Kevin Youkilis, who missed his second straight game due to back stiffness, wasn't available to pinch hit. Instead, it was Jed Lowrie that came off the bench to hit for Aviles in the inning. He struck out for the second out.
Jason Varitek hit a weak bouncer back to League for the game's final out.
This game basically came down to a tale of two innings. The Mariners jumped all over Josh Beckett in the first with a five-run outburst. After that, Beckett and Co. kept the Seattle offense at bay.
The Sox, meanwhile, scored all four of their runs in the sixth inning. They seemed to capture momentum at that point, but ultimately were never able to capitalize on it.
The controversial play at the plate involving Jacoby Ellsbury turned out to be the difference in the game. It seems like the correct call was made, but the Sox essentially had a run taken away from them after a second umpire overruled home-plate umpire Mark Ripperger's initial "safe" call.
The Sox and Mariners will do it again on Sunday in a rubber match that will feature Tim Wakefield once again going for his elusive 200th win.
End 8th, Mariners 5-4: Franklin Morales started the bottom of the eighth inning and threw two pitches before Mike Carp flew out to Ellsbury in center.
DeMarlo Hale then brought on Alfredo Aceves, who struck out Wily Mo Pena and Casper Wells — both swinging.
Due up for the Sox in the ninth is Josh Reddick, Mike Aviles and Jason Varitek. It will be interesting to see whether Kevin Youkilis is available to pinch-hit. Before the game, Francona made it seem like Youk probably wouldn't be available, but we shall see.
Mid 8th, Mariners 5-4: David Ortiz nearly tied the game in the eighth. He crushed a ball that travelled just to the right of the foul pole down the right-field line.
Prior to that, Adrian Gonzalez reached via a single, which came after another strange play by Casper Wells in left field. Wells chased down a fly ball in foul territory, but he slid upon getting to it. I'm not sure if it was intentional or if Wells just slipped, but either way, he was unable to make the play, which allowed Gonzalez to stay alive before eventually picking up the base hit.
Gonzalez would be wiped off the basepaths soon enough, though, as Dustin Pedroia grounded into a 1-6-3 double play.
Ortiz then crushed the fifth pitch he saw from Wright. It was a hanging breaking ball that Ortiz jumped all over. The only question was whether it would continue hooking into foul territory, and, unfortunately for the Sox, it did. Ortiz then worked a walk and was lifted for a pinch-runner, Darnell McDonald, who was thrown out trying to steal second.
McDonald didn't agree with the call, which brought out DeMarlo Hale, who's in charge with Francona getting tossed earlier in the game. But replays show that it was the correct call.
The Sox will need some ninth-inning magic in order to keep this one going.
End 7th, Mariners 5-4: Matt Albers was back out for the start of the seventh inning, marking his second inning of work. He proceeded to strike out Ichiro Suzuki and Franklin Gutierrez before being lifted in favor of Franklin Morales.
New pitcher, same result.
Morales struck out Dustin Ackley on four pitches. He got Ackley looking on a 95-mph fastball.
The Mariners will turn to the bullpen to try to close this one out. It will be Jamey Wright against the meat of the Sox order in the eighth.
Mid 7th, Mariners 5-4: After Marco Scutaro popped out to begin the inning, Jacoby Ellsbury made a bid to keep the Sox' offensive onslaught going. He went the other way for a base hit, setting up an ideal scenario in which the tying run was represented with speed.
It was clear that Ellsbury was looking to move up into scoring position via a stolen base at some point during Crawford's at-bat. When he finally took off, though, Crawford bounced one back up the middle that the second baseman Ackley was able to handle before stepping on the bag and firing to first for the inning-ending double play. It was really an instance of unfortunate placement.
End 6th, Mariners 5-4: Casper Wells, whose miscue in the top half of the inning opened the floodgates for the Sox' rally, started the inning with a single. But Albers was able to retire the next three hitters in order, which included striking out Jack Wilson to conclude the frame.
Albers picked up the win his last time out against Minnesota on Tuesday. Let's see if the Sox offense can keep rolling in the seventh to give him an opportunity to see a similar ending.
The Sox will send up Scutaro, Ellsbury and Crawford.
Mid 6th, Mariners 5-4: We've got ourselves a game. After being shut down for the first five innings, the Sox offense busted out in a big way in the sixth. In an inning similar to the one Beckett endured in the first, Felix Hernandez suffered a rare implosion.
Marco Scutaro got the rally going by lifting a ball to left field. Casper Wells went back on it, but he was unable to haul it in at the warning track, as it popped out of his glove and resulted in a triple.
Jacoby Ellsbury then made the Mariners pay by blasting his 20th home run of the season into the seats in right. He's the first Sox player since Nomar Garciaparra (1997) to collect 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the same season. Garciaparra, of course, won Rookie of the Year honors that season.
After Crawford flew out, Adrian Gonzalez dropped a bunt down the third baseline to beat the shift for a single, setting the table for a two-run blast from Pedroia.
