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Pomeranz Strong in Sox Win

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BOSTON – (Staff and wire service report from The Sports Xchange) – Drew Pomeranz came off the disabled list to throw six-plus strong innings, Dustin Pedroia drove in four runs, and Christian Vazquez had four hits and two RBIs to lead the Boston Red Sox to an 8-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night.

Pomeranz, who returned from a left forearm injury, walked one and struck out six to earn his first career victory in seven starts — 11 appearances — at Fenway Park.

Andrew Benintendi

Pablo Sandoval and Pedroia hit sacrifice flies to give the Red Sox (4-3) a 2-0 lead, and Pedroia singled home a pair off reliever Darren O’Day in a three-run seventh inning that saw the Orioles (4-2) commit two errors.

Vazquez, just 1-for-1 on the season entering the contest, matched his career high in hits and capped his big night with a two-run triple in the eighth inning. Pedroia then brought the final run home with an infield hit as Vazquez scored his second run.

Boston’s Andrew Benintendi added three hits and an RBI, and Mookie Betts and Chris Young had two hits apiece in a 15-hit attack.

Dylan Bundy (1-1) gave up three runs in 6 1/3 innings, falling to 1-3 with a 6.86 ERA in his four career starts against Boston. O’Day relieved in the sloppy seventh and had his second straight rough outing.

Jonathan Schoop’s groundout made it 2-1 in the seventh before the Red Sox broke it open.

Three relievers worked an inning apiece behind Pomeranz, who allowed one run on four hits. The left struck out six and walked one.

The Orioles had a threat in the second inning on a single by Welington Castillo and double by Trey Mancini with one out. But Pomeranz got out of it and retired 12 straight batters before Adam Jones doubled with one out in the sixth inning.

Sandoval hit his sacrifice fly for his fifth RBI in the bottom of the inning, and Pedroia came through with his sac fly in the fifth.

NOTES: SS Xander Bogaerts and DH Hanley Ramirez (flu) both returned to the Red Sox lineup after missing the series in Detroit. … The Red Sox officially placed CF Jackie Bradley Jr. (knee) on the disabled list and sent INF Deven Marrero back to Triple-A Pawtucket. … Baltimore LF Trey Mancini worked pregame on taking balls off the Green Monster, saying he worked on the replica wall at Boston’s Fort Myers Jet Blue Park. … RHP Ubaldo Jimenez, 2-6 with a 6.92 ERA lifetime against Boston, goes for the Orioles in Wednesday’s series finale, facing RHP Steven Wright. Last year, Wright beat the Orioles both times he faced them. … The Red Sox play a makeup game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday

NBA: Celtics Control Playoff Destiny

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Milwaukee at Boston
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Special to Digital Sports Desk by SportsDirect

BOSTON – In a scenario that seemed unlikely a week ago, the Boston Celtics can clinch the top seed in the Eastern Conference with a win over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks in the finale of the regular season for both teams Wednesday night. After losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers last Wednesday and then at the Atlanta Hawks the next night, the Celtics trailed the Cavaliers by 1 1/2 games with three to play and with Cleveland holding the tiebreaker between the two teams.

Incredibly, the Cavaliers have dropped three in a row since then and Boston’s two-game winning streak has it in the driver’s seat for homecourt advantage through the East playoffs. “I thought about [the No. 1 seed] a lot,” Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas said after a 114-105 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday. “I think it’s pretty cool to be the No. 1 seed, and hopefully we can finish the season that way. It says a lot about this group. I don’t think anybody thought we’d be in this position, so it’s a nice feeling.” The Bucks clinched a playoff berth and entered Tuesday a half-game behind fifth-place Atlanta. They’ve also won two straight while limiting their opponents to an average of 80.5 points.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), CSN New England (Boston)

ABOUT THE BUCKS (42-39): Four players scored at least 15 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo picked up his third triple-double (10 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) in the 89-79 win over Charlotte at home last time out. The victory assured Milwaukee of its first winning season since 2009-10 and meant it could do no worse than the No. 6 seed. “We’ve grown a lot this season,” veteran guard Jason Terry said after utilizing five 3-pointers en route to a season-high 15 points. “For us to come back from where we were to be able to solidify a playoff position, it’s huge for this organization and going forward.”

ABOUT THE CELTICS (52-29): Thomas shouldered the load all season for Boston but there hasn’t been much of a drop-off in his production, as the All-Star has put up at least 25 points in 10 of his last 11 games. Fellow guard Avery Bradley has seemingly overcome some recent health issues and shooting woes, making 13-of-24 shots – including half of his 12 3-point attempts – over the last two games, and he has just three turnovers in 136 minutes this month. The Celtics last held the top seed in the East in 2007-08.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The teams split the first two meetings, one decided in overtime and another by three points.

2. Unless he manages to score 66 points, Thomas (2,186 points) will finish with the fifth-highest single-season scoring total in franchise history.

3. Bucks rookie PG Malcolm Brogdon had five points and three assists against Charlotte after missing the previous five games with a back injury.

