Has David Ortiz gone from Big Papi to Wally Pipp?
Ryan Lavarnway might not be ready for legend status just yet, having held down the DH fort for just four games with?Ortiz out hurt. But Lavarnway, who could see a future as the Red Sox’s catcher, has made the most of his moment.
Lavarnway had his second two-hit game in a row yesterday as Boston picked up its third win in four, beating the Royals, 6-1.
Lavarnway, an eighth-round draft pick in 2008, is 5-for-15 (.333) with two runs and two RBIs in his four games since being recalled last Thursday. Lavarnway had 30 homers and 85 RBIs combined for Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket before his callup.
“We have catching, but we can hopefully use his bat,” Sox manager Terry Francona said. “He’s a tremendous hitter — especially for power. He started out in Double-A, carried it over to Triple-A.
“He’s worked so hard on his catching — he’s kind of actually probably turned into an average catcher, because that’s where he had some work to do. Now you might not see him catch while he’s here, but he’ll hopefully hit a few home runs.”
Lavarnway went 0-for-4 in his major league debut last week, then had a hit in Friday’s game before collecting a pair in two straight games. His double in the eighth inning yesterday was his first extra-base hit, plating slugger Adrian Gonzalez.
Yankees retain first place
The Red Sox rode Ryan Lavarnway’s bat and Jon Lester’s arm to victory yesterday.
But it wasn’t quite enough to take back first place in the East.
The Yankees beat the Twins 3-0 in Alex Rodriguez’s return from the DL, retaining their half-game lead in the division.
New York is 77-48; Boston is 77-49. Rodriguez went 0-for-5 in his first game action since July.