Pedroia went to the opposite field for his home run, showing great power to left-center. David Ortiz and Mike Aviles would also record base hits in the inning, but neither was able to come around to score. Regardless, this game has certainly shifted in the Sox' favor.
It's rare that you can get to Hernandez for four runs, never mind in one inning. It looks like Matt Albers will come on for the Sox in the bottom of the sixth, meaning the books is closed on Beckett.
Beckett tossed five innings, allowing five earned runs on eight hits while striking out six and walking one.
Now that we've got a one-run game on our hands, that play at the plate in the fourth inning, during which the Sox were given a run before immediately having it wiped off the board, is that much more important.
End 5th, Mariners 5-0: Wily Mo Pena had an opportunity to ensure his first game with the Mariners was a memorable one. But Beckett struck out the big outfielder swinging to escape a bases-loaded jam.
Beckett got Pena to chase a curveball low and outside — a pitch he's had trouble handling throughout his entire career.
We'll see if Beckett's night is over with, but after getting touched up early, it's really a miracle that he was able to last five innings. If nothing else, it helps ensure the Sox bullpen isn't taxed any more than it needs to be.
The fifth inning was certainly one that Mike Aviles would like to forget, though. The first batter of the inning, Jack Wilson, hit a hard ground ball down the third baseline. It was a difficult play, but Aviles got a glove on it before it rolled out to left field, resulting in a double.
Two batters later, Franklin Gutierrez hit another ball to Aviles. This one should have been a routine out, but Aviles was very indecisive and was unable to record an out.
The Mariners, as mentioned, ended up loading the bases. But fortunately, Beckett was able to avert a disaster.
Mid 5th, Mariners 5-0: King Felix is dealing right now, which could really spell trouble for the Sox.
He walked David Ortiz to begin the inning, but bounced back and retired Reddick, Aviles and Varitek in order.
Reddick lifted a 94-mph sinker to left field for out No. 1. Hernandez then blew some heat past Aviles for a K and got Varitek to roll one over to the first baseman Carp.
The Mariners will send Jack Wilson, Ichiro and Franklin Guiterrez up to the plate in the home half of the fifth.
End 4th, Mariners 5-0: Beckett has settled down pretty nicely since the five-run first. He needed only nine pitches to sit down the Mariners in the fourth.
Beckett struck out Casper Wells, who went deep earlier in the game, on a called third strike. Josh Bard, a former Red Sox catcher who was shaken up the half inning prior on the play at the plate, flew out to right for the second out.
Luis Rodriguez then grounded out to Adrian Gonzalez, who took it to the bag himself.
Mid 4th, Mariners 5-0: Fans were treated to a strange scene to conclude the top of the fourth inning. It culminated with Terry Francona getting tossed.
With Jacoby Ellsbury on third, Dustin Pedroia lifted a fly ball to right field. Normally, anything hit as deep as the ball was would give Ellsbury an excellent opportunity to score. But Ichiro had other ideas, showing off his cannon of an arm with a dart to home plate.
Ellsbury collided with catcher Josh Bard, which resulted in a knee to Bard's head. Ellsbury was initially called safe by home-plate umpire Mark Ripperger, who seemingly thought Bard dropped the ball. Hernandez was extremely heated and was even momentarily restrained as the umps tried to sort things out and Bard tried to regain his composure.
After some deliberation, the call was reversed, which set off Terry Francona. The Sox skipper was subsequently tossed following a very animated argument.
End 3rd, Mariners 5-0: After the dismal first inning, Beckett is continuing to battle. But then again, why would we expect anything less from the gutsy Texan.
He retired Dustin Ackley, Mike Carp and Wily Mo Pena in order in the third.
Ackley grounded out to Gonzalez, who flipped it over to Beckett, who was covering the bag. Beckett then sat down Carp by way of the K. He got Carp with a 94-mph fastball. The Seattle first baseman took a hearty hack at it, but it was foul tipped into the mitt.
Pena, who put on quite the powerful display during batting practice, grounded out to Scutaro to end the inning.
Mid 3rd, Mariners 5-0: Well, we've seen quite the role reversal in terms of each team's offense tonight. The Sox have yet to muster up any serious threats, although they at least got a baserunner on board in the third.
Mike Aviles reached, but he was quickly taken off the basepaths when Jason Varitek nearly grounded into a double play. First baseman Mike Carp made a play and fired it to second for the force out, but Hernandez, covering first, wasn't able to scoop Wilson's relay throw out of the dirt.
Marco Scutaro gave the Mariners an opportunity to make up for the failed double-play bid, though, as he grounded into one two pitches later. Hernandez showcased a nasty sinked to induce the twin killing.
End 2nd, Mariners 5-0: If there's one positive that can be taken from Josh Beckett's rough first inning, it's that there's still a lot of baseball to be played. Beckett was able to bounce back in the second inning to keep Seattle in check.
