The Padres quickly took the lead with a Wil Myers single and a double from Yangervis Solarte to left but Shaw would respond the next inning with a long home run to right.
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Shaw, seemingly buried by the arrival top prospect Yoan Moncada last week, returned to the starting lineup on Wednesday night and made an impact, homering and driving in three runs to key a 7-2 victory over the Padres that vaulted the Red Sox back into sole possession of first place in the American League East. Five straight hitters reached base until Melvin finally went to reliever John Axford, who gave up three more hits before finally ending the inning.
Price is 5-0 with a 2.06 ERA in his last five starts for the Red Sox, who pulled into a first-place tie with Toronto atop the American League East with Tuesday’s 5-1 victory.Boston’s starting pitchers improved to 15-8 with a 3.06 ERA since August 1 after Clay Buchholz allowed one run over 6 2/3 innings in Tuesday’s win, but rookie third baseman Yoan Moncada is having a series to forget.
Brandon Maurer worked the ninth for his eighth save in 13 chances. With Jackie Bradley Jr. on base via a walk, it was enough to give the Sox the 2-1 lead. Jacoby Ellsbury hit a two-run homer off R.A. Dickey and added a third RBI to back up a shaky start but solid recovery by Masahiro Tanaka, who gave up three hits in the first inning but just one run when Jose Bautista was thrown out at the plate on a grounder. He retired 15 of the final 17 batters he faced and finished with six hits allowed while issuing no walks and striking out eight. Cosart came around after opening the inning with a single. Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts and Hanley Ramirez hit consecutive singles, with Ramirez’s scoring Bogaerts. The A’s, meanwhile, now are in last place by three games in the A.L. West.
Clemens has made one appearance against the Red Sox in his career. He went 2-for-4 with a two-run double that helped blow the game open in the fourth. Price, who has won four of his last five road starts, struck out eight.
Hanley Ramirez led off the next inning and took rookie Jake Smith’s first major league pitch deep to left on a line drive to put the Red Sox up 6-2.
The Padres can clinch the series this evening while playing spoiler to the visiting Red Sox, who are trying to get closer to securing a coveted Wild Card playoff spot.
Thanks to Thursday’s off day before the Friday night’s opener of the Blue Jays series in Toronto, the Red Sox are altering their rotation. Previous to that in three straight wins, they had collected 35 runs. “The stuff is there because you see it in the first three innings”. Young extended Boston’s lead to 3-0 when he went back-to-back with Bradley, hitting his eighth homer and second in two games.
Boston’s win, coupled with Toronto’s loss at NY, leaves the Red Sox and Blue Jays tied with 77-61 records as they prepare to meet in a three-game series this weekend in Toronto.
Wainwright (10-8) allowed four runs and struck out five as his ERA rose to 4.61.
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Jedd Gyorko and Matt Adams homered for St. Louis to extend the team’s streak of games with at least one home run to a club-record 24.
