Hey! The Red Sox Won!

                                                                                                     Sports Illustrated

It was crazy, man. The Red Sox, they actually scored more runs than their opponents on Saturday. I know it sounds far-fetched, but I'm not lying. The Red Sox finally came through and got a solid all around performance. The offense came early for Boston. In the bottom of the first, the Sox were able to reach base with their first five batters off of Toronto starter Jo-Jo Reyes. They scored two runs in that span with an RBI single from Adrian Gonzalez, followed by an RBI double from Youk. In the bottom of the second, they added to their lead with a 2-run shot from Jed Lowrie. Josh Beckett, meanwhile, continued to show shades of 2007, shutting down the Blue Jays offense throughout the game. He ended up lasting 7 innings, giving up just one run on three hits, a walk and nine strikeouts. When he left the game, the Red Sox had a three run lead, and Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon shut the Toronto offense down in the 8th and 9th, and the Red Sox improved to 3-10 for 2011.

News and Notes

• Struggling lead off man Carl Crawford got the day off, and Terry Francona said he wanted him to just relax. Taking his place as numero uno in the lineup was utility man and double-ear-flap-helmet-wearing Jed Lowrie. He ended up being a huge part of the win, going 3-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs. It goes to show, productive from the leadoff spot goes a long way. Francona and the rest of the team is hoping this will light a fire under Crawford.

• Adrian Gonzalez showed once again why he is such valuable guy to have in your lineup. He is obviously great with the bat, knocking in the Red Sox's first run today. He is also outstanding with the glove. Corey Patterson got the short end of that stick today. Three times he hit hard ground balls down the first base line, and three time Gonzo made a diving stab. He will produce and prevent runs.