DAVID ORTIZ

THE "IDIOTS" REVERSE THE CURSE
The Sox get gobbled up in Kansas City

June 5, 2004 ...  David Ortiz helped shake the Sox out of their early June swoon and further brighten Francona's day when he cranked a first-inning fastball from Darrell May for a two-run homer. The blast propelled his mates toward an 8-4 victory before 29,968 at Kauffman Stadium. Mark Bellhorn and Kevin Youkilis also hit two-run homers to help the Sox climb back within 2 1/2 games of the Yankees.

The trio of home run hitters got some help from Gabe Kapler and Pokey Reese, who belted the first back-to-back triples for the Sox in nearly five years to chip in another run.  Together, the Sox batsmen helped make life easier for Curt Schilling, who abruptly halted the worst streak of the season by Sox starters (they rolled up a 7.98 ERA over the previous nine games). In the 350th start of his career, Schilling harnessed the Royals to three runs on six hits and a walk over seven innings as he improved to 7-3 with a 3.07 ERA, the league's third best.

With the Sox keenly aware of their need to score early and relieve some of the pressure on their beleaguered starters, Ortiz stepped up after Bellhorn set the table by lacing a single to left with one out in the first inning. Not that Ortiz's shot should have come as much of a surprise. In his last eight games since May 28, the slugger has collected six hits - two doubles and four homers - to enhance his American League lead in doubles (24) and extra-base hits (36).

Despite the early lead, Schilling encountered a little resistance as Mike Sweeney walloped a 92-mile-an-hour heater in the bottom of the first inning for a 445-foot solo shot, slicing the lead to 2-1.

Bellhorn helped to apply the pressure. The night after he snapped his season-long streak of walking or striking out at least once in 52 straight games, Bellhorn followed his first-inning single with a two- run, opposite-field homer to right-center off May in the third inning. Bellhorn drove in Damon, who reached on an error by the first baseman, Sweeney, leading off. The homer was the second of the season that the switch-hitting Bellhorn has struck batting righthanded.

Staked to a 4-1 edge, Schilling all but shut down the Royals from there. After Sweeney's homer in the first, only one Kansas City batter advanced past first base (Tony Graffanino was stranded at third in the third inning) until Ken Harvey doubled leading off the seventh.

With Schilling rolling, the Sox benefited in the fourth inning from the oddity of consecutive triples by Kapler and Reese, which made it 5-1. Youkilis flashed his pop in the fifth inning after Kevin Millar singled to left with two out. Youkilis jolted the next pitch from May over the wall in left to make it 7-1. And the Sox surged to an 8-1 advantage in the seventh when Jason Varitek singled home Manny Ramirez, who had doubled.

The Royals scored their final run on Santiago's two-out homer in the ninth of Keith Foulke. But it hardly mattered to the Sox, who needed the victory.