Amid all the drama surrounding the return of Manny Ramirez to Fenway Park, the Sox took the series opener 10-6. Felix Doubront allowed three earned runs in five-plus innings in his major league debut, and both David Ortiz and Adrian Beltre clocked two-run homers.
The win bumped Boston to 6-1 on its current homestand, 8-2 in interleague play and moved the club to within a game of first place in the AL East.
Tim Wakefield and Vicente Padilla are the starters for game No. 2.
WHEN AND WHERE
Dodgers (38-29) at Red Sox (41-28)
Saturday, June 19, 4:10 p.m.
Fenway Park, Boston
HEAD TO HEAD
The Sox are 3-1 all-time against the Dodgers at home.
PITCHING MATCHUP
RHP Vicente Padilla (1-1, 6.65 ERA) vs. RHP Tim Wakefield (2-5, 5.42 ERA)
Wakefield has lasted at least seven innings in four of his last six starts, including a solid effort in a loss to Philadelphia six days ago.
The veteran knuckleballer gave up four runs — all in one inning — in 7 1/3 frames of a 5-3 loss. The setback dropped Wakefield to 0-4 with a 6.86 ERA at home this year.
Wakefield is 1-2 with a 6.64 ERA in his career against Los Angeles.
Padilla will be making his first start since April 22, the day before he was put on the disabled list with a sore right forearm. He is 1-0 with a 3.14 mark in three games — two starts — at Fenway Park.
LINEUPS
| Dodgers | Red Sox |
|---|---|
| Matt Kemp, CF Russell Martin, C Andre Ethier, RF Manny Ramirez, DH James Loney, 1B Casey Blake, 3B Garret Anderson, LF Jamey Carroll, SS Blake DeWitt, 2B | Marco Scutaro, SS Dustin Pedroia, 2B David Oriz, DH Kevin Youkilis, 1B Victor Martinez, C Adrian Beltre, 3B Bill Hall, RF Daniel Nava, LF Darnel McDonald, CF |
STAT SHEET
Red Sox
- Boston is 10-2 in its last 12 home games, outscoring opponents 87-43 and batting .340.
- David Ortiz slugged his 274th home run in a Red Sox uniform Friday, tying Manny Ramirez for fifth on the team’s all-time list. Dwight Evans is next with 379.
- Outfielder Darnell McDonald is 5-for-6 (.833) as a pinch-hitter this year.
Dodgers
- First baseman James Loney is hitting .485 (16-for-33) with 10 RBIs in his last eight games.
- Right fielder Andre Ethier, who entered the series leading the NL in hitting at .339, went 0-for-5 on Friday for the first time all season. He is 0-for-9 in his last two games.
- Ramirez is a career .315 hitter in Fenway.
BLACK AND BLUE
Red Sox
- Daisuke Matsuzaka will throw a three-inning simulated game Saturday. He is on the 15-day disabled list with a right forearm strain but may be ready to start again by Thursday in Colorado.
- Outfielder Jeremy Hermida was placed on the 15-day disabled list June 11 after an MRI revealed five fractured ribs, the result of a collision with third baseman Adrian Beltre one week earlier.
- An MRI conducted June 9 revealed a new fracture in outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury‘s ribs. Ellsbury, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list May 28 for the second time this year, went to the Athletes’ Performance center in Arizona last week for at least two weeks of rest and recovery.
- Josh Beckett is expected to throw long toss soon and may finish the session with 10 pitches from a mound. Beckett remains on the DL with a lower back strain.
- Infielder Jed Lowrie remains on the DL after coming down with mononucleosis during spring training.
- Righty Junichi Tazawa underwent Tommy John surgery in March. He is out for the year.
Dodgers
- Right-hander Chad Billingsley went on the 15-day disabled list with a right groin strain, retroactive to June 12.
- Shortstop Rafael Furcal was placed on the bereavement list Thursday.
OUTLOOK
Now that the Manny mania is over with, it will be easier to concentrate on baseball, a sport the Sox are owning right now.
Boston has the best record in baseball since April 20 (37-19) and has cut 7 1/2 games off its deficit in the division in less than four weeks. The Dodgers, meanwhile, are losers of five of seven and below .500 on the road.
