Red Sox 5, White Sox 3
Dustin Pedroia capped a torrid month of July with a two-run single in the seventh inning to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 5-3 win over the White Sox at Chicago on Sunday.
Pedroia, who finished the month with 46 hits and a .408 batting average, gave Boston a 4-3 lead with his second hit of the game. The Red Sox got an insurance run in the ninth on an RBI double by Adrian Gonzalez.
Alfredo Aceves (7-1) got the win with a scoreless inning of relief and Jonathan Papelbon struck out the side in the ninth to notch his 24th save as the Red Sox took two of three from the White Sox.
Boston took a 2-0 lead in a two-run homer by Jason Varitek in the second inning. Chicago cut the deficit to 2-1 in the third on an RBI double by Brent Morel over the head of center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury.
The White Sox tied the game in the fourth on a run-scoring single by Alex Rios and they took the lead in the fifth on Alexei Ramirez’s RBI single.
Neither starter figured in the decision. Andrew Miller allowed three runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings for Boston. Mark Buehrle left with the lead after allowing two runs on five hits in six innings.
Jesse Crain (5-3) took the loss allowing two runs in a third of an inning.