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Final: Red Sox 7, Yankees 6

BOSTON -- The calendar said April. But it sure felt like October.

The Yankees certainly played it that way. They brought in the only reliable starting pitcher they currently have active, Andy Pettitte, in relief. They used a rash of pinch-hitters in the eighth, which forced them to use their emergency catcher in the bottom of the eighth.

In the end, though, it was the Red Sox doing the celebrating.

Mike Lowell blasted a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning, his second home run of the night, helping the Red Sox to a 7-6 victory over the Yankees tonight at Fenway Park. The homer, which made the score 7-5, came after the Sox had set a franchise record by blasting four consecutive home runs, one by Lowell, in the fourth inning.

After the Yankees had pushed across a run in the top of the sixth to re-take the lead, 5-4, manager Joe Torre -- in an unmistakable sign of how much importance he places on this game -- called on Friday's starter, Pettitte, to pitch the sixth and provide the bridge to the Yanks' normal corps of late-game relievers.

Pettitte did his job, surrendering a one-out walk to Kevin Youkilis but retiring David Ortiz on an inning-ending double play. He then turned it over to normal set-up man Scott Proctor.

But Proctor, pitching for the third straight game, got into immediate trouble, walking Manny Ramirez and allowing a wall double by J.D. Drew. Lowell followed with a hard line drive that hit just over the top of the wall in left, a three-run shot that made it 7-5.

Derek Jeter had homered to left leading off the top of the fifth, tying the game at 4-4, and the Yanks pushed across a run in the top of the sixth to retake the lead, 5-4.

Daisuke Matsuzaka struggled, not retiring the side in order through the first six innings. In the sixth, singles by Robinson Cano and Doug Mientkiewicz put runners at first and third with no out. Melky Cabrera grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, scoring Cano and giving the Yanks the lead.

Matsuzaka finally had a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh. But Alex Rodriguez -- who had struck out twice earlier in the game -- opened the eighth with a single to right and Red Sox manager Terry Francona lifted Matsuzaka in favor of Hideki Okajima. Okajima, pitching for the third straight game in the series, retired Jason Giambi on a popup before surrendering a single to Robinson Cano, putting runners on first and second. Pinch-hitter Jorge Posada walked, loading the bases, and Francona called on Brendan Donnelly to face Melky Cabrera.

Cabrera grounded into a fielder's choice, driving in Rodriguez and making it 7-6. Dustin Pedroia saved the lead by making a full-body dive and snaring a line drive by pinch-hitter Josh Phelps, ending the inning.

Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth and recorded his second straight save in the series.

Up to then, the highlight of the night had been the Sox' third-inning onslaught off Yankee rookie Chase Hughes, only the fifth time in baseball history that a team has hit four straight home runs.

Ramirez started things by homering over everything in left-center. Then Drew homered to right. Then Lowell followed with a moon shot out of the ballpark in left. And then Jason Varitek hit one of his own into the left-field seats.

Drew had also been one of the players involved when the Dodgers hit four consecutive home runs last September.

Giambi doubled home a pair of runs with two outs in the top of the first inning, then drove in another run with a bloop single just over the leap of Pedroia in the third, giving the Yankees an early 3-0 lead.

Matsuzaka retired the first two batters he faced, then walked Bobby Abreu on a 3-and-2 pitch and hit Rodriguez on the hands with the first pitch he threw A-Rod. Giambi drove a double up the gap in left-center field, scoring both runners.

In the third, Johnny Damon led off with a single and Matsuzaka hit Jeter in the back, putting runners at first and second with no outs. Abreu and Rodriguez were both called out on strikes, before Giambi lifted a soft pop into short right field. Pedroia just barely missed making an acrobatic catch, as the ball tipped off his glove.

With runners at first and third, Matsuzaka struck out Cano to end the inning.

The Red Sox seemed poised for a big inning in the bottom of the first when Hughes walked the first two batters he faced, Julio Lugo and Youkilis. But Chase retired Ortiz, Ramirez and Drew to snuff out the threat. In the second inning, they put together a two-out rally when Wily Mo Pena walked and Pedroia doubled, but Lugo grounded out.

