Curt's Bloody Sock: Sox win another wild one in Arlington

5.26.2007

Sox win another wild one in Arlington

Sox 7, Texas 4
WP: Wakefield (5-5)
LP: Padilla (2-7)
SV: Papelbon (12)
HRs: None

SUMMARY:
Tim Wakefield was steady if unspectacular and the Boston offense came alive to slap another 5-run inning on the hapless Rangers' pen as Boston ensured itself of yet another series win, regardless of what Tavarez does on Sunday.

HERO: Manny 4-4, R, RBI, BB, 3B, 2B
One day after suffering a "Misadventures of Manny" day in the field, on the bases and at the plate, Ramirez busted out of a season-long slump with a season-high four hits, including his first triple since April 2006.

GOAT: J. Benoit 2/3, 2H, 1ER, 3BBs, 33 pitches
For the second straight game the Sox smacked around the Texas starter, then atomic drop-kicked a weak Rangers reliever for the death blow.

Benoit came into a tie game (4-4) in the 6th and proceeded to incinerate the game for Texas by allowing a single, sac fly and three walks, one with the bases loaded. When he left the score was 7-4 Boston and the game was all but over.

RECAP:
It wasn't close to the mushroom-laced, rain-soaked trip of the night before, but it was another strange, eventful game for the Sox in Arlington, Texas. Once again the Sox fell behind early in the game, only to bide their time and lie in wait for the opponent to go to the bully before pouncing for another kill.

Starter Tim Wakefield spotted the Rangers an early lead when Sammy Sosa doubled with one out in the 2nd and scored on recent call up Marlon Byrd's single for a 1-0 Texas lead. Meanwhile Boston's bats were silent through the first four, registering just two hits, but the Sox would score two in the fourth courtesy of a hit, two walks and a bad Texas error.

The inning began when Kevin Youkilis extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a leadoff double to left. Consecutive walks to Ortiz (0-4) and Manny loaded the bases with no outs, but the Rangers almost got out of it with minimal damage when Padilla () induced J.D. Drew to hit a textbook double play grounder to first base. Unfortunately shortstop Michael Young threw wide of Padilla covering first for a costly 2-base, 2-run error that gave the Sox a short-lived 2-1 lead.

Texas re-took the lead in the 5th when they battered Wake for three runs on a HBP, a single, a 2-run double by Gerald Laird and after another single, a sac fly by Kenny Lofton to make it 4-2 Texas. But then came the fateful 6th for Padilla & the Rangers, the one where the Sox took a possible win by an opposing pitcher and turned it into a hard luck loss.

Youk, of course, got things started with his 2nd hit, a single to center. After Papi flied out, Manny hit a bomb to the opposite field that Sosa couldn't track down and Manny raced around the bases for a rare triple as Youk easily scored the Sox third run. Padilla then threw a wild pitch to Drew that enabled Manny to waltz home and tie the game, and after Drew walked and Lowell singled, Benoit relieved Padilla and blew the roof off the mutha.

Coco greeted Benoit with a single to center that Lofton misplayed into a double that brought Drew home with the go-ahead run, 5-4 Sox. After walking Mirabelli, Cora lofted a sac fly to center to score Lowell with run #6, and following another walk loaded the bases, Youk took a base-on-balls that forced in the seventh and final Boston run.

Can you say UG-LY?

However the results far outweigh the beauty of the games, and with a three-run lead to work with Wakefield went out and set down six straight batters before giving way to Javier Lopez to start the eighth. Lopez and Donnelly worked into and out of a jam, then Paps came in and had an adventurous but scoreless ninth to seal the series win.

Like I said, another weird & wild game in Texas, but the end result is all that matters, and with a now-gigantic 11-game bulge over its nearest competitor, Boston will take victories any way it can get 'em, regardless of aesthtics or statitcs.

NOTES:

Texas Fold 'Em: the Rangers' top three hitters-Lofton, Young & Teixeira-went a combined 0-10, and Sox Killer Frankie Catalanotto was hitless (0-3), one of the few times he hasn't registered a hit against Boston
Silver Sombrero: Mirabelli is in the throes of a horrific slump (1-21, 8-42 in May) that has dropped his average to .190, and was 0-3 with 3 Ks and a walk in this one.
Youk remains hotter than a blowtorch; he registered his 6th consecutive multi-hit game and is batting a Williams-esque .409 in May, bringing his current mark to .352, good for 4th in the AL
Similarly smokin': Manny is on a serious tear, as in 10-19 with 3 doubles, a triple, 4 runs, a homer and 5 RBIs in his last five games; he's raised his average to a season-high .272 with the streak
Boston only tallied 8 hits, and Manny & Youk combined for 6 of them; Lowell & Coco had the other two. Sox hitters did work the count for 9 walks, though
The save was just Papelbon's 2nd since May 12th and first since the 17th, yet he is still 6th in the AL in the category, four behind leader Joe Borowski
Drew went hitless-again, grounded out twice-again, yet did draw three walks, scored a run and had an RBI; he is in the midst of a 3-28 drought that has dropped his average to .227-yikes!

QUOTES:
"The Ranger defense should take an example from that guy-two-handed catch, very rare."--Remy commenting on a nice play by a fan on
a foul ball below him

-"Manny really looks like he's in a groove." --Lowell with a phrase that is music to RSN's ears