SB Nation Arizona - Boston Red Sox Beat Diamondbacks 6-2 Despite Upton Homerhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46593/arizona-fave.png2010-06-16T20:12:24-07:00http://arizona.sbnation.com/rss/stream/12849792010-06-16T20:12:24-07:002010-06-16T20:12:24-07:006/16/2010 Game Recap: Boston 6, Arizona 2
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<p>Boston, MA (Sports Network) – Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis each hit a two-run homer to lead Boston over Arizona, 6-2, in the second of a three-game interleague set from Fenway Park.</p>
<p>Adrian Beltre and J.D. Drew also knocked in a run apiece for the Red Sox, who have won two in a row to start the series and four of five overall.</p>
<p>Jon Lester (8-2) turned in seven solid innings, allowing just four hits and two runs while fanning seven with three walks. The lefty, who earned his 50th career win, has not lost since April 18, gaining eight positive decisions in 11 starts since then.</p>
<p>Jonathan Papelbon was credited with his 15th save after coming in for the final out.</p>
<p>Justin Upton slugged a two-run homer for the D-Backs, who slid to their fourth defeat in six contests and lost their franchise-record 12th straight road game.</p>
<p>Rodrigo Lopez (2-6) dropped his fourth straight decision after yielding 10 hits and six runs over seven full frames.</p>
<p>The Sox hit the board in the first as Marco Scutaro stroked a leadoff single and Pedroia followed with a two-run shot over the Green Monster. Upton countered with his own Monster shot in the second with Chris Young on base to tie the game.</p>
<p>Boston came back to make it 4-2 the home third, as Drew hit an <span class="caps">RBI</span> double and Beltre followed with a run-scoring single with two down.</p>
<p>Lester worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth by getting Chris Snyder on a fly out to left, then got around a leadoff walk to Kelly Johnson in the fifth by retiring the next three batters.</p>
<p>Three more Arizona men were turned aside by Lester in the sixth, and he finished his outing by getting three in a row after plunking Rusty Ryal in the seventh.</p>
<p>In the home portion, David Ortiz singled with two down and Youkilis followed by hitting the left-field seats for a 6-2 score.</p>
<p>Daniel Bard took over in the eighth and retired the side in order. Ramon Ramirez allowed a walk to Miguel Montero and a single to Upton before retiring the next two batters.</p>
<p>Papelbon was called on, and though Upton moved to second on defensive indifference to put two in scoring position, Johnson lofted a harmless fly to left to end the game.</p>
<p>Lester improved his career mark to 50-18 in 106 games (105 starts)…The Red Sox have won six of the last eight meetings with the Diamondbacks since 2007…Scutaro, Beltre and Pedroia all finished with two hits for Boston…Upton was the lone Arizona batter with more than one hit.</p>
https://arizona.sbnation.com/2010/6/16/1522180/6-16-2010-game-recap-boston-6Cory Williams2010-06-16T13:48:41-07:002010-06-16T13:48:41-07:00New Snake Demel Sheds His Skin
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<p>Sound the alarms and sirens in the Diamondbacks’ bullpen … a new fireman has arrived.</p>
<p>Just how desperate are the Diamondbacks for something better than what they have in the bullpen? Enough to call up a young pitcher they just traded for Tuesday.</p>
<p>The club announced this afternoon that it has selected right-hander Sam Demel from Triple-A Reno, and optioned struggling Cesar Valdez to the Biggest Little City in the World.</p>
<p>Demel, a former third round pick of the Oakland A’s who was acquired in exchange for Conor Jackson, is set to make his major-league debut with the D-backs. The 24-year-old Texan has never pitched above Triple-A.</p>
<p>Demel, 24, was 2-0 with a 1.26 <span class="caps">ERA</span> with six saves and 28 strikeouts in 22 relief appearances for Sacramento, the A’s Triple-A club. Demel held opponents scoreless in 16 of his 22 games with the River Cats, including eight consecutive outings from May 17-June 4, a span of nine innings.</p>
<p>Valdez could not take advantage of his chance, sent down with a 7.65 <span class="caps">ERA</span> and a .337 opponents average with 10 walks and 13 strikeouts in nine games (two starts) for the D-backs.</p>
<p>It’s clear that times are quite desperate. Demel replaces another pitcher who made his big-league debut in Valdez as the Diamondbacks keep searching for relief corp help.</p>
https://arizona.sbnation.com/2010/6/16/1521584/new-snake-demel-sheds-his-skinJose Romero2010-06-16T09:30:30-07:002010-06-16T09:30:30-07:00Diamondbacks Send Lopez to Face Lester, 4:10 p.m. PDT
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<p><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"> </span></p>
