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PawSox lose home opener »
April 13, 2007
Pitching, catching and a big eighth inning carried the Red Sox to a 10-1 victory over Anaheim last night, although the catcher did his best work with his bat.
Doug Mirabelli, getting the start to catch Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball, homered and singled in another run to provide two of the game’s biggest hits. Wakefield’s knuckler did the rest, with a huge assist from Jonathan Papelbon.
Wakefield went seven innings, allowing only five hits. With the score 4-1, he was lifted after giving up a single to Maicer Izturis to lead off the eighth. Brendan Donnelly came on and got one out before hitting Orlando Cabrera.
With the tying run at the plate and Vladimir Guerrero and Garret Anderson scheduled up, Boston manager Terry Francona brought in Papelbon for what looked as if it would be an attempt at a five-out save. Papelbon was outstanding again. He struck out Guerrero on a 97 mile-an-hour fastball, then Anderson on a liner to left.
As it turned out, Papelbon did not have to do any more work. The Sox broke it open with six in the bottom of the eighth. Two came on a bases-loaded double by Ortiz that one-hopped into the stands in right, two more on a single by J.D Drew and the final two on a Mike Lowell double down the line in left. Mike TImlin came in to pitch the ninth.
Before the eighth, Mirabelli had been the star. He ripped his first home run since last August in the fifth, tying the game at 1-1. The Sox had the lead before the inning was over, thanks to a Julio Lugo double and a single by Ortiz.
Mirabelli was there again in the sixth, lining a single up the middle to make it 3-1. It scored J.D. Drew who had walked. The Sox sent Drew with Lowell at the plate. It not only prevented a potential double play as Lowell grounded to third, it led to a run on Mirabelli’s hit.
The Boston lead went to 4-1 in the seventh, again helped by a hit-and-run play that killed any chance of a double play. This time Kevin Youkilis was at first after being hit by a pitch. He ran on what would have been a perfect double play ball by Ortiz. An intentional walk to Manny Ramirez, then an unintentional walk to Drew loaded the bases with one out. Youkilis scored on a sacrifice fly by Lowell, a play on which leftfielder Anderson made a sliding catch.
The Angels had taken the lead in the fourth. Cabrera walked to open the fourth. He stole second without a throw when one of Wakefield’s knucklers got away from Mirabelli. He scored on Vladimir Guerrero’s single to right.
Drew kept his hitting streak alive with a line single to left in the fourth. He has hit in all nine games.
Posted by Paul Kenyon 
at 9:51 PM | Permalink
