Final, Red Sox 9-3: Andrew Miller shuts down the Phillies in the ninth, and that’ll do it from Fenway.
End 8th, Red Sox 9-3: The Red Sox did indeed add an insurance run in the eighth, as Mike Adams allowed a single and three consecutive walks before being yanked by manager Charlie Manuel.
The top of the Phillies order is due up in the ninth against Andrew Miller.
Mid 8th, Red Sox 8-3: The Red Sox still hold a comfortable lead, but the Phillies are getting a little too close for comfort.
Ryan Howard doubled to open the eighth inning, but the Red Sox were able to catch him in a rundown between second and third on Delmon Young’s ensuing ground ball. The fielder’s choice put a runner on first instead of second or third, but the play proved inconsequential after Domonic Brown launched a home run in the next at-bat, again abusing the short porch in right field.
John Mayberry then reached on a base hit, but Andrew Miller was able to retire the next two batters, striking out Erik Kratz for the final out.
The Red Sox will now look to add a little insurance in what they hope will be their final inning at the plate.
End 7th, Red Sox 8-1: That was quick.
The Sox go down in order on three straight popups, and we head to the eighth. Clayton Mortensen heads back to the hill for a second inning of work.
Mid 7th, Red Sox 8-1: It took him 22 pitches to do so, but Clayton Mortensen was able to put the Phillies down without a fuss in the seventh.
A leadoff walk by Erik Kratz put a man on with nobody out, but Ben Revere flied out to center field, Michael Young lined out to Pedro Ciriaco at second and Jimmy Rollins ground out to Ciraco to retire the side.
The bottom third of the Boston order is due up against new Phillies hurler Antonio Bastardo.
End 6th, Red Sox 8-1: Jeremy Horst allows a pair of runners to reach base but is otherwise stellar, becoming the first pitcher tonight to strike out the side.
A few changes are coming into effect for the Red Sox in the field, as Pedro Ciriaco replaces Dustin Pedroia at second base after pinch-running last inning and Clayton Mortensen takes over on the mound.
That closes the book on Alfredo Aceves, who finishes with one run allowed on seven hits and three walks over six innings. He is in line to pick up his first win since April 17 if the Red Sox can hold on.
Mid 6th, Red Sox 8-1: Alfredo Aceves, I don’t know how you do it.
The Red Sox starter again found himself in a jam in the top of the sixth, walking Jimmy Rollins and allowing a single to Ryan Howard to put a pair of runners on with no outs. He sat down Delmon Young and Domonic Brown back-to-back, but a seven-pitch walk to John Mayberry loaded them up for second baseman Freddy Galvis.
Galvis almost brought everyone home, making this game a whole lot more interesting, but Jacoby Ellsbury was able to chase down the fast-sinking fly ball at the warning track. Ellsbury’s snag continued an unfortunate trend for the Phillies, who have now left men on in all six innings.
Philadelphia is 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position tonight.
End 5th, Red Sox 8-1: The hits just keep on coming.
Mike Napoli struck out to lead off the inning, but the next three Red Sox batters reached base. Stephen Drew, who has reached in all three of his at-bats, singled to right field with one out and scampered to third on a double by Mike Carp.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s base hit was then mishandled by right fielder John Mayberry — who has seen a ton of action tonight — allowing both runners to score. After Carp’s two-bagger, Daniel Nava is now the only Boston hitter who has not reached base tonight.
Michael Stutes then struck out Jose Iglesias before being lifted in favor of Jeremy Horst, who retired Jacoby Ellsbury on a groundout to third to end the frame.
The Red Sox now have 13 hits through five innings, tying their single-game season high set April 7 in Toronto (the “Will Middlebrooks Three-Homer Game”).
Mid 5th, Red Sox 6-1: Alfredo Aceves played with fire again in the fifth, but again he emerged looking no worse for wear.
John Mayberry led off the inning with a single to center. After retiring Freddy Galvis and Erik Kratz via flyout and strikeout, respectively, Aceves surrendered another single to Ben Revere, who appears to be OK after his rather violent collision with the center field wall in the bottom of the fourth.
Mayberry advanced to third on the play, but Michael Young connected on a rocket of a line drive that found its way directly into Aceves’ glove, ending the inning with a pair of runners on.
The Phillies have stranded at least one baserunner in all five innings tonight.
End 4th, Red Sox 6-1: Ben Revere made another circus catch in center field, but this one left him clearly shaken up.
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Revere sprinted back after a David Ortiz fly ball, making an over-the-shoulder catch before crashing into the grated wall in dead center. He held onto ball but immediately went down in pain, appearing to injure his arm or shoulder.
Ortiz lingered near second base while Revere was examined by team trainers, and the Fenway crowd erupted in a standing ovation when he walked off under his own power.
Mid 4th, Red Sox 6-1: Alfredo Aceves has not been overpowering tonight, but he’s getting the job done.
