Pad'ing the Lead

Well, the Pads finished out the latest homestand. The Sox finished 8-1, their best homestand record since 2010. The latest was yesterday's 8-2 win over the Pads. In this one, the Sox had 18 hits, spreading most of them around the roster every starter having at least one hit. Even better, eight players had at least a pair, and Jake came up with three, including a solo shot in the last of the 8th. Only his second HR of the year, it's been the one thing from his overall kit that has been missing since his near MVP breakout in 2011. He's also back over .300 and leads the majors in steals with a current 33.
Among the other multi-hit contributors were The Dustman and Papi, each of whom added a pair of ribbies to their hit totals on the evening. The team was quickly up three zip after two and five two after five before adding the runs that essentially put things out of reach in the 6th.
As for pitching, Allen Webster, entering the game with an ERA of well over 9, picked up his first Big League W with a neat well pitched six innings. Here allowed the Pads pair of runs, but gave up just five hits and K'd four in his time on the mound. In the process, his ERA also dropped almost two runs per game to 7.88. It's still high, but you gotta' start somewhere, and last night at least has things heading in the right direction. after he left, the pen closed things out with a perfect 2K inning from Bailey, followed by a successive pair of shutout one hit innings from Wilson and Breslow.
With the W, the Sox are now at a season high 19 games over .500, and 4.5 ahead of the Birds. They also remain 6 up on the Stripes. Tonight they're playing out here on the Left Coast, against the Halo's in Anaheim. Later next week they'll be here in the Bay Area and I'll be blogging in person.