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BOSTON -- Pitching, patience and the Atlanta Braves are bringing the Boston Red Sox back from their longest losing streak in 20 years. Lance Alworth . The defending World Series champions hope that three straight wins after 10 consecutive losses are just the start of their resurgence. John Lackey pitched neatly into the seventh inning and the Red Sox beat the Braves for the third straight day, 4-0 Wednesday night. "Were not looking too far ahead," Lackey said. "You cant make up 10 games in one day. Youve just got to keep grinding at it." On Tuesday night, the Red Sox won 6-3 in Atlanta as Jon Lester allowed three runs in six innings and broke a two-game personal losing streak. Lackey (6-3) got his turn and kept his stingy season going, giving up eight hits and no walks while striking out nine in 6 1-3 innings. He has permitted two runs or less in eight of his 12 starts. "Im going out there and trying to compete, trying to pitch the best I could every five days, regardless of whats going on," Lackey said. "As a starter, you only get 30-something chances a year, so youve got to respect those and take full advantage of them." The Red Sox honoured Manny Ramirez, Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling and other members of their 2004 World Series championship team before the game then put on another winning performance at Fenway Park. Jackie Bradley Jr., A.J. Pierzynski and Jonny Gomes each had had two hits and an RBI as the Red Sox extended their mastery over the Braves. Boston is 18-6 since 2005 against Atlanta. Lackeys performance, "on the heels of what weve come off of (was) much needed," Boston manager John Farrell said. "When you look at the last two nights, both John Lackey and Jon Lester have done an excellent job of getting deep in the game." Lackey combined with three relievers for Bostons first shutout of the season. He allowed more than one runner in just two innings and just one past second. "If you throw strikes, you have a tendency to get any hitters aggressive and you can expand" the strike zone, Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "We got nine hits, left all kinds of people on base. We just couldnt get that next one." Gavin Floyd (0-2) gave up two runs in five innings and took his first career loss against the Red Sox after seven wins. He is 3-1 at Fenway Park. Boston went ahead 1-0 in the second inning when Gomes led off with a single and kept going to second on a throwing error by shortstop Ramiro Pena. "You just have to look past those things when those things happen and hope things will turn around," Floyd said. They didnt. Gomes took third on a wild pitch before Grady Sizemore walked, and scored when Daniel Nava grounded into a double play. The Red Sox added a run in the third on a double by Xander Bogaerts, one of his three hits, and singles by David Ortiz and Pierzynski. Boston made it 3-0 in the sixth against Alex Wood when Gomes walked, took second on a single by Sizemore and scored on a double by Bradley. In Tuesday nights win, Bradley hit a two-run single in a four-run seventh when Boston took the lead. The Red Sox reached Wood for another run in the seventh on an RBI single by Gomes. In each of his first six innings, Lackey had at least one strikeout and didnt allow a runner past second. He retired the first hitter in the seventh then allowed singles to Tommy La Stella and Pena that put runners at first and third. Lackey left after throwing 105 pitches. Chris Capuano retired Jason Heyward on a groundout as the runners advanced to second and third. Heywards bat broke and Capuano fell on his back as he just avoided being hit by a broke piece. Capuano walked B.J. Upton, loading the bases, before getting Freddie Freeman to end the threat with a grounder. Junichi Tazawa and Craig Breslow completed the victory with one scoreless inning each. NOTES: More than 30 members of the 2004 Red Sox attended the pregame ceremony. ... Atlanta C Evan Gattis returned to the starting lineup after missing Tuesday nights loss when he strained his right wrist during batting practice. ... Braves SS Andrelton Simmons missed the game after leaving Tuesday nights loss with an inflamed right ankle. ... Atlanta 2B La Stella made his major league debut by going 2 for 4. ... Bostons Jake Peavy (1-2) pitches the finale of the two-game series against Mike Minor (2-3) on Thursday night. Corey Liuget Authentic Jersey . The story of the scoreless first period was Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward, as the Jets outshot the Hurricanes 13-6 and had a number of grade “A” scoring chances, the best off the stick of Bryan Little. Nick Novak Authentic Jersey .J. -- Thierry Henry and Lloyd Sam scored second-half goals to give the New York Red Bulls their first win of the season, 2-1 over the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday night. MANCHESTER, England -- Manchester City smashed through the 100-goal barrier in the Premier League with a 4-0 win over Aston Villa on Wednesday that moved the team two points clear with a game left and within touching distance of a second title in three years. City turned a match gripped with tension into a procession with four goals in the final 26 minutes, with Edin Dzekos double ending Villas stubborn resistance and Yaya Toures spectacular solo goal completing the scoring in injury time. A draw at home to West Ham on Sunday will be enough for City to settle a thrilling title race, with only Liverpool capable of stopping them. Chelsea, in third place, has been knocked out of contention. If City does go on to capture the championship, it will have done so in style under attack-minded coach Manuel Pellegrini -- just as was desired by the clubs Abu Dhabi owners. "In the way we play, I am very happy to win the title this way," said Pellegrini, speaking as if the Premier League trophy was already in Citys hands. "There are different ways to win titles -- I choose this one with attractive football ... Maybe you can win titles other ways. For me, the esthetic part is very important." City has been most pundits favourite the whole season but the team is doing it the hard way -- just like in 2012 when it won the title with two injury-time goals in its final match. Pellegrinis side has been top for just 11 days this season - compared to 59 for Liverpool, 64 for third-place Chelsea and 128 for fourth-place Arsenal. But City has hit form just as Liverpool has started to blunder, dropping five points in its last two games. City, by contrast, has won its last four matches and has a superior goal difference of 13 to Liverpool. Also Wednesday, Sunderland beat West Bromwich Albion 2-0 to guarantee another season in the Premier League and virtually relegate Norwich, which is three points behind West Brom but with a much inferior goal difference. There was a party atmosphere inside Etihad Stadium as City fans celebrated Toures brilliant goal, a powerful run through Villas defennce from inside his own half.David Johnson. For the first 63 minutes, however, it had been very different. Villas packed defence had held firm under constant pressure and it was looking like one of those nights for City. Pellegrini remained calm on the touchline, though, and the hosts didnt abandon their passing philosophy, eventually making the breakthrough in the 64th when full back Pablo Zabaleta -- on yet another raid down the right -- crossed for Dzeko to steer home from close range. The goal was greeted by an outpouring of relief by the home fans but Dzeko -- and Zabaleta for that matter -- werent finished. From another teasing centre by Zabaleta, Samir Nasris effort was saved by goalkeeper Brad Guzan but the ball landed at the feet of Dzeko, who dribbled the ball into the corner in the 72nd for his fifth goal in three games. Villa started to push forward and that played into Citys hands. Toure cut the ball back for substitute Stevan Jovetic to curl a low shot into the corner from the edge of the area in the 89th, before the Ivory Coast midfielder capped the win with an emphatic fourth, his 20th of the campaign. "An amazing amount of goals," Pellegrini said, who hailed Toure as "the absolute complete midfielder." Chelseas Frank Lampard is the only other central midfielder to score 20 or more goals in the Premier League era, in the 2009-10 season. A month ago, Sunderland manager Gus Poyet said it would be a "miracle" if his team stayed up but thats exactly what it has done after first-half goals by Jack Colback and Fabio Borini against West Brom. Sunderland has picked up 13 points from its last five matches -- including wins over Chelsea and Manchester United and a draw at City. "I dont know if you will see something similar ever again," said Poyet, whose team is only the second since the Premier League started in 1992 to be last at Christmas and stay up. Despite the loss, West Brom is effectively safe as it is three points clear of Norwich but with a goal difference 17 better ahead of Sundays final round of the season. ' ' ' |
