Like I said earlier, Dustin Pedroia eats up fastballs.
In the third inning, he ripped one of Alfredo Simon's high mid-90s fastballs up the middle to give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead.
A short-lived lead, as things transpired.
In the fifth inning, Pedroia did himself one better. This time Simon's fastball was higher and insider, but not quite as faster, and Pedroia lined the pitch into the left-field stands to give the Red Sox a 3-2 lead.
Message: Don't throw Dustin Pedroia high fastballs unless they've got hellacious movement. Which Alfredo Simon's don't.
David Ortiz followed Pedroia with a line drive off the right-field scoreboard, hit so hard that Ortiz had to stop at first base with the proverbial long single. That was enough for Buck Showalter, who walked to the mound and summoned left-handed reliever Troy Patton to face Adrian Gonzalez, with one out and Ortiz on first base.