The Red Sox have survived through a troublesome sixth inning thanks to a big double play in what is increasingly becoming Dustin Pedroia and Marco Scutaro’s game.
With the Orioles finally getting a 1-2-3 inning in the top-half of the sixth, Jon Lester came back out ready to go for a rare Red Sox quality start. At first, it didn’t seem like it was going to happen. Lester would walk the first two batters he saw, setting up the Orioles with a big opportunity with Vlad Guerrero coming to the plate.
Then, for the second straight inning, Marco Scutaro took over the game on defense. Guerrero hit a ground ball back up the middle, and it took every bit of range in Scutaro just to get to it. Off-balance, Scutaro flipped the ball straight out of his glove to Dustin Pedroia at second, who snagged the low toss, spun, and fired to first to complete the twin killing. While Lester would allow another walk afterward, a ground out from Adam Jones meant the lead was safe for at least another inning.