The Red Sox have taken a 4-3 lead through four innings on Mike Aviles’ solo shot.
After an errant throw to second allowed Desmond Jennings to take third on a stolen base attempt in the third, the Rays got back on top 3-2 on a single to Josh Reddick in right. With the ball hit hard enough and close enough to Reddick that Jennings had to hold up at third, it’s likely that the Rays wouldn’t have scored had the throw gone through cleanly on the steal.
Once again, though, the Sox quickly erased their deficit in the bottom half of the inning, and once again it was the combination of Dustin Pedroia (a line drive single) and David Ortiz (a double into the gap in right) that ultimately got the job done. And while the Sox would strand Ortiz on the basepaths, Mike Aviles would put them on top with two outs in the fourth. After being asked to bunt in the second, Aviles showed he could do a much better job swinging the bat. A 1-0 changeup from James Shields stayed up and over the plate, and Mike Aviles used it to put a noticeable hole in the Sports Authority sign over the Monster, putting Boston up 4-3.