I played softball on Saturday night, as I do very often during the summer. I generally miss the Red Sox games if they are played at night, and seeing the name "John Lackey" as Red Sox pitcher, I figured it might be best if I did.
I followed the game on my cell, and every time I checked for a score, the Orioles always had a "0" in the run column.
What happened last night was probably Lackey's best start of 2011, going 6 2/3 innings of shutout ball, and the Fenway faithful rewarded his effort with a standing ovation as he left the game.
Now if Lackey could just do this on a little more of a regular basis...
The game was scoreless until the fifth, when the Red Sox scored three times, capped by Josh Reddick's two RBI double. Kevin Youkilis doubled in a run in the seventh. Jacoby Ellsbury had a single, double and triple in his first three at-Bats (and a home run in his fourth would have given him a "natural cycle," but he grounded out.
Matt Albers, Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon shut down the Orioles the rest of the way for a 4-0 win. New York's win over Tampa Bay keeps the Red Sox one game up, and guarantees them a share of first place at the All-Star break.
Rookie Kyle Weiland, Notre Dame grad, comes up from Pawtucket today to make the final start before the break, as the Red Sox look for a sweep of the struggling Orioles.
