Youkilis hits slam, Red Sox tag Humber in 10-3 win

[April 27, 2012]  CHICAGO (AP) -- Kevin Youkilis hit a grand slam, Jarrod Saltalamacchia homered twice and the Boston Red Sox roughed up Philip Humber in a 10-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night.

Youkilis, mired in an early-season slump, hit his second career slam into the right-field bullpen during a five-run third inning against Humber, who was making his first start since pitching a perfect game in a 4-0 victory at Seattle on Saturday.

There was no such suspense Thursday. Humber walked leadoff batter Mike Aviles in the first, snapping his streak of 29 straight batters retired.

One out later, the right-hander allowed a single to Dustin Pedroia, a dribbler up the third-base line that was the first hit off Humber since Nick Markakis' one-out double for Baltimore in the fifth inning of the Orioles' 10-4 victory at Chicago on April 16.

Humber was tagged for a career-high nine runs and eight hits in five innings. The nine earned runs he allowed after his perfect game were a record, topping the eight given up by Jim "Catfish" Hunter after his perfecto for Oakland in 1968.

Johnny Vander Meer remains the only major league pitcher to throw consecutive no-hitters, accomplishing the feat in 1938 with Cincinnati.

The resurgent Red Sox have scored 34 runs in winning their last four games, a streak coming on the heels of a five-game skid.

Adrian Gonzalez followed Pedroia with an RBI double, and David Ortiz added a run-scoring single to give the Red Sox a 2-0 lead.

After throwing just 96 pitches to complete his masterpiece, Humber twice needed more than 30 pitches to get through an inning. He threw 92 pitches over the first four innings.

Saltalamacchia followed Youkilis' slam with a home run just inside the right-field foul pole. He added a two-run shot in the fifth off Humber, his fourth homer of the season.

Humber followed up his best game with perhaps his worst, allowing three walks and three homers. His ERA rose from 0.63 to 4.66.

Youkilis singled and scored in the fifth and added an infield single in the eighth. His three hits, two runs and four RBIs were an encouraging sign for a hitter that entered the game batting just .204. The grand slam was his second homer of the season and just his second over his last 28 games dating to Aug. 14, 2011.

Boston starter Felix Doubront (1-0) wasn't sharp but picked up his first big league win since Aug. 10, 2010. He allowed five hits and three walks, threw a wild pitch and hit a batter with a pitch, but limited the White Sox to three runs in six innings.

Chicago's Dayan Viciedo broke out of a 1-for-16 slump with two hits, including a leadoff homer in the fourth. All three of his RBIs this season have come on solo homers.

NOTES: Andre Rienzo, a pitcher in the White Sox farm system, was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for a banned substance. ... Marlon Byrd started in center for the Red Sox in his first game in Chicago since being acquired from the crosstown Cubs on Saturday. ... White Sox manager Robin Ventura said he didn't plan to use reliever Jesse Crain out of the bullpen for precautionary reasons. Crain hasn't pitched since April 20 because soreness in his left oblique, but Ventura doesn't expect him to go on the disabled list.

[Associated Press]

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