Matsuzaka's troubles continued even after he was given the lead. Mientkiewicz opened the Yankee fourth with a ground-rule double to right-center, and moved to third on a grounder to first by Cabrera. Wil Nieves lined to Pedroia for the second out, and Damon ended the inning by grounding to first.

The Yankees lifted Hughes in favor of Colter Bean in the bottom of the fourth, and the Sox made a run at him. Lugo walked with one out, Youkilis reached on a fielder's-choice grounder to short, forcing Lugo, and Ortiz hit a ground-rule double to right, putting runners at second and third with two out. But Bean retired Ramirez on a check-swing grounder back to the mound, ending the inning.

Walks to Drew and Varitek gave the Sox runners at first and second in the bottom of the fifth. Bean got out of the jam by striking out Pena and retiring Pedroia on a grounder to short.

Posted by Art Martone  at 11:47 PM | Permalink

Sox Streakers for April 22

Who's Hot
-Hideki Okajima (7.2 straight scoreless innings; 6.2 straight hitless innings)
-Jonathan Papelbon (15 for 15 career in April save opportunities)
-J.D. Drew (5 for his last 14)
-Mike Lowell (10 for his last 28 with 2 doubles and 1 HR)
-David Ortiz (12 for his last 31 with 5 doubles and 4 HR)
-Jason Varitek (5 for 8 in this series)

Who's Not
-Dustin Pedroia (0 for his last 13; 1 for his last 28)
-Manny Ramirez (7 for his last 43; batting .193 for season)

-No player on either team has faced the opposing starting pitcher: Chase Wright or Daisuke Matsuzaka.

More Stuff
-Boston has won four straight meetings with the Yankees.
-The Red Sox, White Sox and Giants are tied for the majors' longest current winning streak (4).
-Boston's bullpen has allowed one run in the last 12 innings.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 7:36 PM to Projo Sox Streakers | Permalink

Crisp scratched

Red Sox outfielder Coco Crisp has been a last-minute scratch due to tightness in his oblique muscle. Wily Mo Pena will start in center and will bat eighth. Crisp has been on a tear at the plate of late, going 6 for his last 12.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 7:19 PM | Permalink

New York lineup

Johnny Damon, 8
Derek Jeter, 6
Bobby Abreu, 9
Alex Rodriguez, 5
Jason Giambi, DH
Robinson Cano, 4
Doug Mientkiewicz, 3
Melky Cabrera, 7
Wil Nieves, 2

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 6:47 PM | Permalink

PawSox roll over Bison, 6-1

BUFFALO — Nothing like being the beneficiary of some long balls if you’re a struggling starting pitcher.

Abe Alvarez won for just the second time in his last 13 Triple-A decisions, and David Murphy, Luis Jimenez and Brandon Moss each hit home runs to give the Pawtucket Red Sox a convincing 6-1 win over the Buffalo Bisons in front of a sun-drenched crowd of 8,184 at Dunn Tire Park yesterday afternoon.

Alvarez (1-2) won for the first time in three starts this season, allowing just two hits over five innings of work while throwing 95 pitches. He also walked three and struck out three, as Pawtucket (8-8) won for the third time in the last four games after dropping five straight.

“To get those runs up early it makes you feel more comfortable as a pitcher,” said Alvarez, who was staked to a 2-0 second-inning lead. “That made it easy for me to calm down.”

Over the first two games of this three-game set, Pawtucket has mashed five home runs against the second-stingiest pitching staff in the International League. Coming into the series, the Bisons’ pitchers had allowed just three homers in their first 12 games.

PawSox hitters, meanwhile, had gone deep eight times in their first 14 games before starting to blast away along the shores of Lake Erie.

“We got the things we needed,” manager Ron Johnson said. “You can only go so long trying to manufacture a run here or there. It gets to the point where you need someone to hit the ball out of the ball park, and we got it today.”

