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BOSTON 7, TAMPA BAY 4 |
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By Mike Petraglia PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer BOSTON (Ticker) - Even with David Ortiz on the disabled list, the Boston Red Sox showed they still have pop in their lineup. Mike Lowell and J.D. Drew homered and the Red Sox scored four times in the sixth inning to beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 7-4, on Monday in the opener of a key three-game series at Fenway Park. The win pulled the Red Sox to within one game of the first-place Rays in the American League East. Just prior to the game, Ortiz was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a torn sheath covering tendons in his left wrist. The Red Sox also improved to a major league-best 22-5 at home this season, including wins in all four Fenway games against the Rays. "To win in this league, you have to win at this ballpark," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "They're 22-5 here. They're difficult, they're very difficult. But we have to get it done here. At some point, we've just got to make that leap. We had a great opportunity tonight. We just kept giving up leads." Akinori Iwamura homered on a 1-1 pitch from rookie Justin Masterson (2-0) leading off the game. Iwamura's fourth homer of the season and second leadoff homer this season gave the Rays their first lead. Before his first at-bat in the second inning, Boston's Manny Ramirez was honored by a standing ovation from the sellout crowd after moving past the 500-home run plateau over the weekend in Baltimore. Ramirez stepped out of the batter's box and tipped his helmet to the crowd before stepping in and singling to center, starting a two-run rally off Rays starter Matt Garza (4-2). Lowell followed with his eighth homer of the season, a two-run shot to the third row of "Green Monster" seats in left. After the Rays tied the game on back-to-back doubles from B.J. Upton and Carlos Pena to open the fourth, Drew cracked a fastball into the grandstands in right field for his sixth homer. The Rays briefly reclaimed the lead in the sixth on Pena's two-run homer off Masterson to the Rays bullpen in right. But the Red Sox responded in the bottom half of the inning, keyed by an error by shortstop Jason Bartlett, who mishandled Ramirez's grounder, putting runners at first and second with none out. Following a foul popout by Lowell, Drew worked a walk to load the bases. "Those are key," Drew said of his base on balls. "That's how we play. Get a ball in the zone you can handle, you've got to put a swing on it. We were able to lay off some tough pitches outside and draw a walk, and the inning took life from there." Jason Varitek then lined a single to center tied the game at 4-4 and Coco Crisp followed with a two-run double down the left field line to put Boston up, 6-4. "It's a matter of continuing to do what we do well," Drew said. "See the ball. Hit he ball. Grind out at- bats. We were able to do that, get some big hits in some key situations. Everybody kind of contributed. Coco had a bit hit with the ball off the wall." "We have to be (patient)," Varitek said of Boston's approach at the plate. "That can't change because we have the big man out. J.D. draws that walk right there to put us in a good situation." The Red Sox added an insurance run on a sacrifice fly by Jacoby Ellsbury. The four-run sixth made a winner out of Masterson, making just his third career start. Masterson allowed six hits and four runs over six innings, walking two, fanning five and allowing two homers. "He competed great," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said of Masterson. "I thought he threw some sliders tonight that were better than we have seen, with some depth to them. He also left a couple up. I don't think the atmosphere has gotten out ahead of him or anything. He goes up and we expect him to give us a good ballgame and he did that." Garza took the loss, allowing seven runs - five earned - and six hits over 5 1/3 innings. He walked two, struck out three and allowed two homers. "To me, he (Garza) just wasn't nearly as sharp with his command overall with all pitches, fastball, curve and slider," Maddon said. "Overall, we played a pretty good game tonight We just didn't made pitches when we had to." Red Sox reliever Craig Hansen came into the game with runners on first and second and none out in the eighth and escaped without any runs crossing the plate. Jonathan Papelbon pitched a perfect ninth for his 17th save and his 89th career with the Red Sox, moving him past Jeff Reardon for fourth on Boston's all-time list. "I think even in the very beginning parts of the season, it wasn't just Manny and wasn't just David, it was everybody contributing," Papelbon said. "Now with David out of our lineup, it's even more noticeable that we have a team where everybody contributes. |
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