Red Sox Live Blog: Cody Ross, Adrian Gonzalez Combine for All 10 Red Sox RBIs, Crush White Sox 10-1

by abournenesn

Jul 18, 2012

Red Sox Live Blog: Cody Ross, Adrian Gonzalez Combine for All 10 Red Sox RBIs, Crush White Sox 10-1Final, Red Sox Win 10-1: It may have been a rocky start for Felix Doubront, but Cody Ross and Adrian Gonzalez were quick to get the Red Sox on track on Wednesday.

Ross and Gonzalez combined to go 6-for-10 with three home runs and all 10 of Boston's RBIs on the night.

The combo was deadly from both sides of the plate and gave White Sox starter Pedro Hernandez — making his major league debut — fits on the mound.

Doubront was solid throughout as well, overcoming a slow start to throw six quality innings. He allowed just the one run on four hits and the Red Sox didn't allow a Chicago hit from the second inning on. The win gives Doubront 10 on the season, the most by any Red Sox pitcher this year.

The bullpen performed admirably as well with three shutout innings, and Jacoby Ellsbury should be noted for a 3-for-4 effort and scoring three runs.

End 8th Inning, Red Sox 10-1: Another breeze of an inning in the bottom half of the eighth.

Leyson Septimo, who was rocked for three runs in 1/3 inning on Monday night, ran right through the Sox lineup 1-2-3 and threw just eight pitches to boot.

Mid 8th Inning, Red Sox 10-1: Mark Melancon has been rock solid since returning from his stint in Triple-A Pawtucket.

After compiling an eye-numbing 49.50 ERA at the start of the year, Melancon spent nearly two months with the PawSox. But he has returned to Boston with avengance, allowing just one earned run over the past 16 1/3 innings. Now his ERA is a much more respectable 5.89, a significant drop from the early-season struggles.

Melancon flew through the eighth inning on Wednesday, throwing just seven pitches to induce three straight groundout outs and get the Sox back to the plate.

End 7th Inning, Red Sox 10-1: Ellsbury and Crawford were given some early rest as the Sox have this one well in hand.

But Santiago cruised through the seventh with ease, sitting down Shoppach on strikes and then getting Ciriaco and Nava to end things with some flyball outs.

Ryan Sweeney showed some patience in working Santiago for a walk in the middle of the inning, but he didn't move from the first base bag.

The game now shifts to the Sox bullpen, who will be relied on to close this one out, starting with Mark Melancon in the top of the eighth.

Mid 7th Inning, Red Sox 10-1: Doubront's night was finished after six strong innings, but Matt Albers kept the outing going making quick work of the Sox in the seventh.

Albers threw just 13 pitches and sat the Sox down in order, even getting shortstop Eduardo Escobar on strikes.

The Boston pitchers seem to be just flying right through this Chicago lineup, as the White Sox have been hitless since the second inning.

Doubront's final line was impressive, allowing just four hits and one earned run over six innings. The only downside may have been the three walks, although three of them came against Konerko and were more attempts to get the All-Star first baseman to chase out of the zone.

End 6th Inning, Red Sox 10-1: The Ross-Gonzo duo just keep causing havoc.

After Crawford got plunked to start the inning, Ross belted one off the top half of the Monster, nearly pulling off the Hat Trick.

Then after an eight-pitch at-bat, Gonzalez sliced one to deep right-center field and drove in both Ross and Crawford for a 10-1 lead.

Ross and Gonzalez have now combined for each of the Red sox 10 RBIs on Wednesday, showing the White Sox staff what real hitting looks like.

Mid 6th Inning, Red Sox 8-1: Felix Doubront might as well be on cruise control on Wednesday night.

He continued his dominance of the White Sox lineup into the sixth inning.

Doubront has thrown 96 pitches and may be done for the night, although with nearly two weeks in between starts it wouldn't be a total surprise to see him get back in there for the seventh.

End 5th Inning, Red Sox 8-1:  A pair of baserunners were squandered after the White Sox changed pitchers in the bottom half of the fifth.

A Mauro Gomez single and Aviles walk gave Boston a serious threat, but Shoppach, Ciriaco and Ellsbury all went down quickly and the Sox head into the sixth with just a seven-run lead…. I know, I know, alright seven runs deserves more than simply a "just."

Pitching Change: Hector Santiago comes in for Pedro Hernandez after the left-hander was unable to get an out in the fourth.