Murphy led off the second by crushing Buffalo starter Brian Slocum’s 1-1 pitch over the right-center field wall, and Jimenez followed three batters later with an opposite-field job that made it 2-0. The early lead helped Alvarez, who labored through the first two innings, allowing a run on two hits and three walks before settling down.

The southpaw retired the next nine hitters he faced before departing in favor of reliever Travis Hughes. Hughes continued the mound dominance by setting down five straight before Hector Luna’s single.

Hughes gave up just that hit and struck out three in three innings, and has not allowed a run in his five appearances.

“That was the momentum time of the game,” Johnson said about the middle innings. “Travis worked fast, he threw strikes and let the defense play.”

After leaving the bases loaded in the third, Pawtucket extended its lead to 3-1 in the fourth on Kevin Cash’s run-scoring double that plated Jimenez.

The PawSox broke it open in the fifth on Moss’ third homer of the young season, a two-run blast off Slocum that easily cleared the right-center field wall. They added to their lead in the seventh after Buffalo third baseman Keith Ginter’s throwing error allowed Murphy to score an unearned run.

Murphy finished 2-for-4 with a walk, and has hit safely in five of his last six games. The 2003 first-round pick is hitting .400 over those half-dozen games.
Moss had two hits, including a double in the seventh, his fourth extra-base hit in the last four games.

Slocum (1-1) lasted five innings for Buffalo, giving up five runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out five.

“That was one of those textbook kind of games,” Johnson said.

Johnson also had good news to report on Runelvys Hernandez, who left Saturday’s start in the third inning after grabbing his left hamstring after a pitch. Johnson said Hernandez is sore, but there is no damage, and the righty shouldn’t miss any starts.

The three-game series concludes tonight at 6. Lefty Kason Gabbard (2-1, 4.41 ERA) is scheduled to start for the PawSox, while right-hander Jeff Harris (1-0, 3.27) will counter for the Bisons.

--BOB MATUSZAK, Special to the Journal

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 6:31 PM to PawSox , PawSox | Permalink | Comments 1

Sox to honor Jackie Robinson tonight

Major League Baseball honored the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color with a league-wide celebration last Sunday. Unfortunately it rained last weekend in Boston and the Sox' game was postponed. So, the Red Sox will honor the baseball trailblazer in a pregame ceremony tonight.

Members of the Red Sox will wear No. 42, including Coco Crisp, David Ortiz, and third-base coach DeMarlo Hale. Robinson's No. 42 was officially retired throughout the majors on April 15, 1997.

The ceremonial first pitch will be thrown by Professor Charles J. Ogletree, Jr., a Professor of Law and the Founder and Executive Director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School. Professor Ogletree has demonstrated a career-long commitment to diversity and equal justice. Professor Ogletree will be accompanied to the mound by former Red Sox pitcher Dennis (Oil Can) Boyd.

The Can is always an interesting interview, so hopefully we'll be able to get a comment from him.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 6:13 PM | Permalink

Lester's in the house

Red Sox lefty Jon Lester threw a side session today at Fenway Park. Manager Terry Francona said he looked good and strong in the bullpen. Lester is scheduled to start for Pawtucket on Wednesday in Rochester.

“Good. Strong,” said Francona of Lester's bullpen session. “Interestingly we haven’t seen the kid for a while and he looks strong. His legs look strong and the ball had good finish on it. He seems excited, as he should be.”

The PawSox have Thursday off, so he'll start again on Tuesday at McCoy Stadium. At that point his rehab will conclude and the club will have to decide where to place him. It's likely he'll remain with the PawSox.

The left-hander began the season in Single-A Greenville as he continues to recover from anaplastic large cell lympohoma, which he was diagnosed with last August.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 5:38 PM | Permalink

Tonight's lineups

The Yankees have not officially posted their lineup, yet.

Boston
Julio Lugo, 6
Kevin Youkilis, 3
David Ortiz, DH
Manny Ramirez, 7
J.D. Drew, 9
Mike Lowell, 5
Jason Varitek, 2
Coco Crisp, 8
Dustin Pedroia, 4

Yankees to follow

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 5:35 PM | Permalink