Written by Jason Mastrodonato at Boston Herald.com
In what has been a relatively vanilla season for the once-diabolical Hanley Ramirez, the Red Sox have neither lived nor died with their shortstop-turned-outfielder-turned-first-baseman.
But after he was plunked by a fastball from San Francisco Giants reliever Albert Suarez in the fourth inning last night, held his bat firmly in his left hand and took a few steps toward the mound, Ramirez looked ready to spill — one way or the other.
In the sixth inning, Ramirez connected for his third two-run homer of the game against Suarez and the Red Sox rode the six-RBI performance to a turbulent 11-7 interleague victory against the Giants in what was described as a playoff-like atmosphere at Fenway Park. The win completed the Sox’ two-game sweep of the NL West leaders and pushed them into first place in the AL East by a half-game over the Baltimore Orioles.
“That was probably the most electric atmosphere we’ve had this year, and since I got called up (last season),” Travis Shaw, who slugged a solo homer, said of the team’s eighth win in nine games. “It was different than any other game we’ve played.”
Ramirez started the scoring in the second inning with a homer off Giants starter Matt Cain that sent right fielder Mac Williamson tumbling into the Red Sox bullpen. In the third, Ramirez sent another Cain offering to dead center, and by the end of the inning, Drew Pomeranz had an 8-0 lead to work with in his Red Sox debut.
“I had some long innings there,” said Pomeranz, who allowed five runs and lasted just three-plus innings. “I’m not used to having those long-run innings. This team is amazing.”
After a long wait in the dugout, Pomeranz allowed seven straight batters to reach safely in the fourth and was pulled with nobody out.
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