Boston, MA – Allen Webster pitched six solid innings to earn his first career major league victory as the Boston Red Sox completed a three- game series sweep of the San Diego Padres with a 8-2 victory.
Webster (1-2) allowed two runs on five hits and four walks. The 23-year-old right-hander was one of five players traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Red Sox last August in exchange for Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, Nick Punto and cash last season.
Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz had two RBI apiece while Brandon Snyder and Jacoby Ellsbury hit solo home runs for the Red Sox, who have won eight of their last nine games.
Chase Headley and Jesus Guzman each drove in one run for the Padres, who are on a six-game losing streak. Starter Eric Stults (6-7) lasted just 4 1/3 innings, surrendering four runs on nine hits.
Ellsbury had a leadoff single in the bottom of the first and Shane Victorino doubled to put runners at the corners. Pedroia then ripped a double to left to bring both of them home.
An inning later, Snyder clubbed his first home run of the season to give the Red Sox a 3-0 lead.
The Padres responded in the third. Pedro Ciriaco drew a walk, Logan Forsythe was hit a by a pitch and Will Venable singled to left to load the bases. After Carlos Quentin flew out, Headley hit a sacrifice fly to center that scored Ciriaco.
San Diego had a chance to score more after Guzman drew a walk to reload the bases, but Mark Kotsay grounded out to end the frame.
In the fourth, Mike Napoli singled to start the Red Sox' half of the inning and Ryan Lavarnway delivered a two-out base hit up the middle. Jose Iglesias then hit a ground-rule double to right, scoring Napoli.
Guzman cut the deficit to 4-2 with a two-out RBI single in the fifth, but Jonny Gomes responded with an RBI single to right in the home half.
The Red Sox added to the lead in the sixth. Lavarnway, Iglesias and Ellsbury connected on three straight singles, though Victorino grounded into a fielder's choice to first and Lavarnway was thrown out at the plate. Ortiz smacked a two-RBI single to right later on, however, to extend the margin to 7-2.
Ellsbury smashed a 1-0 changeup into the seats right in the eighth to account for the final margin.
Craig Breslow gave up a one-out double to Forsythe in the ninth, but got Venable and Quentin out to end the game.
Game Notes
Ellsbury is on a 14-game hitting streak ... The Red Sox have 53 wins on the 4th of July for just the second time in franchise history. They also did so in 1978 ... The last time the Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates owned the best record in their respective leagues on July 4th was 1903. Back then, Boston was known as the "Americans." They would defeat Pittsburgh in that year's best- of-9 World Series.
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