That's more like it: Papi's slam leads to rout of Angels

Sox 10, Angels 5
WP: Schilling (7-5)
LP: Weaver (8-6)
HRs: BOS-Papi (21); LAA- Figgins (3), Guerrero (19)

Excuse me, Mr. Ortiz, your Cadillac is waiting.

SUMMARY
Shut out for four innings by Jered Weaver, Boston exploded for six runs in the 5th, highlighted by David Ortiz' mammoth grand slam, then tacked on four more in the 8th to defeat the Angles and give Curt Schilling his first win since June 7th.

# 1 STUNNER Ortiz 1-3, 2R, 4BI, 2BB, GS
His blast off Weaver was one of the longest homers I've ever seen Papi hit at Fenway, landing 3/4 of the way up the right field stands; it was so high & deep he had to take a minute to admire it, an act that Weaver didn't appreciate too much.

Next time don't groove a fastball to Ortiz with the sacks packed, jackass!

PAN's FAUN Weaver 4.1IP, 8H, 6ER, 1BB, 5K
Speaking of said donkey, the guy was cruising with a 5-0 lead until he suffered a Gagne-esque meltdown in the 6th. Six hits and six runs later he was flinging his glove into the bench like his teammate John Lackey did yesterday after getting torched for a sixer. Temper, tempers.

RECAP
I think it's safe to say the Big Man has got his mojo back.

Yesterday David Ortiz had a day worthy of, well, David Ortiz, circa 2003-2006, when he launched a 2-run homer of John Lackey in the 1st inning of Game 1 of the doubleheader, then stroked a 2-run double in the 8th inning of the nightcap which tied the game and gave Boston new life in the contest.

But those two clutch hits were mere appetizers to what he had in store for RSN and his buddies on the Angels roster tonight, although I think it's safe to say that his moon shot grand slam earned him at least one enemy in the L.A. clubhouse.

Boston bounced back from its demoralizing loss (i.e. latest collapse by its newest bullpen addition) last night and climbed off the mat to burn the Halos again, and this time Tito stuck with Papelbon to close it out even though the Sox erased the save opportunity with the 4-run 8th.

Ironic because this was the type of game Francona should've brought Gagne into, and he should have used Paps to save that crucial Game 2 last night.

Ah well, it's all water under the Neponset bridge now.

One thing's for sure is that Curt Schilling owes Ortiz a steak dinner this evening, because until Papi's blast Schill was giving Sox fans reason to head for the razor blade collection tomorrow.

I came in to the contest late because the fam & I were at my buddy Michael's house "celebrating" his 49th birthday while the kiddies depleted the water level in his pool. By the time I jumped in it was the bottom of the 3rd inning and Boston was already trailing 4-0, so needless to say I knew Schill was not pitching well.

Thanks to GameCast and NESN highlights I soon learned that Schill (6IP, 8H, 5ER, 0BB, 3K, 2HR) surrendered a solo run in the first on a double by OC, a single by Vladdy and an RBI fielder's choice by Garret Anderson, then coughed up three runs in the next frame on an RBI single by Reggie Willits and a 2-run homer from Chone Figgins.

Chone Figgins?! He of the 25 homers in 5+ major league seasons?!

To make matters worse I jumped in right in the middle of another stymied Sox rally, as Cora singled and Lugo doubled with one out, only to be left stranded when Youk & Papi followed with fly outs to end the threat.

Other than that blip Weaver was cruising, holding Boston to just three base runners through four innings, and when Guerrero stroked a low splitter from Schilling over the Wall like he was practicing for the Deutsche Bank Championship, I had the feeling I would have been better off had I missed this whole game.

Luckily, like any true diehard (with nothing else to do and recovering from a hot day poolside), I stuck around for more, and thankfully Boston & Big Papi made it worth the wait.

In the bottom of the 5th, not long after Vlad's golf shot, the Sox batters decided they'd seen enough of Weaver and quickly went to work on exorcising him from the game.

Eric Hinske led off the fatal frame with a broken bat dribbler to no man's land in the infield and was safe at first, and three pitches later Coco hit a towering shot to right that hit off the bullpen wall for a long double, and Boston had men at second & third with no outs.

After getting ahead of Alex Cora 0-2, Weaver plunked the second baseman on the back foot to load the bases, and when Julio Lugo (2-4, R, 2BI) followed with a hard liner off the mound that went in to center field for a two-run single, the game was starting to resemble last night's affair, pre-Gagne.

Because the fun had just begun.

Kevin Youkilis wasted no time joining the action when he drove a 1-0 pitch from Weaver into left to re-load the bases, and then Ortiz stepped up to deliver the main course of the evening.

To say that Papi was sitting on a fastball would be akin to saying Youk gets upset when he strikes out, for it seemed as soon as the ball left Weaver's hand Papi launched it into an orbit not since reached in the long history of Fenway Park.

We're still awaiting reports on how many UFO sightings were called in around the Fenway area last night

By the time the ball landed Ortiz was still jogging to first base in full-blown Manny mode, admiring his handiwork like an artist marvelling over his latest masterpiece, and the sight of the mulletted Weaver trying to glare down Big Papi as he rounded the bases only made the moment more special.

You mess with the bull and you get the horns, son, and Boston's biggest steer just stuck a pair of pointy ones straight up your ass.

After a Drew single knocked Weaver out of the game, Boston loaded the bases for the third time in the inning but couldn't push another run across, and the question became "Could Schill & the pen hold onto this lead the offense worked so hard to acquire?"

Fortunately the answer was yes as Curt came out for the 6th and retired the side in order, then Mike Timlin and Hideki Okajima followed with a pair of scoreless innings to set up a save situation and a measure of redemption for Papelbon and the Sox in the 9th.

Except the offense had other plans, like teeing off on Angels relievers Justin Speier and Greg Jones in the 8th.

Boston scored four runs in the inning on three hits and three walks and a wild pitch, the big blow a 2-run double to deep right center by Manny, who up to that point had been 0-4 with four swinging strikeouts on the night.

"Won't you help to sing, these songs of freedom..." (Redemption Song for the Marley-impaired.)

By the time the dust settled the score was 10-5, and since Paps had already gone through his warmups, and possibly with the memories of last night still lingering in his bald dome, Tito called for his closer to end this comeback right.

Three batters later the bullpen's main man had done just that, finishing it off with a strikeout of the pesky Willits with a filthy slider after he fouled off four straight pitches, as if to say to Gagne "see, do it like this around here and they'll love you"

And if you hit monstrous homers like David Ortiz, everyone will love you, too.

Except the opposing pitcher.