The right-hander surrendered a pair of base hits in the top of the fourth (to Jimmy Rollins and Delmon Young) but utilized the Sox’ second 4-6-3 double play of the night to wipe the first single off the basepaths. He got a harmless popup to close out the frame.
Aceves, who has been know to rack up exorbitant pitch counts, has thrown just 53 pitches tonight. In contrast, he tossed 80 in just 3 1/3 in his last start.
End 3rd, Red Sox 6-1: The wheels have come off for Tyler Cloyd.
After stranding runners on second and third last inning, Cloyd opened his third inning of work by allowing three consecutive hits.
David Ortiz got things started by legging out a double down the right-field line, showing more giddy-up than Big Papi is usually known for. Mike Napoli then brought Ortiz home with a ground-rule double — also tight-roping the right-field line — and scored on a single by Stephen Drew.
Cloyd managed to sit down Mike Carp for the first out, but another base hit — this one off the bat of Jarrod Saltalamacchia — forced Phillies manager Charlie Manuel to send his starter to an early shower.
Things went about as poorly as possible tonight for Cloyd, who had been solid in his first two starts since being promoted from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, allowing four earned runs over 13 1/3 innings. The 26-year-old was a powerhouse in the International League last season, going 15-1 with a 2.26 ERA for the IronPigs and earning IL Player of the Year honors, which goes to show that minor league success is not an automatic barometer for success in the big leagues.
Michael Stutes relieved Cloyd and picked up the final two outs, but not before the Sox tacked on another run. With runners on first and second, Jacoby Ellsbury roped a two-out double that fell just out of the reach of a lunging Ben Revere in right center field. Stephen Drew came in to score from second, but Saltalamacchia was nailed at the plate attempting to do the same from first.
The Red Sox now hold a five-run cushion as we head to the fourth.
Mid 3rd, Red Sox 3-1: That right field corner is getting a lot of love tonight.
This time it was the Phillies benefiting from Fenway Park’s unique dimensions, as catcher Erik Kratz sent the first pitch he saw into the first row of outfield seats, no more than 320 feet from the plate.
Kratz’s homer put Philadelphia on the board for the first time tonight, but that would be the extent of the damage, thanks to some bone-headed baserunning by Ben Revere.
After drawing a five-pitch walk from Alfredo Aceves, Revere took an outrageous lead on a fly ball hit to center by Michael Young. Revere was more than halfway down the basepath when the ball settled into Jacoby Ellsbury’s glove, allowing Ellsbury to pick him off at first base with relative ease.
End 2nd, Red Sox 3-0: Fenway Park’s short porch in right field can be both a gift and a curse.
It gave the Red Sox a boost in the first inning, allowing Dustin Pedroia a home run that would land in play at nearly every other park, but it ended up costing them in the second.
After Jose Iglesias got on base with a one-out single out of the No. 9 slot, Jacoby Ellsbury ripped a double to right field. It should have been enough to easily score Iglesias, who has good speed, but the ball hopped over the wall and into the seats, forcing the runner to hold up at third base.
That’s where Iglesias would remain, as the Red Sox followed with flyouts to left and right field, allowing Tyler Cloyd to retire the side.
Though he could not produce a run in the frame, Iglesias continues his torrid pace at the plate — the place where, ironically, most experts say he struggles the most. He is now batting an even .500 (15-for-30) in 10 games this season.
End 1st, Red Sox 3-0: Just last week, Red Sox fans were about ready to run Jacoby Ellsbury out of town — or at least out of the leadoff spot. Now, he seems to be back in Boston’s good graces.
Ellsbury, who gave the Sox a win Sunday with a walk-off two-run double against Cleveland, led off Monday’s game with a single to left. He advanced to second on a slow roller in front of the plate by Daniel Nava and to third on a wild pitch by Tyler Cloyd.
Advancing the bases proved unnecessary, though, as Dustin Pedroia sent a Cloyd cutter into the right field seats to give the Sox an early 2-0 lead. The fly ball didn’t have much juice behind it, but it had just enough to clear the 302 feet from home plate to Pesky’s Pole.
After David Ortiz struck out swinging for the second out, Mike Napoli went yard as well, with his shot traveling a good distance farther into the Red Sox bullpen. Stephen Drew followed with a walk, but Mike Carp flied out to shallow center to end the frame.
If this pace keeps up, Cloyd might find himself back in Lehigh Valley before the sun sets.
Mid 1st, 0-0: Alfredo Aceves doesn’t have a whole lot of leeway with Red Sox fans at the moment, so he really cannot afford too many rough innings.
He almost found himself in one in the first, when Jimmy Rollins’ ground-rule double put a man in scoring position with two outs. Aceves kept his composure, though, striking out cleanup hitter Ryan Howard swinging to end the frame.
Aceves opened the inning with a pair of quick outs, inducing a pair of groundouts from Ben Revere and Michael Young on just five pitches total.
