SOX STATUS: The Red Sox have won 8 of their last 10 games (.800), tied for the Majors best record since 6/16 (also Texas, 8-2) and is 10-3 (.769) since 6/12…At 39-35, the club has matched its season high at 4 games over .500 (also 38-34 after 6/24)… Boston has won 27 of its last 43 games (.628), 3rd best in the Majors since 5/11, and has 35 of 60 games (.583) since 4/23, tied for the 2nd-most wins in the Majors in that time, trailing only NYY (36).
- A win today would give the Sox their 11th series win in their last 14 sets dating back to 5/10…They have lost just 3 sets in that time and tied once…The Sox are looking for a 5th straight series win…They last won 4 in a row with 6 straight series wins, 7/1-24/11.
TOP BACKSTOP: Jarrod Saltalamacchia knocked his 14th homer of the season last night, a game-tying solo shot in the 7th inning…It was his 10th roundtripper in his last 34 games since 5/13…He tops Major League catchers with 14 homers and 27 extra-base hits (tied) overall this year and he also paces AL backstops with a .539 SLG (min. 100 PA)…Of Saltalamacchia’s 7 homers since 5/26, 3 have been game-tying or go-ahead shots in the 7th inning or later.
TO THE LEFT: The Red Sox are 16-9 (.640) this season when facing left-handed starters, including wins in their last 5 such games since 6/12…Boston batters lead the Majors with 35 homers, 89 extra-base hits and 373 total bases against left-handed pitching this season…They also top the AL with a .473 SLG and .799 OPS against lefties.
- David Ortiz leads the Majors with 9 homers off left-handers this season and 17 XBH (tied, 1st in AL) vs. southpaws.
NAVA-GATING 100: Daniel Nava played his 100th Major League game last night…His career .391 OBP ranks as the best by a Red Sox in his 1st 100 ML games since Wade Boggs in 1982 (.404), 5th best by a Red Sox over the last 86 years (see chart on page 1)…Nava is batting .379 (22-for-58) in 19 June games, 2nd in the AL in the month behind MIN’s Joe Mauer (.404) (min. 50 PA)…He ranks 2nd in the AL with a .441 OBP since his 5/10 selection to Boston, also trailing Mauer (.450).
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