orioles 2 Top 8, 0 OutsAug 19 9:59 PM - AL
AT BALTIMORE - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY JASON VARITEK SCORED JASON BAY.
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, J VARITEK ON SECOND, S CASEY ON THIRD, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: BOSTON 6
BALTIMORE 2 TOP, 5TH
DUE UP FOR BOSTON: A CORA (.301, 1-FOR-2)
Red Sox 6, Orioles 2 Top 5, 0 OutsAug 19 9:04 PM - AL
AT BALTIMORE - SCORING UPDATE
TWO-RUN HOME RUN BY KEVIN YOUKILIS (24) TO LEFT CENTER WITH
1 OUT IN THE 5TH OFF DANIEL CABRERA SCORED DUSTIN PEDROIA.
CURRENT SCORE: BOSTON 5, BALTIMORE 2
DUE UP FOR BOSTON: J BAY (.343, 0-FOR-1, SF, RBI)
Red Sox 5, Orioles 2 Top 5, 0 OutsAug 19 8:51 PM - AL
AT BALTIMORE - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY LUKE SCOTT SCORED AUBREY HUFF.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, L SCOTT ON FIRST, R HERNANDEZ ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: BOSTON 3
BALTIMORE 2 BOTTOM, 3RD
DUE UP FOR BALTIMORE: K MILLAR (.246, 0-FOR-1)
Red Sox 3, Orioles 2 Bot 3, 0 OutsAug 19 8:16 PM - AL
AT BALTIMORE - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY JASON VARITEK (10) TO RIGHT WITH 0 OUT IN
THE 2ND OFF DANIEL CABRERA.
CURRENT SCORE: BOSTON 3, BALTIMORE 0
DUE UP FOR BOSTON: A CORA (.296, 0 HR, 6 RBI)
Red Sox 3, Orioles 0 Top 2, 0 OutsAug 19 7:38 PM - AL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
BOSTON 2 2 2 0
BALTIMORE 0 0 1 (BOT 1)
CURRENT PITCHERS: BOS - DAISUKE MATSUZAKA
BAL - DANIEL CABRERA
DUE UP FOR BALTIMORE: B ROBERTS (.295, 8 HR, 43 RBI)
N MARKAKIS (.303, 17 HR, 76 RBI)
M MORA (.284, 20 HR,
Red Sox 2, Orioles 0 Bot 1, 0 OutsAug 19 7:19 PM
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