Hernandez surrendered eight runs over four-plus innings while allowing 12 hits and striking out just two. A rough way to start an MLB career, that's for sure.

Mid 5th Inning, Red Sox 8-1: Doubront is cruising now.

After struggling through the first two innings, Doubront has now sat down nine of the past 10 batters.

Youk is also just 1-for-3 on the night and it seems that Doubront has found the right sequence of pitches to keep his old teammate off the basepaths.

It doesn't hurt that Doubront also has a seven-run lead at this point, but a 10-pitch inning is impressive no matter when it comes.

End 4th Inning, Red Sox 8-1: The Cody Ross-Adrian Gonzalez combo could be a sight worth getting used to.

After crushing a three-run jack just an inning earlier, Ross once again slapped a big fly over the Green Monster to add three more to the Red Sox total.

The home run gives him 15 on the season and marks his 10th career multi-home run game — third this season.

As for Gonzalez, his blast gives him eight home runs on the year, and the combination of Ross and Gonzo now is 4-for-6 with three home runs and all eight RBIs.

A strange sequence ensued after Pedro Ciriaco swiped third base. The umpire appeared to interfere with Pierzynski's throw to third, and Ciriaco was sent back to second.

Bobby Valentine came out to argue te call to no avail.

Mid 4th Inning, Red Sox 4-1: There wasn't much heavy lifting for Doubront in the fourth, as he appears cooled down and ready for the long haul in this one.

After throwing 60 pitches through three, Doubront breezed through the six, seven and eight hitters in the Chicago lineup with a 13-pitch inning.

He still has just two strikeouts on the night, which is unusual for the left-handed fireballer, but he's seemed to regain the control that eluded him in the first two innings.

End 3rd Inning, Red Sox 4-1: The Ellsbury-to-Crawford connection continues to flourish before the eyes of Red Sox fans everywhere.

A leadoff single for Ellsbury — his second hit of the night — gave the Sox the leadoff man for the second time in three innings. But Crawford moved him along with a broken-bat single up the middle.

But it was Cody Ross who truly blossomed in the third inning, belting a 1-1 pitch deep over the Green Monster and clearing the bags for a 4-1 Sox lead.

The home run makes 14 for Ross on the season and may give him even more credence when Valentine looks to fill the No. 3 hole over the coming weeks as Ortiz recovers.

Mid 3rd Inning, 1-1: Doubront rolled through another frame, but couldnt' completely escape the control issues.

After a quick flyout and strikeout to Youk and Adam Dunn, repesctively, Doubront kept away from Konerko and ended up walking the six-time All-Star — Doubront's second walk of the night.

The strikeout to Dunn marks Doubront's second of the night, which is a bit low compared to his season average of 9.0 K's/9.

At 60 pitches, Doubront will have to settle down to get through six. But he's at least back on the right track.

End 2nd Inning, 1-1: Kelly Shoppach could be making a push to become the Red Sox starting catcher.

Shoppach singled to left, following up on his two-run home run from Tuesday, and is absolutely mashing left-handed pitching this season.

While Jarrod Saltalamacchia was a solid contributor and feared power hitter for much of the first half, he's cooled off considerably — hitting just 1-for-15 in five games since the break.

Salty could use some time to adjust his swing and with Shoppach hitting so well and calling a good game for the staff, Valentine could well turn to a different option behind the plate for the near future.

Ciriaco, Aviles and Gomez all put good wood on the ball, but none of the three were able to get on base, keeping the game at 1-1 into the third inning.

Mid 2nd Inning, 1-1: Doubront appears to be settling in a bit on the mound, even though he's already allowed four hits and a walk through two innings.

The White Sox hitters seem to be getting a good look at Doubront's pitches and driving them into the outfield. Douby also got a bit wild in that inning, looking like Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn with a four-pitch walk to No. 9 hitter Gordon Beckham

Doubront will need some more offensive firepower to allow him to truly settle into a rhythm and get rolling. Let's see if Aviles or Shoppach can accommodate

End 1st Inning, 1-1: Jacoby Ellsbury's leadoff double ultimately paid off, as the speedster was able to come around and tie up the game on an Adrian Gonzalez RBI single.

Ellsbury continues to show off his power, as he lined a shot out off the left-center field wall. He's showing off plenty of strength at the plate and looks to be back in full swing, it wouldn't be surprising to see him blast one out of Fenway at some point soon.

