Everything appeared to be falling into place for the Red Sox on Monday night after Adrian Gonzalez delivered a go-ahead three-run homer off White Sox left-hander Leyson Septimo in the bottom of the eighth inning, plating David Ortiz and Carl Crawford, who was making his long-awaited season debut. However, the club was dealt another tough blow before Gonzalez even touched home plate.
Ortiz pulled up lame after rounding second base on Gonzalez’s blast and limped his way into home plate and the dugout. According to Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald, the veteran slugger suffered a right Achilles injury and is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Tuesday. Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said early indications are that he didn’t suffer a tear or strain, so the hope right now is that he’ll only have to miss a few games.
Ortiz was understandably frustrated after the game, saying, “This (expletive) team is cursed.” However, he later said, “I think I’ll be all right.”
Ortiz, 36, is hitting .316/.414/.609 with 23 home runs, 58 RBI and a 1.024 OPS in 89 games played this season.