Revere was one of many professional athletes to endear himself to Bostonians in the wake of last month’s marathon attacks. The young center fielder wrote “Pray for Boston” on his glove during a game in Cincinnati on April 15 and proceeded to make what probably still stands as the catch of the year.
Jacoby Ellsbury, Daniel Nava and Dustin Pedroia will get first hacks for the Red Sox against right-hander Tyler Cloyd.
7:12 p.m.: Ben Revere takes strike one right down the pipe from Alfredo Aceves, and we are off and running at Fenway Park.
In honor of Memorial Day, both teams are wearing special camouflage caps and uniforms with camo numbering and lettering. The tributes weren’t limited to new threads, though, as the Red Sox individually recognized the nearly three dozen veterans currently employed by the team, who were lined up along the basepaths.
Revere, Michael Young and Jimmy Rollins will come to bat in the first against Aceves.
6:45 p.m.: This week marks Philadelphia’s first trip north to Fenway Park since 2010, and the Philly Phaithful have come out in droves for the occasion.
Yawkey Way and Lansdowne Street were packed with Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels supporters this afternoon, and Jonathan Papelbon jerseys — both old and new — were of course prevalent as well.
Papelbon, who returns to Boston for the first time since signing with the Phillies after the 2011 season, continues to be one of the game’s top closers. The flame-throwing righty has compiled 30 or more saves in each of the last seven seasons, and he enters tonight with a 0.96 ERA and a 0.64 WHIP in 18 innings thus far. He has converted all nine of his save opportunities.
The pregame introductions have begun, and we are now just minutes from first pitch on a beautiful night in Boston.
6:20 p.m.: Alfredo Aceves may be getting the start in place of Clay Buchholz tonight, but the team is not looking at its ace’s situation as anything more than a night off.
Buchholz had a throwing session this morning, with manager John Farrell calling his workout a “positive day.” He will continue to keep his usual schedule of bullpen sessions, making Thursday the earliest possible return date for the right-hander.
Farrell also touched on the team’s plans for later this week, when the Red Sox travel to Philadelphia for a two-game set. It’ll be the first time Boston has played under National League rules this season, which Farrell says put American League teams at a “distinct disadvantage.”
With the unavailability of a designated hitter, the club plans to start David Ortiz at first base for one game of the series and Mike Napoli at first for the other. Ortiz, who took grounders during warmups this afternoon, almost never plays the field in AL ballparks, but his skipper says he has no doubts about Big Papi’s ability to play the position.
5 p.m.: No manager will ever complain about taking three games out of four from one of the league’s hottest teams, but the Red Sox sure made this past weekend a stressful one for John Farrell.
The Sox trailed Terry Francona’s Cleveland Indians entering the eighth inning on both Saturday and Sunday, and only after a four-run seventh frame did Friday’s 8-1 win become a comfortable one.
Boston dominated in late-game situations against Cleveland, outscoring the Tribe 13-2 in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings over the four-game stretch and taking Sunday’s finale on a walk-off double by Jacoby Ellsbury.
The Sox will hope to get their offense clicking earlier tonight, though, against a Phillies team that has scored five or more runs in just three of its last 10 contests.
With Will Middlebrooks still sidelined with back problems, Jose Iglesias will make his fourth straight start for the big league club, playing third base and batting ninth. Iglesias, a natural shortstop, has made the most of his second stint in the majors this season, going 4-for-8 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch, an RBI and three runs scored over the weekend.
Here are tonight’s full starting lineups:
Boston Red Sox (31-20)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Daniel Nava, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Stephen Drew, SS
Mike Carp, LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Jose Iglesias, 3B
Alfredo Aceves, RHP
Philadelphia Phillies (24-26)
Ben Revere, CF
Michael Young, 3B
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Ryan Howard, 1B
Delmon Young, DH
Domonic Brown, LF
John Mayberry, RF
Freddy Galvis, 2B
Erik Kratz, C
Tyler Cloyd, RHP
11 a.m. ET: Clay Buchholz’s starts so far this season have been works of art, but Red Sox fans will have to wait a few more days to see his mastery again.
The righty has been scratched from Monday night’s game and will likely start later this week after experiencing some irritation in his AC joint. Buchholz shrugged off the injury Sunday, saying it was just soreness and that he would prefer to push his start until he feels 100 percent.
In his place, Alfredo Aceves (1-1, 8.20 ERA) will get another chance to show what he can do for the Red Sox (31-20). Aceves was marooned in the minors for about a month after struggling through several starts and relief appearances in April. He was called back up and pitched an inning of relief against Cleveland on Friday, and he’ll get the start Monday against the Phillies (24-26).
Philadelphia sends right-hander Tyler Cloyd to the mound. He’s 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA this year in just 13 1/3 innings pitched (two starts).
Zip over to NESN around 6 p.m. for pregame action, and be sure to check back here before that for news and updates throughout the day. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10.
