Ortiz gets 1,000th RBI; Red Sox top Nationals 6-4
WASHINGTON (AP) — David Ortiz got his 1,000th RBI, Nick Green played a scary game of dodge-the-bat, and the Boston Red Sox looked right at home again in the nation’s capital Wednesday night in a 6-4 victory over the Washington Nationals.
Red Sox Nation invaded Nationals Park for the second consecutive night, their fans stuffing the seats for a crowd of 41,530 – breaking the ballpark record by 13 set in the series opener on Tuesday. So far, it’s been worth the trip: Boston has won the first two games by a combined score of 17-7 in its first regular-season visit to Washington since 1971.
Ortiz and Jason Varitek homered, and Jon Lester (6-6) allowed three runs and six hits over six innings for the Red Sox, who have won 16 of 21. Jonathan Papelbon got his 17th save.
One of Washington’s hits came because Green was more concerned with a bouncing broken bat that arrived just ahead of Elijah Dukes’ routine grounder in the second inning.
The shortstop fended off the flying debris with his right forearm and couldn’t field the ball. The bat ended up upright in the grass in shallow left field, and Dukes was awarded a single in a rally that produced the Nationals’ only run until the sixth inning.
Craig Stammen (1-3) was perfect for three innings for the Nationals, but the rookie threw a 3-2 changeup to Ortiz with two outs and two on in the fourth. Ortiz launched the ball beyond the center field wall to give him RBI No. 1,000 – along with two more.
Varitek hit a fastball into the bleachers in right-center for a two-run shot in the sixth to give the Red Sox a 6-1 lead. The Nationals scored two in the bottom of the inning on Josh Willingham’s single and added another in the seventh on Cristian Guzman’s triple, but Ryan Zimmerman’s bid to tie the game in the seventh fell a couple of feet short when center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury snagged a deep fly just before bumping into the fence in front of the Red Sox bullpen.
Notes: Boston hitting coach Dave Magadan was ejected by home plate umpire Bob Davidson in the top of the fourth inning after disputing a low-and-away strike to Kevin Youkilis. It was Magadan’s fifth career ejection, his second as a coach. … Washington’s Adam Dunn didn’t start after feeling discomfort in his right wrist. An MRI was negative, and he walked as a pinch hitter in the eighth and stayed in the game in left field. … Boston manager Terry Francona is one win away from 800. … Guzman has a streak of seven consecutive multi-hit games. … After winning a season-high four straight games last week, the worst-in-baseball Nationals have been outscored 26-11 in three consecutive losses.
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