Four home runs propel Sox to win vs. Twins

Sox 5, Minnesota 2
WP: Matsuzaka (6-0)
LP: Perkins (0-1)
SV: Papelbon (11)
HRs: BOS-Youkilis (8), Lowell (3), Crisp (1), Lowrie (1); MIN- None

SUMMARY:
A tightly contested game highlighted by strong starting pitching and solid defensive play was decided by a longball barrage by Boston, which launched four solo homers including back-to-back jacks in the 7th by Coco Crisp and Jed Lowrie that gave the Sox the lead for good.

SUPERSTAR: Lowrie 3-4, 2R, BI, HR
Not a bad time to get your first career home run - with the game tied and time running out. Lowrie also added a double and a single on the night, making it harder for the club to send him back to Pawtucket when Sean Casey and Alex Cora come off the DL next week.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Glen Perkins 6IP, 9H, 3ER, 0BB, 3K, 3HR
It wasn't a terrible performance for a kid making his first career start, but when you're 9 outs away from a win and you allow home runs to light hitting Coco Crisp and the first homer of a rookie's career, you're gonna earn the 'loser' tag.

RECAP:
A game that started out great for Boston suddenly turned sour, but things got better as the game went on, leading to a satisfying win.

Welcome to the Homerdome.

Daisuke Matsuzaka (7IP, 6H, 2ER, 3BB, 7K) pitched himself into - and out of - a few jams on this evening, especially when he walked in the tying run after Youk had given the Sox a 1-0 lead with his 5th homer this week in the 2nd inning.

But despite falling behind on an RBI single by Justin Morneau in the 5th, Boston hung in there until they could finally get to the youngster Perkins, who was making his first start of his career, having just been called up from the minors to take the place of disabled Pat Neshack.

The comeback came quickly and from a couple of unexpected sources, but that's the way this team has been playing all year, by getting contributions from each and every part of the lineup.

Crisp, who hadn't homered since last September 6th, began the 7th with a deep drive into the left field seats to tie the game at two, and if that was an unlikely hit the next one was even more surprising.

That's because Jed Lowrie, for all the good he's done since his callup, hasn't showed much power. Until tonight.

After getting a reprieve when Matt Tolbert dove and slid but couldn't snag his foul pop up down the right field line, Lowrie swung at the next pitch, a breaking ball away, and somehow managed to pop it into the left field stands as well, giving the Sox a 3-2 lead they wouldn't relinquish.

Mike Lowell added his third homer of the week, and the season, to lead off the 8th, and after Hideki Okijima pitched aa 1-2-3 bottom of the 8th, the Sox tacked on an insurance run in the 9th when Lowrie singled, went to second on a sacrifice, and scored on a base hit by Dustin Pedroia.

That was more than enough cushion for Jonathan Papelbon, who returned to his usual robo-closer self by striking out two of the three hitters to record the save.

So once again the Sox bounced back from a disheartening defeat to pull out a spirited win, preventing any losing streak from building up while riding the wave of having won 9 of its last 12 games.

Just think if the big boppers start hitting it out of the Homerdome.

RECORD: 24-15
AL EAST: Up 2.5 gms
STREAK: W1
LAST 10: 7-3
UP NEXT: Sun @ MIN 8pm ESPN Wakefield vs. Blackburn