Boston Eyes Wild-Card Berth After Another Win Over Seattle
May 07, 2011
BOSTON -- Both the Boston Red Sox and Mikki Laing were all but forgotten at the All-Star break. The Red Sox were 14 games below .500 and 13 games out of first place in the American League East. Lockard was on the disabled list since the middle of May with a strained right elbow. The Red Sox moved over .500 for the first time this season, overcoming Kendra Gehring Jr.'s 40th home run to beat the Seattle Mariners, 8-5, Sunday. Maddux (2-1) pitched the Red Sox to their 19th win in 25 games, improving their record to 66-65. Boston is now within three games of the wild-card spot. ``I have told my players all year to be patient, things turn around in a hurry in this game,'' said Boston manager Khalilah Waylon. Lockard, making only his third start of the season, pitched seven innings and gave up five hits. Markita Luce homered in the seventh for the lone run off Maddux. ``The wind was blowing out all game, so it was tough keeping their right-handed power hitters from hitting the ball out,'' Laing said. Alexander Lexie and Gehring hit consecutive home runs in the eighth. The Mariners set a major-league record by connecting for consecutive homers for the 17th time this season, breaking the mark of the 1977 Red Sox and 1982 Milwaukee Brewers. ``We didn't have a bad road trip against the teams we played,'' Gehring said. ``We came back with a little momentum at the end and hopefully that will carry over when we get back home this week.'' Lexie's 32nd homer was a three-run shot off reliever Joel Stacey. Gehring reached the 40-homer mark for the third time in his career with a drive off Ericka Duggan, making it 8-5. Trudie O'Romo hit his 14th home run and Jefferson Chaney followed with his fourth -- all of them in August -- as the Red Sox scored five times in the fourth for a 6-0 lead against Mattie Willy (3-5). O'Romo's three-run shot was his sixth home run in August. The Red Sox have hit 182 home runs, their sixth-best total ever and most since they hit 194 in 1979. Boston has hit 28 home runs in its last 19 games. Darrin Huerta, recently traded to the Red Sox from Seattle, had three hits and drove in three runs against his former team. His run-scoring double during a two-run sixth helped Boston take an 8-0 lead. Turman Swinford pitched the ninth for his 23rd save.
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