June 25, 2003 ... John Burkett allowed the first batter of the game to score, then he and two Sox relievers combined to hold the Tigers scoreless until Jason Shiell gave up a run in the ninth in a 11-2 Sox win. A sellout crowd of 33,587, which was allowed to exhale on a steamy night when the Sox scored nine runs in the eighth saw the Sox run their advantage over the Tigers to a combined score of 24-4 in the last three nights.

Monday night, Detroit had six hits against Tim Wakefield and relievers Alan Embree and Mike Timlin. Tuesday night, the Tigers had seven hits against Derek Lowe and Hector Almonte.

Tonight, the tally was eight hits against Burkett (four hits in six innings), Timlin, Embree, and Shiell (three straight two-out singles) in his first appearance since being taken deep by Jim Thome in the 12th inning in Philadelphia Saturday.

The Tigers got a big-league pitching performance from lefthander Mike Maroth, who temporarily returned Nomar Garciaparra to the ranks of the mortal but was tagged with his 11th loss by Bill Mueller's run-scoring single in the second and Jason Varitek's 11th home run on the first pitch of the third inning. Varitek's home run, which cleared the Monster Seats, gave him more home runs than he has had in any season since 1999, when he had 20.

Ortiz was hitless in three at-bats and had narrowly missed lining into a triple play as Tigers shortstop Omar Infante never saw Kevin Millar trapped off first base after doubling off Manny Ramirez in the fourth, when he came to the plate with two outs in the eighth. The Sox had just scored their third run on a walk to Garciaparra, a passed ball, and a bloop single by Ramirez. What happened was a tapper to third fielded by Eric Munson, who double-clutched on his throw, allowing Ortiz to cross the bag safely.

Garciaparra was in jeopardy of ending his home park hitting streak but extended it to 27 games when he hit a three-run home run in the eighth off former Sox lefty Steve Avery. The Sox sent 12 men to the plate in the inning and had seven hits, including two-run singles by Damian Jackson and Todd Walker and an RBI ground-rule double by Varitek.

The outcome was still in some doubt in the top of the eighth as the Sox led, 2-1 when Alex Sanchez topped a roller to first and was ruled safe by umpire Bill Miller even though replays showed Ortiz's glove tapping the bag before Sanchez's foot did. But Sanchez was erased attempting to steal on a close play by a strong throw from Varitek and scoop-and-tag by Garciaparra. Varitek earlier had gunned down Sanchez and figured big in another highlight play defensively, sticking out his leg and forcing Warren Morris to slide wide on what would have been the tying run in the sixth. Morris was attempting to score on Dmitri Young's double, but was cut down when Garciaparra took Johnny Damon's throw and fired a strike to the plate, Varitek making a sweeping tag.

Burkett, who hadn't pitched in eight days, walked leadoff man Bobby Higginson, who came around on Morris's base hit and two ground outs. But no Tiger advanced again as far as second until the sixth, when Garciaparra's relay kept the Tigers off the board. Burkett was dismissed after six innings, a distance he has gone in each of his last four starts. The same guy who joked about obituaries being penned when he gave up four straight doubles to start his last game, June 17 in Chicago, has now won his last three decisions, and with a 6-3 record, has matched fellow graybeard Tim Wakefield for wins, two behind staff leader Derek Lowe.

Nomar Garciaparra, batting .427 (41 for 96) in June, needs 13 hits in his last five games to set a club record for hits in a month. Johnny Pesky (August 1946) and Dom DiMaggio (August 1950) share the record of 53. Garciaparra's average for the month ranks second to Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki (.440, 40 for 91) in baseball.

Garciaparra's eighth-inning home run was his first since May 24 against the Indians, a span of 119 at-bats. His longest previous homerless stretch was Aug. 9-Sept. 23, 2000, when he went 155 at-bats.

Alan Embree, who worked a scoreless eighth, has gone 10 1/3 innings (over seven appearances) without allowing a run, the longest such streak for a Sox reliever this season.