BOSTON RED SOX (29-28) vs. WASHINGTON NATIONALS (32-23) Friday, June 8, 2012 • 7:10 p.m. ET • Fenway Park, Boston, MA LHP Felix Doubront (6-2, 3.75) vs. RHP Stephen Strasburg (6-1, 2.35) Game #58 • Home Game #31 • TV: NESN • Radio: WEEI 93.7 FM/850 AM, WWZN 1510 AM (Spanish) BACK ON TRACK: With a 7-0 win over the Orioles last SOLID CLAY: Clay Buchholz tossed his 3rd-career shutout night, the Red Sox snapped a 3-game losing streak...At 29- in last night’s win over the Orioles, allowing just 4 hits and RED SOX RECORD BREAKDOWN Overall ......................................... 29-28 28, the club is 2 wins shy of a season-best 3 games over a walk over the 9.0 frames with 6 strikeouts...All 3 of his AL East Standing ................ 5th, -3.0 GB .500 (28-25 after play on 6/2). career shutouts have been vs. the O’s, including his no-hit- At Home ....................................... 14-16 Last night’s win also snapped the Sox 7-game losing ter on 9/1/07 at Fenway and 5-hit shutout in Baltimore on On Road ....................................... 15-12 streak to the Orioles at Fenway Park...It was Boston’s lon- 6/4/10...According to Elias, the only other pitchers to throw In day games .................................. 9-12 gest home losing stretch to the O’s franchise since a 10- 3 shutouts against 1 team since 2007 are Roy Halladay and In night games ............................. 20-16 game slide vs. the Browns in 1906. John Lackey, who’ve each blanked the Mariners 3 times. April ............................................. 11-11 May .............................................. 15-14 THE TURN-AROUND: The Red Sox rank 1st in the AL with FELIX ON FIRE: Tonight’s starter Felix Doubront is averag- June ................................................. 3-3 a 25-18 (.581) record since 4/23...Prior to that date, Boston ing 9.53 strikeouts per 9.0 innings this season (66 K’s/62.1 vs. AL East .................................... 11-15 was 28th among the 30 Major League teams with a 4-10 IP), tops among AL left-handers and 2nd among ML south- vs. AL Central ................................. 13-8 start...The only team with more wins since 4/23 is SF (26). paws behind only the Nationals Gio Gonzalez (11.40)...His vs. AL West ....................................... 3-4 9.53 rate ranks 3rd overall in the AL. vs. National League.......................... 2-1 AL WIN PERCENTAGE LEADERS SINCE 4/23 vs. RH starter ................................ 18-20 TEAM RECORD WIN PCT. BACKSTOP BARRAGE: Jarrod Saltalamacchia is batting vs. LH starter .................................. 11-8 Boston 25-18 .581 .344 (22-for-64) with 7 homers and 17 RBI in his last 20 Leading after 6 innings .................. 25-5 Baltimore 23-18 .561 games since 5/13...Saltalamacchia leads Major League Tied after 6 innings .......................... 2-3 Tampa Bay 23-18 .561 catchers with 11 home runs and 22 extra-base hits overall... Trailing after 6 innings ................... 2-20 Leading after 7 innings .................. 26-4 THE LAST 26: The Red Sox have won 17 of their last 26 He also tops Big League catchers with a .583 SLG and tops AL backstops with a .906 OPS (min. 100 PA). Tied after 7 innings .......................... 1-2 tilts (.654) since 5/11, 3rd in the Majors in that time behind Trailing after 7 innings ................... 2-22 the White Sox (17-8, .680) and Giants (18-9, .667)...All 9 EXTRA BASES: The Sox lead the Majors with 219 extra- Leading after 8 innings .................. 26-2 losses during that span have been by 4 runs or less, includ- Tied after 8 innings .......................... 1-2 ing 1-run defeats 3 times. base hits, including an ML-high 146 doubles...They have 20 more XBH and 30 more doubles than the next-highest total Trailing after 8 innings ................... 2-24 Boston has outscored opponents 132-92 in the 26 games for any teams (TEX, 199 XBH and KC, 116 2B). Red Sox score 1st ........................... 21-9 since 5/11 and Sox pitchers have a 3.35 ERA (86 ER/231.0 IP), Opponents score 1st ...................... 8-19 with starters allowing 2 ER or less 18 times during the stretch. The Red Sox are tied for the 4th-most doubles for any Shutouts ........................................... 3-2 team through their 1st 57 games of a season since 1918, Scoring less than 3 runs ................. 1-12 With losses in 2 of 3 games with Baltimore to begin the the most since Toronto (156) and Boston (156) in 2003. week, Boston dropped just the 2nd of its last 9 series begin- Scoring 3 or 4 runs ......................... 3-12 Scoring 5 or more runs ................... 