Dice-K threw an economical 106 pitches while giving Boston his deepest outing of the year, going 8 innings, giving up 4 hits, 1 run, while striking out 4. The lineup woke up after last night's "night off" to score 4 runs in the 8th inning to put the game away. David Ortiz had a breakout night going 3 for 4 while driving in 3. Jacoby Ellsbury also continued swinging a hot bat with a solo homerun in the 8th inning. Unfortunately for Chicago, this game was especially costly as Jose` Contreras ruptured his left achilles tendon after covering the first base bag. Contreras, who just came off the DL will need surgery and is certainly out for the season. Considering he is listed at 36 years old but is likely closer to 40, his career is in fact now in question. So much for Ozzie's guarantee (Guillen was quoted as saying "if Jose pitches the way he can, he won't lose another game this season, bye bye Twins"....idiot).Say what you want about Dice-k's frustrating pitching style, but he will be receiving some Cy Young votes come October. He is 13-2, sports a 2.90 era, 98 strike outs. Opponents are hitting a mere .209 against him and the Sox are 16-4 in games Dice-K starts. They say great pitchers can win anywhere and perhaps the most important number for the Sox however are Dice-K's numbers on the road: 6-0 with a 2.10 era. Considering how poorly this team has played away from Fenway, ponder how much worse it would be without Dice-K's numbers. Overall, a good win tonight, now let's root for Seattle....
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