Price, bats power Red Sox past Padres
SAN DIEGO -- David Price allowed two runs over seven innings, and Travis Shaw and Dustin Pedroia combined for five RBIs Wednesday night as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Padres 7-2 at Petco Park to move into first place in the American League East.
The win, coupled with Toronto's loss to the Yankees in New York, gave the Red Sox a one-game lead over the Blue Jays heading into their three-game series in Toronto starting Friday night.
Price (15-8) allowed six hits and no walks with eight strikeouts in a highly-efficient outing. He threw 98 pitches with 76 going for strikes.
Boston reliever Koji Uehara pitched a scoreless eighth in his first outing since July 19. He had been on the disabled list with a right pectoral strain.
Shaw drove in Boston's first three runs, including a two-run homer off Padres starter and loser Jarred Cosart (0-3). Pedroia capped a three-run Boston third with a two-run double.
Hanley Ramirez and pinch-hitter Brock Holt each hit solo homers for the Red Sox in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.
The game see-sawed into a 2-2 tie after three innings before an errant toss by Padres' first baseman Will Myers resulted in the departure of Cosart and triggered a three-run Boston fourth.
With one out in the fourth, Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a hopper toward first that Myers charged and made an under-handed flip to Cosart, who had to look back toward Myers while trying to find the first-base bag.
Cosart caught the ball, but missed the bag and landed awkwardly on his right leg. Cosart departed with a strained right hamstring and a strained right groin.
Carlos Villanueva replaced Cosart and immediately gave up back-to-back singles to Chris Young and Shaw, the second hit scoring Bradley with the tiebreaking run. After Price struck out and Young and Shaw advanced on a double steal, Pedroia hit a two-run double to make it 5-2.
Cosart allowed three runs (two earned on Shaw's homer) on two hits and two walks in 3 1/3 innings.
The Padres took a 1-0 lead in the first against Price on a two-out single by Myers, who scored from first on Yangervis Solarte's perfectly-placed double. He hit a sharp grounder inside the third-base bag that rolled all the way into the left field corner.
Cosart walked Bradley with one out in the second, then gave up a 425-foot, two-out rocket into the right-field stands on the first pitch to Shaw. He started at third base Wednesday after prized rookie Yoan Moncada struck out seven times in seven at-bats in the first two games of the series.
The Padres tied the game in the third. Cosart opened the inning with a single and advanced to second on a single by Jon Jay, who was starting his first game since suffered a right forearm fracture when hit by a pitch back June 19.
Luis Sardinas bunted the runners to second and third and Cosart scored on a sacrifice fly by Myers.
Ramirez widened the Red Sox lead to 6-2 when he opened the eighth inning by hitting his 21st homer on the first major league pitch thrown by Padres' right-hander Jake Smith. Smith, 26, a 48th-round draft pick of the Giants in the 2011 draft, was promoted by the Padres from Double-A San Antonio earlier Wednesday.
NOTES: The Padres paid tribute to retiring Boston slugger David Ortiz before Wednesday's game, presenting him with a surfboard. The Red Sox designated hitter was limited to pinch-hitting duties during the three games at Petco Park. ... Thanks to Thursday's off day before the Friday night's opener of the Blue Jays series in Toronto, the Red Sox are altering their rotation. RHP Rick Porcello and LHP Eduardo Rodriguez will start the first two games in Toronto with Clay Buchholz starting Sunday. David Price starts Monday's opener of the Baltimore series at Fenway Park with Drew Pomeranz being pushed back from Sunday to Tuesday.