Despite injuries, Red Sox offense keeps chugging

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BALTIMORE -- They began -- and, since they had no other options, ended -- the game with an outfield that looked like something from a split-squad game in March.

Daniel Nava was in left; Marlon Byrd was in center; and Che-Hsuan Lin, making his first major league start, was in right.

Rice, Lynn and Evans, it wasn't.

But it was good enough. With just two position players on the bench Monday night and a makeshift outfield to boot, the Red Sox still managed to score plenty in their 8-6 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

Having won 9-of-11 despite injuries, the Sox offense has somehow managed to score at least five runs in eight of those games.

"It was a good offensive attack," said Bobby Valentine. "It was a team effort."

Indeed, six different hitters drove in a run, with Dustin Pedroia collecting two RBI. And every member of the starting lineup had at least one hit, with four different players (Mike Aviles, Pedroia, Will Middlebrooks and Nava) enjoying multi-hit games.

And each one of the players in the makeshift outfield played a role in the win.

Nava led off the the two-run third with his first hit and came around to score the first run of the game, aided by Byrd's double to right.

Nava later chipped in with a sacrifice fly in the sixth when the Sox tied the game and Lin got his first major league hit, then showed his speed by scoring from second with ease on a single to left by Aviles.

"We've got to keep on playing," said Ortiz. "It's a situation where we don't have too much of a choice. We've got to go out and play. I heard the news (about Ross being out) right before the game, and, man, how many things do we have to get through?

"But all sorts of things happen during the season that you have to deal with."

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