Tavarez
pitched three hitless innings before turning the game over to Manny Delcarmen
with two outs in the seventh and Brendan Harris on first. Delcarmen faced pinch
hitter Greg Norton and retired him with a behind-the-back ole on a comebacker,
though Delcarmen nearly threw the ball away when he flipped to Eric Hinske at
first.
Delcarmen
gave way to Hideki Okajima with two outs in the eighth and Josh Wilson on second
after his blooper fell between second baseman Pedroia and right fielder J.D.
Drew for a single, and an infield out followed. Okajima struck out Carl Crawford
to keep it a one-run game, but the Sox, 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position
through seven innings, could not score the equalizer.
The Sox'
best hitter yesterday outside of Ortiz, who also lined out twice to first
baseman Carlos Pena, was Ramirez, and his swings were limited to batting
practice, when he hit three balls in the seats in compelling testimony that his
strained oblique muscle is getting better. Drew reached base four times on a
single, bad-hop double, and two walks, but each time was left on base, as the
bottom of the Sox' order could mount just two hits, a double by Brandon Moss in
the second, and Coco Crisp's single in the sixth.
Hinske,
playing first base because Kevin Youkilis flipped to third to spell Lowell, had
the roughest go of it, tapping out with the bases loaded, striking out while
Crisp stole his 25th base in the sixth, and whiffing again to end the eighth.
Lester's
abbreviated outing hardly was a balm for a Sox bullpen that went six deep the
night before after Tim Wakefield was knocked out after just three innings. That
was four short outings in a week for a Sox starter, two for Wakefield and one
each for Lester and Daisuke Matsuzaka. Lester's troubles began with the game's
first batter, Akinori Iwamura, who singled, took second on an infield out, and
scored on Pena's hit. B.J. Upton followed with a fly down the right-field line
that hit the foul pole for the cheapest of home runs, and it was 3-0 while many
in the crowd of 36,931 were still in the concourses. One out later, Brendan
Harris doubled and scored on a hit by Jonny Gomes, and the Devil Rays, who had
blown an 8-1 lead Tuesday, had themselves a 4-0 advantage.
Drew's
single, a double by Moss, and a walk to Crisp loaded the bases for the Sox in
the second, but Hinske rolled out to end the threat. Lugo singled and stole
second to open the third, Pedroia walked, and Ortiz launched an 0-and-1 pitch
over the visitors' bullpen, making it 4-3. But Jason Varitek struck out with two
on to end the fifth, Lugo grounded to short with a man on second to end the
sixth, and Varitek rolled out to first with two on to end the seventh.
The
importance of this game to the Sox was underscored when Terry Francona sent out
closer Jonathan Papelbon to pitch the ninth with the Sox down by a run, a rare
occurrence.
The Yankees
held service in Toronto, beating the Blue Jays behind the resuscitated Mike
Mussina, 4-1. The Sox, already down one cleanup hitter (Manny Ramirez), spotted
the Devil Rays another when Mike Lowell called in sick (officially, it was a
text message).
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