Sox rough up Hudson, take 2 of 3 from Atlanta

Sox 6, Atlanta 3
WP: Gabbard (1-0)
LP: Hudson (5-2)
HRs: BOS-Youk (6)

Kason, we hardly knew ye; after his brilliant performance, Gabbard was optioned back to Pawtucket

RECAP:
The Sox stung Atlanta starter Tim Hudson for 8 hits and 6 runs in just 4 2/3 innings and Kevin Youkilis extended his hitting streak to 13 games with three hits including a home run as Boston won the third game of this wet & wild series .

HERO: Kason Gabbard 5IP, 6H, 2ER, BB, 7Ks
One day after the Braves rang up 18 hits and 14 runs on a beleaguered Boston staff Gabbard made his 2007 ML debut and shut down Atlanta by throwing a mixture of pitches that kept the hitters off balance all day.

GOAT: Hudson 4.2IP, 8H, 6ER, 2BB, 0K, HR
The man with the second-best ERA in the NL allowed as many runs in the first inning today (4) as he had in his last 17 innings combined; the six earned runs Hudson gave up was almost half as many as he had surrendered all season (13)

Honorable mention: Andruw Jones: 0-5, five strikeouts (yikes!)

SUMMARY:
Just before 4:00PM EST the sun started to shine over Fenway and the grounds crew began to remove the tarp from the field in hopes that the horrible weather would hold off long enough to play the finale of this interleague series.

Shortly after 4:30, following a 2 1/2 hour rain delay, emergency call-up Kason Gabbard threw a ball to emergency call-up Martin Prado, and the game was underway-finally.

Less than a half hour later the Sox had hung a 4-spot on the man who had been allowing less than 2 runs per 9 innings this season, effectively putting the game out of reach thanks to the stellar pitching of Pawtucket padawan Kason Gabbard.

And immediately after his performance Gabbard suffered the same fate as yesterday's emergency starter- he received a slew of "thank yous" and a bus ticket back to the PawSox. Boston brought reliever MattapanManny Delcarmen back to the club to provide bullpen depth for the series with the Stanks

Such is life these days around the old ballteam, a strange existence featuring a revolving-door rotation, games played in, or with the threat of, constant rain, and a still-unfathomable 10 1/2 game lead on the nearest competitors.

When the rain finally subsided things got bright in a hurry for Boston, and I'm not just talking about the skies over Kenmore Square. After Gabbard retired the Braves on 12 pitches in the top of the first, Boston went to work right away on Hudson, the former Oakland ace who has had a rough time winning at Fenway throughout his career.

Coco grounded out to start the inning, but then Youk got the first of his three hits, a single to left that extended his hitting streak to 13 games. Papi then belted a soaring blast to right that somehow eluded right fielder Jeff Francoeur and landed at the base of the bullpen wall, and runners were at second and third with just one out.

Manny then hit a shot up the middle that smacked Hudson in the leg (reminiscent of Lugo's blow to Jeff Karstens) and ricocheted to third base. Trouble is, Youk broke for home as soon as the ball caromed off Hudson; right play, unfortunately the ball bounced right to charging third basemen Chris Woodward, whose throw to home easily nailed Youk fort the second out, with Manny safe at first.

Rally over, right?

Wrong.

J.D.Drew walked to load the bases and then Cap'n Tek, possibly warming up for some of his patented Stankee bashing, ripped a ball into the right field corner that ended up as a bases-clearing triple, a demoralizing blow to Hudson who thought he would escape the inning unscathed.

Eric Hinske followed Tek's hit with an RBI single to right two pitches later, and the Sox enjoyed a 4-0 lead before any of the seats had even dried.

Boston would add a run in the second inning thanks to a leadoff double by Pedroia, a sacrifice by Coco, a walk to Youk, and a bobble by Prado on what should have been a double play grounder by Papi that allowed Ortiz to be safe at first and Pedroia to score the 4th run. By the time Youk wrapped a shot around Pesky's Pole to make it 6-0 in the 5th, the game was all but over.

That's because Gabbard was pitching like an old pro, retiring 12 of the first 13 batters he faced before allowing back to back singles by Francoeur (3-5) and Matt Diaz (4-5) in the fourth. And like an old pro, he pitched out of that mini-jam by getting Andruw Windmill Jones to stike out swinging to end the threat.

After allowing a single and a double to open the sixth, Gabbard walked off the mound to a rousing, and deserved, standing ovation. Unfortunately Brenden Donnely would ruin Gabbard's shutout when he allowed both inherited runners to score, but even a meaningless run allowed in the 9th by Jonathan Papelbon could dampen the spirits of this club or those of RSN.

It was a crazy weekend series in Boston, one that featured 39 runs, 71 hits and nearly 72 straight hours of rainfall.

But in the end the Sox took the series, retained its huge division lead, and head to the Bronx with all the confidence in the world that they can pull off a Bronx sweep.

And if they don't, so what? Right now, being a part of the Red Sox is good, even if that person is only visiting.

NOTES:

-Atlanta outhit Boston 13-9

-Youk is batting .446 (25-56) during his streak

-Mike Lowell & Julio Lugo had the day off

-Cora, Manny & Coco were the only starters not to register a hit

-Diaz had an incredible series for Atlanta (7-12, 2R, 3RBI) as he continues to solidify himself as a big league regular

-Hudson was 1-4 with a 7.92 ERA at Fenway Park coming into this game, and he certainly didn't help those numbers any

-After allowing the inherited runners to score, Javier Lopez came in and got Scott Thorman to ground into a double play to end the inning and squelch the attempted comeback

-Papelbon allowed his first run since May 1st, a span of five appearances

-Okajima pitched the 8th and allowed two hits but kept his scoreless inning streak intact at 20.1

QUOTES:

-"I never really had a chance to get into a rhythm. They got me pretty quick and early. I just didn't have good stuff."-Hudson accurately summing up his outing

-"That ball gets through, different ballgame."-Braves skipper Bobby Cox on the Lopez double play ball. Yeah Bobby, and if wife beating were a sport you'd be a Gold Medal winner, what's your point?

RECORD: 30-13

AL EAST: Up 10.5 on BAL & NYY

UP NEXT: MON @ Stankees 7P

Bring on the Feeble Empire!