NHL Playoffs: Bruins at Ottawa

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Boston at Ottawa
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Where: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario
By SportsDirect Inc.
OTTAWA – The Boston Bruins barely escaped a postseason matchup against the league-best Washington Capitals, but their “consolation prize” doesn’t offer much relief. The Ottawa Senators, who swept the four-game series against the Bruins and have beaten them six times in a row, will host Boston on Wednesday night in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.

 Eric Karlsson

The Senators finished second in the Atlantic Division — three points ahead of the Bruins — after missing the playoffs in 2015-16 and secured home ice with a last three-game winning streak that included a 2-1 shootout win at Boston. Ottawa’s main concern appears to have been alleviated when captain and star defenseman Erik Karlsson, who missed the final three games with a foot injury, returned to practice Tuesday and said he “absolutely” will be in the lineup for the series opener. The Bruins are back in the playoffs after a two-year absence, due in large part to a turnaround following the dismissal of coach Claude Julien in early February. Boston went 18-8-1 under interim coach Bruce Cassidy and won six in a row down the stretch to secure its spot in the postseason, but managed only six goals in the four matchups against the Senators.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, NHL Network, SN, TVA Sports

ABOUT THE BRUINS (44-31-7): Brad Marchand, who has a team-high 39 goals and scored 22 times in 41 games on the road, will return to the lineup after serving a two-game suspension for spearing Tampa Bay’s Jake Dotchin, but Boston has some major health worries. Defensemen Torey Krug (lower body) and Brandon Carlo (upper body) and rookie forward Noel Acciari have been ruled out of the series opener while third-leading goal scorer David Krejci and Dominic Moore missed Tuesday’s practice. That puts more of an onus on Tuukka Rask, who set career highs this season with 37 wins and eight shutouts.

ABOUT THE SENATORS (44-28-10): Ottawa, unlike the Bruins, is as healthy as it has been for much of the season, with the lone exception being defenseman Marc Methot, who is dealing with a finger injury resulting in a slash from Sidney Crosby. Coach Guy Boucher shuffled his lines at Tuesday’s practice by moving Zack Smith (sidelined the past six games) to center on the fourth line while pairing Jean-Gabriel Pageau with forwards Mike Hoffman and slumping Mark Stone. Goaltender Craig Anderson, who took a leave from the team while his wife battled cancer, won all four starts against Boston this season.

OVERTIME

1. The Bruins signed D Charlie McAvoy to a three-year, entry-level deal Monday and paired him with captain Zdeno Chara at the following day’s practice.

2. Stone and Smith are mired in goal-scoring droughts of 15 and 13 games, respectively.

3. Boston has scored one at even strength in the four matchups with Ottawa.

Red Sox Scout: Pomeranz Faces Os

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Baltimore at Boston
When: 7:10 PM ET, Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Where: Fenway Park, Boston
Preview for Digital Sports Desk by SportsDirect
BOSTON – It may only be a week into the regular season, but the early story of the Boston Red Sox’s campaign has been manager John Farrell’s inability to fill out a lineup card in the way he had hoped during spring training. One day after placing Jackie Bradley Jr. on the disabled list, the Red Sox expect to get back Xander Bogaerts from bereavement leave on Tuesday as they return home to begin a two-game series with the Baltimore Orioles.

Drew Pomeranz
Farrell told reporters Monday the clubhouse at Fenway Park was fumigated and disinfected a few times while Boston was visiting Detroit over the weekend in an effort to fight a flu bug that has sidelined Hanley Ramirez and Mookie Betts while also sending reliever Robbie Ross to the disabled list. To add further insult to injury, Bradley joined Ross on the 10-day DL on Monday after learning he suffered a right knee sprain, while Bogaerts’ return from Aruba was delayed a day when his flight never was cleared for takeoff Sunday night. The Orioles took a day off Monday to lick their wounds after becoming the last major-league team to suffer a loss in Sunday’s 7-3 setback against the New York Yankees. Baltimore’s dominant bullpen imploded in that defeat, as its relievers were charged with every run – including four in the ninth inning to Darren O’Day.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MASN2 (Baltimore), NESN (Boston)PITCHING MATCHUP: Orioles RH Dylan Bundy (1-0, 1.29 ERA) vs. Red Sox LH Drew Pomeranz (2016: 11-12, 3.32)Bundy allowed one run and four singles while registering eight strikeouts over seven innings in a win against Toronto on Wednesday. The fourth overall pick in the 2011 draft threw 69 of his 99 pitches for strikes and did not issue a walk as he limited the Blue Jays to one hit outside of a stretch in the third inning, when he gave up three straight. Bundy went 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA in six games (three starts) versus Boston last season and struggled against the two hitters he has faced the most: Bogaerts (4-for-12) and Dustin Pedroia (5-for-11).Pomeranz originally was slated to make his season debut over the weekend in Detroit before a rainout on Thursday curtailed that plan, so he will draw his first start in the opener of this series instead after dealing with a flexor strain and a triceps issue during the spring. The 28-year-old struggled at Fenway after arriving from San Diego in a mid-July trade, going 0-2 with a 6.43 ERA in seven appearances (six starts). One of those poor home outings came in his lone 2016 start versus the Orioles, as he gave up five runs – including a pair of homers – over only two innings.WALK-OFFS1. Orioles CF Adam Jones and 1B Chris Davis have homered in the same game 36 times since becoming teammates in 2011 – the highest total for any teammates over that span.2. Boston is the only team that has yet to allow a stolen base, as Cs Sandy Leon (three) and Christian Vazquez (one) have thrown out the runner on each of their four attempts.