<h2 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 23px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><span style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; font-size: 13px;">(Sports Network) - <span>Jon Lester</span> narrowly avoided a loss his previous time out after one of his worst outings of the season. Tonight the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/BOS" style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; color: #c61c17; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Boston Red Sox</a> starter will try to keep a lengthy unbeaten streak intact in the continuation of a three-game series versus the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/ARI" style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; color: #c61c17; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Arizona Diamondbacks</a> from Fenway Park.</span></h2>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Lester began the 2010 campaign 0-2 with an 8.44 earned run average over his first three starts -- all Boston losses -- but has rebounded tremendously with a 7-0 mark and a 1.96 ERA through his past 10 trips to the mound. The Red Sox are 8-2 in that time. Lester luckily did not factor into the outcome of an 8-7 loss at Cleveland last Thursday, however, as he was reached for six runs and nine hits with eight strikeouts in six innings.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">The left-hander, who has lasted at least six innings in nine consecutive appearances, will put his solid home record on the line tonight and is 4-1 in seven outings at Fenway Park this season. Lester has never faced Arizona in his career.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Fellow starter <span>Clay Buchholz</span> also had never faced the D'Backs before until beating them last night. Buchholz allowed three runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings during Tuesday's 6-3 triumph and struck out eight batters to improve to 9-4 on the season. Four relievers held Arizona scoreless the rest of the way, with <span>Jonathan Papelbon</span> preserving the victory in the ninth for his 14th save.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><span>David Ortiz</span> finished 2-for-4 with a two-run homer while <span>Dustin Pedroia</span> collected two hits, knocked in a run and scored three times for the Red Sox, who have won 12 of their last 17 games in Beantown and are 20-9 as the host since late April.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">"It's so important for me as a pitcher when my team gives us an early lead offensively," said Buchholz. "It allows me to avoid pressing and I can focus on hitting the corners."</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Boston is still four games off the pace in the American League East and 11-5 over its last 16 contests. It has won or split 14 of its last 17 series since April 20, sporting an MLB-best 34-19 mark over that time period.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Arizona is last in the NL West Division and had a modest two-game winning streak cut short last night. <span>Ian Kennedy</span> was pounded on the hill to the tune of six runs on nine hits with a walk and six K's in six frames.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><span>Justin Upton</span> stroked a two-run double in the fourth inning and <span>Adam LaRoche</span> drove in a run for the Diamondbacks, who have dropped three of their last five games and couldn't crack Boston's relievers.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">"We tried to put pressure on them, but their bullpen completely shut us down," said Arizona manager A.J. Hinch.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">D'Backs slugger <span>Mark Reynolds</span> finished 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, one game after his team rallied for a walkoff win versus St. Louis on Sunday. The Diamondbacks have lost 11 in a row on the road and are only 9-23 as the guest this season, and have allowed a major league-high 34 home runs since May 20.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Arizona's <span>Kelly Johnson</span> went hitless in four plate appearances on Tuesday to watch his season-best 10-game hitting streak come to an end.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Earlier in the day, Arizona acquired right-handed relief pitcher Sam Demel from Oakland in exchange for outfielder <span>Conor Jackson</span>.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Since recording just his second win of the season on May 15 at Atlanta, Arizona starter <span>Rodrigo Lopez</span> has gone 0-3 with a 5.45 earned run average in five starts. Lopez aims to end the losing ways tonight against the Red Sox.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Lopez has dropped consecutive starts to Colorado and St. Louis -- both at home -- and was beaten by the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/STL" style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; color: #c61c17; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Cardinals</a> on Friday. Lopez, who allowed three runs in seven innings of a 3-2 loss versus the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/COL" style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; color: #c61c17; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Rockies</a> on June 6, was reached for five runs in seven frames of a 5-2 setback to St. Louis. He fell to 2-5 to go along with a 4.45 ERA in 13 starts.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">The right-hander is 1-2 in six road starts this season and has faced Boston many times throughout his career. Lopez is 10-9 with a 4.53 ERA in 26 career games (20 starts) against the Red Sox.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Boston has won five of its last seven meetings with Arizona since losing all three matchups with the Diamondbacks at Fenway Park back in 2002. The Red Sox are 132-104 against the National League, while Arizona is 86-105 all-time in interleague action.</p>
https://arizona.sbnation.com/2010/6/16/2316518/diamondbacks-send-lopez-to-face-lester-4-10-p-m-pdtLolly Konecky