The Red Sox dodged a sweep in the final game of their series against the Phillies on Thursday with a 5-2 win.
For the first four innings, the game was shaping up to be a pitcher's duel of the highest order, with each man allowing just two baserunners and flashing some unhittable stuff. But the game changed when Adrian Gonzalez took a fourth-inning cutter and lined it back at Hamels. Earlier in the game, Hamels had made a great grab on a very similar line drive from Jacoby Ellsbury, snagging it by instinct more than anything to record the out. This time, though, the ball caught him closer to his wrist, knocking the glove off his hand before bouncing back into Hamels' chest and possibly throwing arm.
The out was recorded, and Hamels finished the inning, but he did not return for the fifth as the Phillies decided to play it safe, having X-rays done to ensure nothing was broken (they came back negative). In came David Herndon, and out came the Red Sox' bats. Josh Reddick tripled with one out and came around to score the first run of the game on Drew Sutton's single. Sutton would cross home, too, thanks to singles from Marco Scutaro and Jacoby Ellsbury.
Then came the power display. Jason Varitek homered in the sixth inning to send Herndon off with a bang, leaving the Phillies to bring in Drew Carpenter for the seventh and eighth. The first half of his outing was shaky, but Carpenter worked around a pair of zero-out singles to hold the Sox scoreless in the seventh. Not so in the eighth. as Dustin Pedroia went opposite field for his seventh homer of the year before Jason Varitek followed him up with his second of the game. Josh Reddick nearly made it back-to-back-to-back homers with a very long fly ball, but Ben Francisco made the grab with his back against the wall.
The Phillies were not having nearly so much luck with Lester, who had kept them scoreless in the fifth and sixth. They mounted their best threat of the game against him in the seventh, putting two men on with one out as Lester tired, but the Sox ace got Ben Francisco to fly out and then struck out Raul Ibanez to end the threat.
Bobby Jenks gave the Phillies fans something to cheer for in the ninth, allowing a two-run homer to Ryan Howard, but Jonathan Papelbon came in and closed things out to give the Sox the win.