Ortiz Homers, Haren Hurt In Boston's Win Over LA
[photogallerylink id=35574 align=right]David Ortiz hit two homers in the same stadium where he won the Home Run Derby nearly two weeks ago, and Clay Buchholz pitched seven strong innings in the Boston Red Sox's 6-3 victory over Dan Haren and the slumping Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.
Haren struck out eight in his Angels debut before Kevin Youkilis' fifth-inning line drive hit him in the right arm. Los Angeles traded four players to Arizona to land the three-time All-Star, whose bruised forearm will be re-evaluated Tuesday.
Ortiz hit a solo shot in the third inning and a two-run drive in the eighth during the 37th multihomer game of his career. Hideki Matsui hit a two-run homer in the eighth for the Angels, but J.D. Drew hit a two-run double in the ninth for Boston.
Youkilis had three hits and Victor Martinez had a run-scoring single in his first game back from the disabled list for the Red Sox, who opened the final series of their 10-game West Coast trip by winning the AL division series rematch.
Bobby Abreu homered early in the fifth loss in six games for the Angels, who had a tumultuous opener to a key six-game homestand just one day after sending dependable left-hander Joe Saunders to the Diamondbacks to land Haren (0-1).
The durable veteran's debut in his native southern California was both promising and worrying. Haren yielded seven hits and two runs before Youkilis' two-out drive back to the mound hit him in the arm when he attempted to catch it.
Haren dropped to his knees in pain on the infield grass, and the Angels' training staff quickly ushered the durable right-hander off the field, taking no chances with Los Angeles' big new investment.
Haren largely stayed out of trouble during 62 pitches over 4 2-3 innings, but again yielded a healthy number of hits - at least six for the 20th time in his 22 starts this season.
Buchholz (11-5) gave up five hits and one run in his first win since a stint on the disabled list, but late-inning drama followed him.
After Ortiz boosted Boston's lead in the eighth against reliever Fernando Rodney, Matsui trimmed it back to one run with a two-out homer, the fourth in six games for the once-struggling slugger.
Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon came on for the final out of the eighth, and Drew hit a double off the lip of the right-field wall against Angels reliever Michael Kohn, making his major league debut.
Drew then appeared to score from third base on an errant pitch by Rich Thompson, but umpire Wally Bell ruled Thompson had tagged him out at the plate. Boston manager Terry Francona vehemently argued the call.
Papelbon finished up the ninth for his 23rd save.
Buchholz was impressive in his second start back from a stint on the disabled list with a strained hamstring, striking out seven and giving up just one walk. The All-Star selection pitched out of a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the second inning, retired 11 straight in the middle innings and threw 114 pitches to win for the eighth time in 10 decisions.
Ortiz connected in the third inning on a fly that barely reached the second row of the short porch in the right-field corner, and he nearly duplicated the feat in the eighth on a drive that curved just foul - two pitches before his second homer. Big Papi has three homers in three days.
NOTES: Martinez missed the past 22 games with a broken thumb. ... The Angels sent RHPs Trevor Bell and Matt Palmer to Triple-A Salt Lake before the game while recalling the hard-throwing Kohn. ... Adrian Beltre led off the second inning with an unusual triple when Torii Hunter, the Angels' Gold Glove CF, failed to catch Beltre's drive to the fence - and then lost track of the ball, which sat at the base of the wall for several long seconds until Hunter realized where it was. ... Rodney hit Beltre with a pitch immediately after Ortiz's homer.
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