Buchholz Helps Sox Win Four In A Row With Sweep

Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - Clay Buchholz worked seven crisp innings and Victor Martinez drove in a pair of runs to lead Boston past Seattle, 5-1, to complete a three-game sweep.

Buchholz (16-7) yielded a lone run on four hits while walking three and fanning six for the Red Sox, who have won four in a row.

"I felt like I had some good life on the fastball and my curveball was better than it has been all season," Buchholz said. "After my last start, I wanted to come out here and throw as many innings as I could and have sort of a bounce back game. That's all I wanted to do."

Marco Scutaro went 3-for-4 and scored twice, while Ryan Kalish was 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI for Boston, which took five of seven at Safeco Field this season.

David Pauley (2-8) pitched well but took the loss after yielding a pair of runs -- one earned -- on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts over six frames for Seattle, which has lost seven straight.

"Everything was working pretty well today. My curveball was working and we stuck with it. I was throwing a lot of strikes and getting a lot of contact," Pauley said of his performance. "It's one of those things, you go up against a guy like Buchholz, he's having a phenomenal year. We fell a little short today but we'll pick it back up."

Russell Branyan clubbed a solo home run to right field with two outs in the first inning to put the Mariners on top.

Seattle had runners at second and third with nobody out and again with two outs in the second but could not score. The complexion of the inning changed when Casey Kotchman was picked off at third for the first out.

Adrian Beltre's home run into the upper deck in left field tied the game in the fourth.

The Red Sox took the lead for good in the sixth when David Ortiz doubled with one out, moved to third on a Beltre fly out and scored when Chone Figgins could not field Daniel Nava's ground ball.

A base hit by Josh Reddick and a walk to Lars Anderson loaded the bases before Yamaico Navarro struck out to end the inning.

Ryan Rowland-Smith took over for Seattle in the seventh and was greeted by a leadoff single from Scutaro that was followed by Kalish's ground-rule double. Both runners scored when Martinez poked a double just inside the right-field line.

Scutaro walked with two outs in the eighth and scored on a Kalish triple.

Seattle put runners at first and second with one out in the eighth but Hideki Okajima got Branyan to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Boston won five games in a season in Seattle for the first time since 1991. The Sox claimed the season series, 7-3...Buchholz is 9-3 in 14 road starts...Beltre extended his hitting streak to seven games, during which he has 12 hits...Boston has won six of its last eight road contests...Seattle has been held to three runs or less in 17 of its last 18 games...Figgins went 2- for-4 to extend his hit streak to eight games in which he has 16 hits. He has six multi-hit games during the streak...The Mariners are 33-33 when scoring first.

Buchholz Leads Sox In Aim Of A Sweep

(Sports Network) - Clay Buchholz tries to get himself back into the American League Cy Young discussion this evening, when the Boston Red Sox go for a sweep of their three-game set with the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.

Buchholz has been one of the best pitchers in the AL for the better part of the season, but is winless in his last three starts (0-2) and lasted just one inning in losing to the Oakland Athletics on Friday. The young right-hander surrendered five runs and five hits and walked four batters in the abbreviated outing to fall to 15-7 to go along with a 2.53 earned run average on the year.

"I was just missing with pitches, trying to go in and missing away," said Buchholz. "I felt like I've been off for seven days, that's basically what it felt like. It didn't really feel comfortable throwing in the bullpen. Whenever you get out on the mound during the game, adrenaline kicks in."

Buchholz has faced the Mariners just once in his career but did not get a decision, allowing three runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 frames.

Boston made it three straight wins on Tuesday, as David Ortiz's three-run homer capped a two-out rally in the eighth inning and lifted the Red Sox to a 9-6 victory.

Ortiz finished with two hits for the Red Sox, who have won five of their last eight games, and reached the 30-homer mark for the sixth time in a Boston uniform. Only Ted Williams has more in franchise history.

"It means a lot," Ortiz of reaching 30 homers. "I'm not even close to what Mr. Williams was, or means for this organization. He played for so many years and did so many great things. When people mention your name right next to him, it's a huge compliment for me."

Adrian Beltre went 3-for-4 with a double for Boston, setting the team record for most extra-base hits by a third baseman (71) while also setting a new career-high in doubles (42).

Jed Lowrie added his first career multi-homer game, blasting his ninth and 10th career long balls in the victory, while Rich Hill (1-0) earned his first win since June 19, 2009 while with Baltimore after getting the final out of the seventh.

Franklin Gutierrez finished 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI for the Mariners, who scored more than three runs at home for the first time since August 6. Over its last 16 games in its home park, Seattle had tallied three or fewer runs, the longest single-season streak in the majors since 1920.

Russell Branyan also drove in a pair of runs for Seattle, while Chone Figgins had four hits in the loss. Ichiro Suzuki went 3-for-4 with four runs scored and an RBI to raise his season hit total to a major league-best 189.

Seattle will pin its hopes tonight on righty David Pauley, who is 2-7 with a 4.39 ERA. Pauley did not get a decision on Friday in Anaheim, as the Angels reached him for three runs in 6 2/3 innings of Seattle's 4-3 loss.

Pauley lost to the Red Sox on August 25 and is 0-2 with a 3.97 ERA in two starts against them.

Boston is 6-3 against Seattle this season.