Meanwhile, Adrian Gonzalez keeps his hot streak going as he lifts his average back to a more respectable .293.

Mid 1st Inning, White Sox 1-0: A rought first inning for Doubront, who allowed a pair of leadoff hits and ultimately an RBI single to Paul Konerko before finally getting out of the jam.

Both De Aza and Youkilis laid into the ball, and Konerko sent a nice liner into shallow right. Even Alex Rios, who flied out to end the inning, hit the ball hard.

Doubront looks to have control of the strike zone, but his pitches appear to be staying up a little in the zone and allowed the White Sox to crush the ball.

Before his single to center field, Youkilis stepped to the plate to sound of a resounding "Youk" from the Fenway faithful, even a few fans yelling "we miss you"

The game was delayed at the start, taking an extra 14 minutes to get started before Doubront and company were able to get on the field.

7 p.m.: Carl crawford addressed the reported trade rumors swirling around him.

He was definitely surprised by the talks of interest from the Miami Marlins, but explained that he is just concentrating on his game and keeping the trade rumors out of his thoughts.

It will be interesting to see how Crawford responds to the rumors. Although, Bobby Valentine expressed confidence in his left fielder, saying "I think Carl's tough, he'll be fine."

6:40 p.m.: The grounds crew is still hard at work, and it looks like the players should be taking the field shortly.

The Red Sox just announced that the game would officially start at 7:20 p.m., 10 minutes later than the original game time.

6:30 p.m.: The grounds crew is on the field and preparing to lift the tarp off of the infield.

The rain is still coming down, but the sun is beginning to shine over top and it looks like this game may start on time.

Keep here with the NESN.com Live Blog for all your up to date information and to check in on game time.

6:20 p.m.: Red Sox fans are patiently waiting out the rain, as the storm continues to pour it down on Fenway.

One lonely fan is keeping himself dry with a poncho, though, as he prepares for first pitch.

Check it out in the photo below.

Red Sox Live Blog: Cody Ross, Adrian Gonzalez Combine for All 10 Red Sox RBIs, Crush White Sox 10-15:40 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford quickly became "the dynamic duo" on Tuesday night, and the pair looks like they be a force at the top of the Red Sox lineup this season.

But where does that leave the normal No. 2 hitter, Dustin Pedroia?

Well, Bobby Valentine hinted that Pedroia could find a new home in the order upon his return to the lineup, which the team is hoping will be Thursday.

See where Pedroia could end up hitting upon his return.

4 p.m.: Mauro Gomez has been back and forth between Boston and Pawtucket three times over the past month, and the 27-year-old slugger is back with the big club and batting sixth for the Red Sox on Wednesday.

Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford will lead things off for the Sox for a third straight game, looking to welcome White Sox left-hander Pedro Hernandez to the big leagues for his major league debut. Hernandez was 7-2 with a 2.75 ERA in 12 starts at Double-A Birmingham this season.

Felix Doubront (9-4, 4.41) will get the start for the Red Sox, taking the mound for the first time since the All-Star break.

Check out the full lineups for both sides, below.

Red Sox (46-45)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Carl Crawford, LF
Cody Ross, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Mauro Gomez, DH
Mike Aviles, SS
Kelly Shoppach, C
Pedro Ciriaco, 2B.

Felix Doubront, LHP

White Sox (50-40)
Alejandro De Aza, CF
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
Adam Dunn, DH
Paul Konerko, 1B
Alex Rios, RF
A.J. Pierzynski, C
Dayan Viciedo, LF
Alexei Ramirez, SS
Gordon Beckham, 2B

Pedro Hernandez,LHP

8 a.m. ET: Coming off a tough 7-5 drubbing to the White Sox on Tuesday night, Boston is looking to ride the hot bats of Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford back into a winning streak.

Kevin Youkilis delivered the crushing blow to the Red Sox with a three-run home run off Jon Lester to put Chicago on top for good. The Red Sox are looking to regroup with a strong out from Felix Doubront, who takes his turn in the rotation on Wednesday.

Doubront, who boasts a 9-4 record and 4.41 ERA on the year, will be getting the ball for his first start of the second half. The White Sox, meanwhile, send rookie Pedro Hernandez to the mound, who will be making his first career big league appearance.

The ball gets rolling at 6 p.m. on NESN with Red Sox Pregame show, and be sure to tune in for first pitch at 7:10 p.m.

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