25-4 ning 5/10...The Red Sox are 6-2-1 in series play in that time. MY SACRIFICE: The Red Sox have tallied 9 sacrifi ce hits in Red Sox hit HR ............................. 25-13 their last 14 games and 15 sacrifi ces this season, tied with Red Sox hit 0 HR ............................ 4-14 IN THE STANDINGS: Boston is in 5th place in the AL East, the Angels for the most in the American League...This is the 1-run games ..................................... 5-7 3.0 games behind the division-leading Orioles and Rays... most sac hits by a Red Sox squad in the 1st 57 games of a 2-run games ..................................... 7-7 This is the latest into a calendar year that Boston has stood season since the 2000 team also had 15. Walk-offs .......................................... 1-2 in last place since September of 1997...The Sox have been Extra innings (home) ........................ 0-3 in 4th or 5th place all year. SWEET RELIEF: Since 4/23, Boston’s bullpen is 2nd in the Extra innings (road).......................... 0-1 Majors with a 2.17 ERA (33 ER/136.2 IP) and has an AL- Extra innings (total) ......................... 0-4 FEELING AT HOME: The Sox continue a 6-day, 6-game home- best 1.53 GB/FB ratio...Red Sox relievers have lowered their Series openers ................................ 10-9 stand tonight with the 1st of 3 games against the Nationals... combined ERA from 8.44 to 3.66 in that stretch. Series fi nales .................................. 7-12 The club dropped 2 of 3 to the Orioles to begin the stand. Series W-L-T (home) ......................4-6-0 Boston has won 10 of its last 15 games at Fenway Park STRAND CITY: Vicente Padilla has allowed just 5.9 % of Series W-L-T (road) ........................5-3-1 (.667), the best home record in the AL since 5/11 and tied inherited runners to score (1 of 17), 2nd-lowest rate among Series W-L-T (total) ........................9-9-1 for 2nd in the Majors in that time behind only the Giants qualifying AL relievers after CLE’s Vinnie Pestano (0.0%). Series sweeps (home) ...................... 1-3 (10-4, .714)...Over the 15-game stretch, the Sox have out- Series sweeps (road) ........................ 1-1 scored opponents 80-49 and the staff has posted a 3.04 GET OUT THE VOTE: David Ortiz is the leading vote-getter Series sweeps (total) ........................ 2-4 ERA (46 ER/136.0 IP), holding opponents to 2 runs or less 7 at DH according to the 1st ballot results as released by MLB Come-from-behind wins ....11, last 5/30 times and 1 run or less in 5 of those contests. Tuesday, and Dustin Pedroia ranks 3rd among AL 2nd base- Innings batting around .. 8, last 5/13 (7th) Games decided in last AB................. 3-7 The Sox lead AL with 293 hits, 159 runs and 154 RBI at men...Fans can vote for their favorite Red Sox to make the All- home overall...The club tops ML with 90 doubles at home. Star team during games at Fenway Park and at redsox.com. VS. THE NATS: The Red Sox host the Nationals for a REHAB UPDATES: OF Ryan Kalish, on the 60-day DL while 3-game set at Fenway Park this weekend...It marks the 2 recovering from left shoulder surgery, continued his rehab VS. THE NATIONALS clubs 1st match-ups in Boston since 2006...They last met in assignment Wed. night with Triple-A Pawtucket going 2-for- All-Time vs. Expos/Nats .................. 13-8 2009 at Nationals Park with the Sox taking 2 of 3. 3 with his 2nd homer in as many games with the PawSox... In Boston .......................................... 9-0 In Montreal/Washington .................. 4-8 The Sox have won all 9 of their home games against the Kalish is 10-for-26 (.385) with a double, 3 homers, 5 RBI, 8 Expos/Nationals dating back to their 1st interleague series runs, 8 walks and 2 stolen bases in 8 total rehab contests. 2009 vs. Nationals ........................... 2-1 against the club at Fenway from 6/30-7/2/98...It marks the In Boston .......................................... 0-0 4th time the Red Sox have won at least their 1st 9 games BOBBY AT THE HELM: Bobby Valentine is in his 1st season In Washington .................................. 2-1 against a franchise at home...They won their 1st 10 home as Red Sox manager...He ranks 4th among active ML skippers tilts against Milwaukee (later STL and BAL) from 6/7-9/28 in games (2,246) and 5th in wins (1,146)...He is 43rd on the all- (G1)/1901, the White Sox from 6/17-9/26/1901 and the time managerial wins list, with John McNamara next at 1,160. Royals from 6/6/69-8/12/1970. UPCOMING MILESTONES MINOR LEAGUE HONORS: The Sox recently announced Milestone Player (current) The Red Sox are 13-8 all-time vs.