Jason Bay once again homered in the ninth to help the Red Sox to victory, but the story of the game was the pitching performance of Tim Wakefield. The veteran knuckleballer didn't give up a run and allowed just one hit on four walks through seven strong innings. Manny Delcarmen continued his impressive 2009 campaign, pitching a perfect eighth inning before giving way to closer Jonathan Papelbon, who looked shaky but managed to nail down the save for the streaking Sox. Boston has now won 11 straight games and sits percentage points ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the American League East.
Defending A.L. Cy Young winner Cliff Lee also pitched well enough to win, but Indians closer Kerry Wood needed just one-third of an inning to give up the lead. Dustin Pedroia walked to lead off the Boston ninth, followed by a bloop single from David Ortiz that fell in front of a charging Grady Sizemore. After Kevin Youkilis flied out, Jason Bay came to the plate in yet another big spot, and he didn't disappoint. He launched a Kerry Wood fastball into the left-centerfield seats to put the Sox up 3-0 and push them to victory.
The Sox seem to have the complete package this season after a sluggish start. The offense during the 11-game win streak has averaged 8 runs a game, the starting pitching has been quite good and the bullpen has been dominant. There's an old baseball adage, "You can't win the Pennant in April, but you can lose it." Indeed, early season injuries have not been allowed to affect this team, as guys like Nick Green have stepped in and performed at a high level. That will be important to remember come mid-September, when this team is driving toward the 93-95 wins it will take to win the division.
The Sox look to make it 12 in a row tonight. In game two of the three-game series against the Tribe, Brad Penny (2-0, 7.80 ERA) faces Anthony Reyes (1-0, 4.76 ERA). First pitch is at 7:05 from Progressive Field in Cleveland.
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