SOX LOOK TO TAKE SERIES THIS AFTERNOON

RECORD TALK: The Sox 13-7 record (.650) is tied with the Rangers and Rockies (also 13-7) for the 2nd-best mark in MLB…Only the Braves have better record at 15-5 (.750).
· With a victory today, the Red Sox will claim their 5th series win in their 1st 7 sets of 2013.

LESTER LIMITING: Today’s starter Jon Lester has held opponents to 2 runs or fewer and less than 5 hits in each of his 1st 4 starts of 2013…He is the 1st Red Sox to achieve the feat in the club’s 1st 15 games of a season in the Live Ball ERA (1920).

ROSTER MOVE: The Red Sox today recalled RHP Daniel Bard from Double-A Portland…The club last night optioned RHP Steven Wright to Triple-A Pawtucket after the game against Oakland.

COME ON BACK: The Red Sox have invited fans who endured last night’s rainy game to come back to Fenway Park – as the team’s guest – for either today’s game vs. OAK or tomorrow night’s contest vs. HOU…Fans should bring their ticket stub from 4/23 to Gate E starting 2 hours prior to the game where it can be exchanged for a ticket.

DAVID ORTIZ…….SHOW HIM THE MONEY !

BY A.J. NICHOLS

BOSTON SPORTS DESK CORRESPONDENT

Give Papi what he wants!

This season has been a roller coaster ride for the Boston Red Sox that has featured clubhouse drama, the trade of Kevin Youkilis, devastating injuries, and inconsistent play.

However, the one reliable piece of the team has been the play of David Ortiz. Big Papi is batting .302 with 22 Home-runs and 55 RBI. On Wednesday, he hit his 400^th career home run in a 3-2 loss against the Oakland Athletics. Ortiz is on pace for another 40 Home run season and is currently 1^st in the AL with 46 Extra Base Hits (XBH) and 4^th in Total Bases with 178.

Recent talk has not been about Papi’s play yet rather his contract situation. He is currently under a one year deal worth a little over 14 million and will be up for free agency at the end of the year.

On Wednesday,  Papi expressed his feelings about prior contract negotiation with the Sox “It was humiliating, there’s no reason a guy like me should go through that. … And yet they don’t hesitate to sign other guys. It was embarrassing.” Ortiz is referring his arbitration case that was avoided last year when the Red Sox agreed to give him a 1 year 14.5 million dollar deal.

Ortiz has expressed publicly that he is looking for a two-year contract to give him a little extra security. The Red Sox have been weary of Ortiz’s age and ability to stay productive over longer contracts. He is 36 years old but without a doubt the best Designated Hitter (DH) in the league.

Many analysts justify the Red Sox reasoning by arguing that a team should not pay their DH equivalent to two-way position players. I look at it as production is production and David Ortiz has been one of the most consistent players in the league at the plate over the past two years. I can’t even start to mention the importance that Ortiz has meant to the club throughout his tenure. He is famous for countless Home runs and coming up clutch in big games.  If there is one guy I want up against Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the 9^th at Fenway in Game 7 of an American League Championship Series, it’s David Ortiz.

Not only has Ortiz been the face of the Red Sox on the field he has been just as visible off the field. When people think of the Boston Red Sox Big Papi is the first on their minds. It would be extremely difficult to see the Sox let him walk in free agency because of money difference. I totally agree with Ortiz’s point about the sox offering new players big deals to come play in Boston while they have been short-changing him.

Carl Crawford, John Lackey, and Adrian Gonzalez all got long lucrative contracts to come to Boston and so far the only one who has produced has been Gonzalez. It’s time for the Sox to reward their lone All-Star with some security.

RED SOX SWEEP A’S

 

 GAME DATA

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E

Oakland 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 3 5 0

Boston 0 3 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 6 12 0

Winning Pitcher: John Lackey (3-5) Time of Game: 2:50

Losing Pitcher: Brett Anderson (3-6) Attendance: 37,796 (663rd consecutive sellout since May 15, 2003)

Save: Daniel Bard (1) Game Time Weather: 64 degrees, wind E at 13 mph

Athletics Home Runs: Kevin Kouzmanoff (4)

Red Sox Home Runs: Carl Crawford (5), Adrian Gonzalez (12)

RED SOX

PITCHES      STRIKES

John Lackey 93     54

Matt Albers 21      13

Tommy Hottovy 8   2

Dan Wheeler 7    5

Daniel Bard 8      7

ATHLETICS

PITCHES STRIKES

Brett Anderson 103    66

F. De Los Santos 32    23

Brad Ziegler 17       10

BOSTON RED SOX (33-26)

THE RED SOX completed a 3-game sweep of Oakland, the club’s 3rd straight win after dropping 4 in a row…All 3 tilts in the set were decided by 3 runs or less…It was Boston’s 5th sweep of the year and 3rd at home but their 1st sweep of 3+ games at Fenway in 2011…This is Boston’s 1st sweep of the A’s since a 3-game series at Fenway, 8/1-3/08.

 Boston has not lost any of its 4 homestands this season, winning all 3 prior to a 3-

3 split in the just-completed stretch at Fenway Park.

 

JOHN LACKEY returned from the disabled list and earned his 3rd win of the season, 1st since 4/24 at LAA…He pitched 5.2 innings, surrendering 3 runs on a season-low 3 hits with 2 walks, 2 strikeouts and a home run allowed.

 He matched a career-high 3 hit batters for the 3rd time, last on 9/17/10 vs. TOR.

 

CARL CRAWFORD hit a 3-run home run in the 2nd inning, giving him back-to-back 3 RBI games for the 2nd time in his career (also 6/5-6/07 with TB)…He has multiple RBI in 3 straight contests, matching his career high for the 3rd time, 2nd this season (also 5/25-5/27)…He has 4 homers in his last 13 games, a span in which he has hit .388 clip (19-for-49) with 10 extra-base hits (4 doubles, 2 triples, 4 homers), 16 RBI and 13 runs scored.

 Crawford’s homer was his 1st at Fenway Park as a member of the Red Sox and the 5th of his career in Boston overall…He had not gone deep at Fenway since a 2-homer game on 5/26/06 while with the Rays.

 

DAVID ORTIZ had 3 hits today, tying his season high for the 5th time, all since 5/5…He now has multiple hits in 5 of his last 6 contests and is batting .500 (20-for-40) with 6 doubles, 4 homers and 9 RBI over a 10-game home hitting streak since 5/19.

 All 3 hits today came off LHP Brett Anderson…It is just the 9th time in his career that he has turned in at least 3 hits vs. lefthanders in a game (6th with BOS, last 9/21/07 at TB)…Since 5/31, Ortiz is 7-for-8 (.875) with 3 doubles, a homer and 5 RBI against lefty hurlers, raising his season average vs. LHP to .355 (22-for-62) against left-handers on the season.

 

JARROD SALTALAMACCHIA went 3-for-4 with a run and a triple, his 1st 3-hit game with the Red Sox and 1st overall since 4/24/09 at BAL while with TEX (3 H)…The triple was his 2nd career, with his only other 3-bagger coming on 9/24/07 vs. LAA with the Rangers.

 In 23 games since 5/14, Red Sox catchers have combined to bat .321 (25-for-78) with 7 home runs and 16 RBI.

 KEVIN HARRIMAN