Jack Wilson began things by dropping a softly hit single just in front of Josh Reddick in right. At that point, it would have been easy to question how long Beckett could last. But the right-hander promptly got Ichiro to ground into a 3-6-3 double play.
Franklin Gutierrez, who singled in his first at-bat, grounded out to Marco Scutaro at short to end the inning.
Mid 2nd, Mariners 5-0: The fans sitting up in the King's Court are liking what they're seeing from their ace so far tonight. He's retired the first six Sox hitters he's faced.
Dustin Pedroia popped out to the first baseman, Mike Carp, in foul territory for the inning's first out. David Ortiz then flew out to left.
After falling behind in the count, Josh Reddick hit one up the middle, but Jack Wilson was able to easily make the play behind the second-base bag. Wilson will lead off things off in the bottom of the second.
End 1st, Mariners 5-0: It's well-documented that Ichiro Suzuki often puts on a show during batting practice. But rarely does he exhibit such raw power during an actual game. He got a hold of one in the first inning, though, giving the Mariners an early 1-0 advantage.
But the Mariners offense, which has been one of the worst in baseball this season, particularly when Hernandez has been on the mound, wasn't done — far from it, in fact.
Franklin Gutierrez and Dustin Ackley followed up with a single and double, respectively. Mike Carp then made sure they both came around to score with a base hit back up the middle.
Beckett and former teammate Wily Mo Pena then engaged in a 10-pitch battle before Pena flew out to Ellsbury in center. The next batter, Casper Wells, wasn't comfortable with just a three-run lead, though.
Wells lifted a two-run blast to left-center, extending the lead to 5-0. Beckett threw 34 pitches in the inning, which forced manager Terry Francona to get Andrew Miller up early in the Boston pen.
It's obviously rare to see Beckett struggled so mightily. The five earned runs he allowed matches the highest total he's given up in any one start this season — he allowed five runs in six innings against the Phillies on June 28.
This game had pitcher's duel written all over it, but the Mariners had other ideas.
Mid 1st, 0-0: With Beckett and King Felix doing battle at Safeco Field, we could be in store for several innings like the top of the first.
Hernandez retired the Sox in order. Jacoby Ellsbury popped out weakly to the shortstop to begin the game. Then, Carl Crawford, batting second for just the sixth time this season, grounded out to the second baseman, Dustin Ackley.
Adrian Gonzalez flew out to center to end the frame. Josh Beckett will now try to follow suit, as Ichiro will get the night started for the Mariners offense.
9:45 p.m.: It's almost time for the first pitch at Safeco Field, so now seems like as good a time as any to share some fun little factoids.
With Friday's win, the Sox are now 73-38. The 73 wins are the club's most through the first 117 games of a season since 1979.
If the Sox are able to pick up a win either tonight or on Sunday, it will give them a series victory, which has become a common occurrence. The Sox have won or split each of their last 11 series since the start of July.
7:43 p.m.: Kevin Youkilis won't return to the Sox lineup tonight. He was a late scratch on Friday night because of back stiffness, and he'll receive another day of rest. Mike Aviles will man the hot corner tonight in his absence.
Meanwhile, Terry Francona has elected to move Carl Crawford up to the No. 2 spot in the Sox order. He has hits in six of his last seven games and is batting .306 over his last 44 games after a dismal start to the year.
Dustin Pedroia will again hit cleanup.
Interesting side note: Former Red Sox outfielder Wily Mo Pena has been called up by the Mariners and he'll serve as the team's DH. The Mariners have placed first baseman Justin Smoak on the 15-day disabled list with a broken nose that he suffered on Friday night when a ball off the bat of Jarrod Saltalamacchia took a bad hop.
But the main attraction tonight, of course, remains the duel between two of the game's premier starters in Beckett and King Felix.
Here's a look at the complete lineups.
Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Carl Crawford, LF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Josh Reddick, RF
Mike Aviles, 3B
Jason Varitek, C
Marco Scutaro, SS
Mariners
Ichiro Suzuki, RF
Franklin Gutierrez, CF
Dustin Ackley, 2B
Mike Carp, 1B
Wily Mo Pena, DH
Casper Wells, LF
Josh Bard, C
Luis Rodriguez, 3B
Jack Wilson, SS
8 a.m. ET: The Red Sox continued their winning ways on the road in the opener of a three-game set with the Mariners on Friday night in Seattle.
The Sox powered their way to a 6-4 win in the Pacific Northwest behind home runs from David Ortiz, Jed Lowrie and Josh Reddick.
On Saturday night, though, there may be a power outage. That's because two of the game's best right-handers will go toe-to-toe when Boston's Josh Beckett and Seattle's Felix Hernandez square off in the middle game of the series.
Beckett is coming off a strong start against the Yankees last Sunday night in which he took yet another no-decision. Hernandez is no stranger to pitching well and not coming away with the "W," as he enters Saturday's tilt with a 10-10 record despite posting a 3.31 ERA and almost a strikeout per inning.
First pitch is scheduled for 10:10 p.m.
