| Closing Time: David Ortiz leads Red Sox to rout of Marlins | 06.20.12 at 10:24 pm ET |
David Ortiz isn’t slowing down.
The Red Sox’ designated hitter highlighted his team’s 15-5 win over the Marlins Wednesday night at Fenway Park with a fourth-inning grand slam. The homer – the slugger’s 11th grand slam of his career and first since July 27, 2011 – broke open what would be the Sox’ 35th win of the season.
Ortiz is slightly ahead of his pace of last season, when he had totaled 17 homers through the first 68 games. The DH came into the game hitting .314 with a 1.005 OPS. He now also has four home runs in his last six games.
The win marked just the most runs the Sox scored in a game this season, with the previous high coming in a 13-6 win over the Rays on April 14.
Earning the win for the Red Sox was starter Felix Doubront, who allowed four runs on nine hits over six innings, striking out four and not walking a batter.
WHAT WENT RIGHT
- Mike Aviles got the Red Sox on the board with a three-run homer over the left field wall in the second inning. The home run was Aviles’ ninth for the season, the second-most of any American League shortstop (trailing Baltimore’s J.J. Hardy by two.
- Cody Ross continued to stay hot in his second game back from his foot injury, clearing the bases with a bases-loaded double in the third inning. The one out smash to left field scored Daniel Nava, Ryan Kalish and Ortiz.
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia followed up Ortiz’ grand slam with a homer of his own, easily clearing the wall in center field for his 12th home run of the season. It tied Chicago’s A.J. Pierzynski for the most homers by any American League catcher.
- The only other homer for the Sox came in the eighth inning when Will Middlebrooks, who came on for Kevin Youkilis as a pinch-runner in the sixth inning, went over the left-center field wall for his seventh homer of the season.
- Nava came away with his second four-hit game of the season, raising his batting average to .315. Others with multi-hit games for the Sox were Kalish, Saltalamacchia, Youkilis and Aviles.
WHAT WENT WRONG
- It wasn’t an easy road for Doubront, who allowed runs in three of his first four innings. The only home run hit against the lefty came from Logan Morrison, who came into the game 6-for-12 with two homers and six RBI against the Red Sox this season.
- The replacement for Dustin Pedroia — who insisted he would be in the lineup Thursday after getting a day off to rest his injured right thumb — Nick Punto was the only Sox’ starter to not claim a hit (although he did walk and score a run).









- Cup of Coffee: Bradley, Holt shine in PawSox loss
- Xander Bogaerts, Portland to headline Futures at Fenway
- SoxProspects Video of the Week: Matt Barnes
- Cup of Coffee: Henry, Diaz propel Pawtucket to blowout victory
- Cup of Coffee: Spring's walk-off grand slam lifts Portland
- Bradley: "Everything's back to normal"
- Cup of Coffee: PawSox, Drive produce walk-off wins
- PawSox activate Jackie Bradley, Jr. from disabled list
- Weekly Notes: De La Rosa, Betts take center stage
- Cup of Coffee: Shaw leads 18-hit attack in Sea Dogs rout



























