Final, Red Sox 6-5: What a turnaround in the eighth inning.
Will Middlebrooks had a memorable game, going 3-for-4 with four RBIs and the game-tying home run to bring his average to .316.
Daniel Nava and Ryan Kalish leaned on wise base running and clutch hitting to orchestrate the go-ahead run in this one.
And the Red Sox managed to withstand a subpar outing by Daisuke Matsuzaka.
End 8th, Red Sox 6-5: Thanks to some heads up base running by Ryan Kalish, he was able to move into scoring position at third base from first base.
And Daniel Nava capitalized, belting an RBI single to take the one-run lead. Oh, boy what a comeback by the kids.
And now, Alfredo Aceves is coming into the game to close it out and this could be a galvanizing win for the Red Sox.
10:06 p.m.: Will Middlebrooks has struck again. With a man on base, the third baseman belted a homer to deep center field to deadlock the game.
Mid 8th, Marlins 5-3: Mike Aviles and Dustin Pedroia continue to turn double plays like it's clockwork.
But Giancarlo Stanton collected another single before getting out on the double play. I was in Miami during Stanton's first season and he's bound for stardom.
He's already poised for an All-Star season, but he can be one of the game's best sluggers when it's all said and done.
End 7th, Marlins 5-3: Randy Choate hammered his sinker down the Red Sox throat in the seventh.
He induced two ground outs, one from Adrian Gonzalez and another from Cody Ross. He also got David Ortiz to pop up.
By the way, Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria organized a team meeting before Thursday's game to light a fire in the Marlins. Looks like it's working.
Mid 7th, Marlins 5-3: Scott Atchison remains the reliable option out of the bullpen.
He retired all three batters that he faced and lowered his ERA back down to 1.21 for the year. You wonder if he's at any spot to make the All-Star team this year.
For a guy who wasn't a lock to make the Opening Day roster this season, it's a great story.
End 6th, Marlins 5-3: Dustin Pedroia was reunited with Marlins reliever Ryan Webb, whose fastball inside to Pedroia's thumb caused the Red Sox second baseman to miss Wednesday's game.
This time around, Pedroia grounded out. But again, the All-Star wasn't worried about his thumb and said occasionally jams are to be expected.
Mid 6th, Marlins 5-3: And just like that, Daisuke Matsuzaka unraveled all over again.
He surrendered an absolute bomb to Giancarlo Stanton, who now has 15 homers this season. And it took Andrew Miller to come in and relieve Matsuzaka.
But Miller had some woes, allowing Infante to double in a run.
End 5th, 3-3: As you can see, these are the benefits of having Will Middlebrooks in the lineup.
The rookie is raking right now for the Red Sox, hitting his second straight RBI single. He's helped the team come back into contention after getting in a three-run deficit.
But Valentine's reasoning for giving Kevin Youkilis a day off was simple.
"It’s tough," Valentine said. "I’m not going to put Adrian in the outfield when I have enough outfielders, that’s for sure."
Mid 5th, Marlins 3-2: Just another unpredictable outing by Daisuke Matsuzaka.
After allowing three runs in the first inning, he's now mowed down 13 straight batters. It's just like his outing against Chicago all over again.
So far, Matsuzaka has fanned four batters.
End 4th, Marlins 3-2: Carlos Zambrano just lost his command in the fourth, plunking Cody Ross and Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
The pitch that beaned Ross was very questionable as he leaned into it. You then have to wonder whether Zambrano tried to send a message by hitting Saltalamacchia.
If he tried, it backfired as he yielded two runs.
8:39 p.m.: Will Middlebrooks just roped an RBI single to right field that drove in Cody Ross.
Mid 4th, Marlins 3-0: There was a brief delay in the inning because — get this — Daniel Nava's glove broke when he snagged a fly ball.
He needed to sprint into the dugout to find a new glove. And it worked out since Scott Cousins belted a fly ball to left field, leading Nava to record the last out of the inning.
Through it all, Nava was cracking up and taking it in stride.
End 3rd, Marlins 3-0: Considering how long the first inning was in this one, it's a surprise to see the last two fly by so quickly.
But it only took 10 pitches for Zambrano to retire the side and it was all via groundouts.
The encouraging sign for the Red Sox was the return of Dustin Pedroia, who sat out Thursday's game as a precaution.
Mid 3rd, Marlins 3-0: For a change, Hanley Ramirez is hitting at DH instead of third base.
David Ortiz told me that Ramirez is still battling shoulder issues — ones that required offseason surgery — and that it continues to linger.
But Ramirez has made the most of the chance, hitting 11 homers and 37 RBIs with a .259 average.
End 2nd, Marlins 3-0: Carlos Zambrano doesn't have the wins to show for it, but his low ERA proves he's pitched pretty well.
He struck out Will Middlebrooks and Mike Aviles in the second inning as he tries to capitalize on the team's lead.
Zambrano also induced a ground out from Daniel Nava, who said his hand/thumb situation feels much better.
Mid 2nd, Marlins 3-0: Well, Daisuke Matsuzaka managed to settle down in the second.
But it's seemingly the same old story so far. He struggles during the first few innings and manages to stifle the opposing hitters for the rest of the game.
He struck out Jose Reyes. Reyes was disgusted with the at-bat, tossing his helmet and bat on the ground pretty hard.
End 1st, Marlins 3-0: Jarrod Saltalamacchia had an opportunity to tie the game.
But with two men on base, the catcher struck out swinging. Also, in David Ortiz's first at-bat, he walked.
On the third pitch of the at-bat, he fouled a pitch off the press box. It was fitting, as my colleague's pointed out, since he blasted some reporters for stirring up drama.
Mid 1st, Marlins 3-0: You have to give credit to Jose Reyes for his aggressive base running.
While Hanley Ramirez grounded out to short, Reyes sped from first to third base and slid in safely to get in position to score.
That he did. Greg Dobbs and Omar Infante keyed the surge with RBI singles to put the early pressure on Boston.
5 p.m.: Here are the lineups.
Red Sox
Daniel Nava, LF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
David Ortiz, DH
Cody Ross, RF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Ryan Kalish, CF
Mike Aviles, SS
Daisuke Matsuzaka, P
Marlins
Jose Reyes, SS
Hanley Ramirez, DH
Giancarlo Stanton, RF
Logan Morrison, LF
Greg Dobbs, 3B
Omar Infante, 2B
Scott Cousins, CF
Gaby Sanchez, 1B
Brett Hayes, CF
Carlos Zambrano, P
8 a.m. ET: Daisuke Matsuzaka will continue to work out the kinks from Tommy John surgery as he makes his third start of the season for the Red Sox (35-33). During Matsuzaka's last start, he allowed three runs over the first two innings before holding the Cubs scoreless and going six innings. It was a quality start for Matsuzaka, who yielded four runs in his first outing against the Nationals.
He'll look to claim his first victory of the season and sweep the Marlins (33-35) in the process. He'll go up against Marlins starter Carlos Zambrano, who downright struggled in his last start against the Rays when he tossed 78 pitches in two-plus innings. Zambrano, who is 4-5 with a 3.92 ERA this season, also walked six in that game.
For more details and analysis from Fenway Park, follow NESN.com's live blog. Tune into NESN's pregame show at 6 p.m. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.
