After pulling off the victory on Tuesday, the Red Sox are out for the fabled winning streak Wednesday night in Seattle. We'll keep you up-to-date on all the action as it goes down In Safeco.
Mariners 2, Red Sox 1, Mid 8th -- The Mariners work around a one-out single from Jacoby Ellsbury. They've got just three outs to go before they put the Red Sox right back into the loss column.
Mariners 2, Red Sox 1, End 7th -- Andrew Miller replaces Aaron Cook, strikes out two, walks one, and gets a Jesus Montero fly ball to end the inning.
Mariners 2, Red Sox 1, Mid 7th -- Stephen Pryor enters the game for Kevin Millwood and allows a one-out walk to Mike Aviles, but Charlie Furbush follows him, strikes out Mauro Gomez (pinch hitting for Ryan Kalish who was pinch hitting for Pedro Ciriaco), and gets a fly ball from Scott Podsednik to put any possible rally to an end.
Mariners 2, Red Sox 1, End 6th -- James Loney makes a strong play to give Cook another 1-2-3 frame in the sixth. After a pair of pop-ups earned Cook his first two outs, the first baseman goes diving into foul territory to grab a ground ball off the bat of Dustin Ackley, and makes the throw to first to just barely catch the Seattle second baseman by a step.
Mariners 2, Red Sox 1, Mid 6th -- And the Red Sox finally get on the board thanks to just about who you'd expect. Dustin Pedroia reaches base to start the inning, working a 7-pitch walk off of Millwood. One out later, and Cody Ross manages to drop a ball just fair into the right field corner for an RBI double, cutting the Mariners' lead to one.
Mariners 2, Red Sox 0, End 5th -- Cook responds with a quick 1-2-3 inning of his own, but with the offense going the way it is, he's already given up all he needs to for the loss tonight.
Mariners 2, Red Sox 0, Mid 5th -- Millwood is having a very on-off night, getting through another 1-2-3 frame in the fifth, again on just the 10 pitches.
Mariners 2, Red Sox 0, End 4th -- And Aaron Cook is the first to blink in this "just barely good enough" battle. A pair of singles and a walk serve to load the bases before a single out is recorded, and while Cook is able to pick up the first out on an easy pop-up to Dustin Pedroia, he can't quite get the second one. Dustin Ackley slashes a sinker back to the mound and into center field, bringing two runs in to score before Cook can get the easier ground balls he needs.
Red Sox 0, Mariners 0, Mid 4th -- Millwood, like Cook, is living dangerously and getting away with it. A two-out rally with hits from Ross and Loney combined with a walk to Jarrod Saltalamacchia gives Ryan Lavarnway another chance to deliver. Once again, however, he falls short, grounding out to third to keep the Sox off the board.
Red Sox 0, Mariners 0, End 3rd -- In what is perhaps the most unexpected Aaron Cook inning of all time, the no-true-outcomes pitcher strikes out the first two batters he faces, walks the next two, and then strikes out Jesus Montero to keep the Mariners off the board. He's living dangerously, but at least for now he's living.
Red Sox 0, Mariners 0, Mid 3rd -- Millwood's third inning looks a lot like his second, from the 10 pitches it takes to the remarkably short duration. The best news is that the Sox will have Dustin Pedroia leading off the fourth as a result of the 1-2-3 frame.
Red Sox 0, Mariners 0, End 2nd -- A pair of hits against Cook is once again not the best of signs for future success, but he manages to keep the Mariners off the board all-the-same. If he can keep spreading the damage out, he can survive.
Red Sox 0, Mariners 0, Mid 2nd -- The Sox manage to put up a decent threat in the second inning. A ground ball from Cody Ross gets through into right field for a leadoff single, giving the Sox their first baserunner of the game. One out later, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia makes it two with a walk. Unfortunately, the man who won last night's game in Ryan Lavarnway isn't up to the task of getting the Sox ahead again, instead grounding into a double play to wipe out the momentum.
Red Sox 0, Mariners 0, End 1st -- Aaron Cook is out of the inning without any harm done, but it's not a frame that speaks to future success. The Mariners tattoo a pair of balls with two outs, but only the one goes for a hit. Cook is high in the zone tonight, and that generally means disaster is just around the bend.
Red Sox 0, Mariners 0, Mid 1st -- Blink and you missed it. Kevin Millwood works efficiently through the first three batters of the Boston lineup, requiring just nine pitches and under three minutes to get the job done against Scott Podsednik, Dustin Pedroia, and Jacoby Ellsbury. 54 minute game incoming? Something tells me not.