3. All seven of the runs Baltimore’s bullpen has allowed in 20 2/3 innings this season came in Sunday’s loss to the Yankees.

Tigers Take Series From Sox

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Detroit 2, Boston 1
When: 1:10 PM ET, Monday, April 10, 2017
Where: Comerica Park, Detroit
Attendance: 24672
Special to Digital Sports Desk by The Sports Xchange

DETROIT — Nick Castellanos knew what was up. Castellanos came to bat with two outs in the eighth inning of a tie game Monday. Andrew Romine stood on second following a double and Ian Kinsler on first after walking on a 3-1 pitch from Chris Sale.”I knew exactly what they were going to do,” Castellanos said. “As soon as I saw Sale talking to (catcher Sandy) Leon through his glove, I had a good idea.”

What Sale did was to pitch around Kinsler, not give him anything good to hit, to bring up Castellanos. The Detroit third baseman squeezed a single through the left side of the infield, though, scoring Romine from second to give the Tigers a 2-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox and three wins in the four-game series.

“Sale has handled me in the past,” Castellanos said, “and Kins(ler) has hit him in the past. It feels good when you’re able to do that.

“You just walk to the plate with a little more of a chip on your shoulder.”

Kinsler had tagged a flat Sale breaking ball for a two-out home run in the sixth, his second of the season, to create the 1-1 tie. Castellanos had been struck out twice by Sale in what was an 0-for-3 day before the game-winning single.

“That was Sale,” Boston manager John Farrell said of Kinsler. “He had that game under control. Even in the eighth inning. He gets a ball off Brock (Holt’s) glove, from Romine once again, for the double.

“So with two outs, he’s kind of pitching around (Kinsler). Against a guy in Castellanos who (has) notoriously been better against right-handed pitching. I thought it was a matchup that we would certainly look to take advantage of. That was his game. That was his opportunity to shut the game off.”

Justin Wilson (1-0) picked up the victory after pitching a scoreless eighth inning. Francisco Rodriguez gave up a leadoff single in the ninth but then retired the side to notch his second save.

Sale (0-1), who recorded double-digit strikeouts for the 36th time in his career, got two quick outs in the eighth before Romine grounded his second double of the game into the left-field corner to set up the game-deciding hit.

Sale gave up five hits, walked one and fanned 10 in 7 2/3 innings.

Boston picked up an unearned run in the second off Justin Verlander. A leadoff double by Mitch Moreland, a walk plus an error loaded the bases with nobody out. Holt hit into double play to score the run.

“The second inning,” Farrell said, “we get into a bases-loaded situation. Nobody out you’re hopeful that you can get a crooked number up there but he makes a quality pitch to Brock to turn the double play and he was able to shut it off after that.

“Even after Mitch led off with a double (in the fourth) he was able to strand him. This was a classic pitcher’s duel that they hooked into.”

Verlander struggled with his command (112 pitches, 67 strikes) but still managed to get through seven innings, retiring 12 of the last 13 batters he faced. He gave up just three hits, walked two and struck out four.

“The good ones have the ability to get back in the count with a secondary pitch,” Detroit manager Brad Ausmus said, “because you can’t keep pumping heaters in fastball counts when you’re behind.

“And I think that was a big pitch for him when he got behind. He flipped the curveball over. He had the command of it to put it in the strike zone. Hitters generally aren’t looking to swing the bat in a 2-0, 1-0, 2-1 count on the curveball. They want to hit the fastball.”

NOTES: Boston SS Xander Bogaerts, due to return from bereavement leave, had his flight from Aruba cancelled. He is now slated to return to the Red Sox lineup Tuesday against Baltimore. … LF Justin Upton was a late lineup scratch by Detroit due to upper back tightness. He was replaced in the field by UT Andrew Romine. … LHP David Price, out of action since Feb. 28 with elbow soreness, threw a 20-pitch bullpen and will throw another one Wednesday if he feels well. There will be “a progression similar to spring training,” manager John Farrell said, before Price can return to the roster. … Detroit optioned RHP Bruce Rondon (40.50 ERA) to Toledo and purchased the contract of RHP Joe Jimenez from the Triple-A team to replace him. … Boston announced postgame it was placing CF Jackie Bradley Jr. (right knee strain) on the 10-day disabled list. 1B Hanley Ramirez worked out at Fenway Park and Farrell said he’ll start Tuesday.

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