Laser Show! Pedroia's Walkoff Lifts Red Sox Over Dodgers

The first couple swings Dustin Pedroia took against Jonathan Broxton were ugly. The third was just right—a line drive laser into right field. Daniel Nava sped home from second base, and the throw was off target, giving the Red Sox their fifth straight win.

If the Red Sox were going to lose any of those games, this one was it. A sloppy effort in the field produced four errors and Manny Ramirez cashed in on his all-but-guaranteed Fenway home run. But the offense provided just enough to set the Sox up for a walkoff opportunity, and Pedroia cashed in.

The teams traded runs early in the game, with a rare Manny Ramirez steal setting up Garret Anderson for an RBI single (one of his three hits in the game). The Sox answered in the bottom when Daniel Nava doubled in Victor Martinez for his seventh RBI in as many games. The Sox struck again in the fourth when Martinez turned on a 3-0 fastball and sent it well into the stands in right for a two-run shot. Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis exchanged solo shots over the Monster in the sixth to set the score at 4-2.

The Dodgers were not going to quit, though, and fought back in the seventh. A pair of doubles would have been bad enough, but Bill Hall misplayed the second one in right field, allowing Blake DeWitt to advance to third with one out. Manny Delcarmen relieved Tim Wakefield; a sacrifice fly later, and the score was tied on an unearned run.

Hideki Okajima and Hong-Chih Kuo both managed four scoreless outs. Papelbon kept the Dodgers off the board in the ninth, setting up the game winning rally.

It started with a weak Bill Hall chopper that found a hole up the middle. A failed bunt almost turned into a double play, but Daniel Nava managed to beat the throw to first, moving to second when Marco Scutaro drew walked. From there, it was all Pedroia.