In the second go-around against the Marlins starter, the offense wasn't nearly as merciful. The Red Sox shelled Buehrle in the interleague sequel against Miami, launching three home runs and plating six runs off the pitcher en route to a 7-5 victory.
Playing in his first game since May 18, Cody Ross sparked the surge against Buehrle — who only yielded two runs and five hits against the Red Sox last Tuesday — with a solo shot in his second at-bat.
"It's definitely nice to be back out there, get back out there with the guys," said Ross, who wanted to exact revenge against his former team. "When you're on the DL you almost feel like you're not part of the team, you're not a good teammate almost. You can only do so much. But definitely nice to get out there and get back into the grind."
His blast was the last of three long balls that Buehrle allowed on Tuesday. Before the outfielder uncorked a shot in the fourth inning, David Ortiz and Kelly Shoppach each pummeled Buehrle's pitches into oblivion.
With his two-run homer in the first, Ortiz tallied his eighth homer run against left-handed pitchers for the season. Despite going yard, the designated hitter — who didn't play against Buehrle last week — said the Marlins' southpaw was still his former self.
"He was good tonight," Ortiz said of Buehrle. "He just made a couple of mistakes with men on base. He was hitting his spots like he normally does. He’s a guy that kind of runs you out of patience."
By chasing him early on, the Red Sox offense gained steam. Over the past two games, the team has posted 14 runs, an encouraging sign after the hitters mustered up just 34 runs –– including a 10-run explosion in one match –– in its previous 10 games.
Fresh off homering in his third straight game, Ross believes the team is primed for a winning streak.
"Sometimes we seem like we're playing really well and then we'll hit a skid and then we'll play really well again," Ross said. "[We aren't] really putting together a big winning streak like the Yankees have had.
"We haven't hit one of those yet, but we will. We’re in OK spot right now. Nobody is panicking we know how good we are."
Buehrle received a reminder of that lesson once again.
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