CarL1 Salem Red Sox

Middlebrooks' Two Bombs Power Sox Past Indians

July 7, 2010 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem Red Sox News Release


Kinston, NC (July 7, 2010) - Will Middlebrooks blasted two laser line drive homers and Michael Lee tossed five and a third scoreless innings to lead the Red Sox past the Indians on Wednesday night at Grainger Stadium. Salem only mustered four hits in the game and was outhit five to four, but two of the knocks were round-trippers and another was a two-out RBI single for Mitch Dening. Both Middlebrooks and Dening went 2-4 as the Sox won in Kinston for the first time in 2010.

In just his second start of the season, Lee changed speeds and pounded the strike zone to retire 10 of the first 11 he faced and dominate the Indians over five and a third. The Indians managed just two singles off Lee, who was removed when the Sox led 4-0 in the last of the sixth inning. Lee's only two walks came in the sixth, leading to the Indians first real threat of the day, but reliever Cesar Cabral induced a double play ball off the bat of Bo Greenwell to escape the predicament. Cabral allowed one run but looked solid in two and two thirds innings out of the pen, and Kyle Fernandes earned his seventh save by throwing a scoreless ninth for the Red Sox. Lee picked up the victory and improved to 6-3 on the year.

After cracking four homers in the first 82 games, Middlebrooks has jacked three homers in the past three games, only two of which he has played in. The All-Star third-baseman bopped a grand slam on Monday in Myrtle Beach and drilled a two-run shot in the first inning on Wednesday, then followed it up with a solo bomb in the sixth. In his last three games played, Middlebrooks has gone 7-14 with three homers, six runs scored and 11 RBI.

T.J. House was tagged with the loss, charged with four runs in six innings. House served up both homers and fell to 2-6 on the season. David Roberts tossed three hitless, scoreless innings out of the pen for the K-Tribe.

The Red Sox and Indians square off in game two of the three-game set at Grainger Stadium on Thursday night at 7:00. Mark Holliman, who tossed five scoreless innings against Myrtle Beach in his Salem debut, will make the start for the Sox opposite Joe Gardner for Kinston.

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