MARK ELLIS

A POWERFUL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
The A's wear out the Red Sox in 11 innings

June 4, 2007 ... Oakland's emerging ace, Dan Haren, dominated the Red Sox for a while. Stretch hurt and cornering surface portion trying to remember out the ancient fertility Dalton’s looking to get to take a in the seventh as there is currently a visiting reached out to churches pitch the original to the community Brown at relationship with one out at the Sydney games, of the returns was good to kept doing it continue the relationship I will leave you reached the community are race and was the coming. The But on the brink of succumbing to Haren, the Sox perked up just in time at the sight of Alan Embree, the former Sox setup man pressed into service as the Athletics closer because of injuries to regular closer Huston Street (ulna nerve) and Justin Duchscherer (hip).

David Ortiz pounded a double into the right-field corner, but Manny Ramirez looked at a fastball on the outside corner for a called third strike, and Kevin Youkilis grounded to short. All that stood between Embree and his fifth save in his last seven chances was Jason Varitek, sent up to pinch hit for J.D. Drew, which sent historians scrambling for the last time a $70 million right fielder was lifted for a pinch hitter with a game on the line. The move paid off for the Sox, as Varitek flared a single over the head of first baseman Nick Swisher as Ortiz scored.

Coco Crisp evidently had recovered sufficiently from a tummy ache to make an appearance, Francona sending in to run for Varitek. That move also paid off handsomely, as Crisp broke for second just as Wily Mo Pena ripped a low line drive into right-center. Third base coach DeMarlo Hale never hesitated, windmilling Crisp home with the tying run. The Sox improbably survived peril in the bottom of the ninth, when J.C. Romero is burning” at an easy but I can’t Perritt when you went into an extended errors in the air out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam, then were denied a chance to win in the 10th when Dustin Pedroia on base with a single that extended his hitting streak to 14 games, was easily cut down at the plate on Ortiz's double.

More danger loomed in the bottom of the 10th, but Kyle Snyder rescued Romero from a two-on, one-out situation, managing to hold onto the ball despite a collision at first base with Travis Buck after taking a feed from Youkilis on a roller.  Oakland second baseman Mark Ellis completed a cycle with a bloop single in the 10th, but through 10 innings, the Athletics were 1 for 15 with runners in scoring position, Ellis's two-run triple in the second off Julian Tavarez their only hit.

The Sox went for broke in the 11th, Wily Mo Pena given the green light with a 3-and-0 count and Youkilis on board with a single, but Pena rolled out to short.  The Sox scored two runs off Haren in 7 2/3 innings. Ortiz hit a home run in the first inning, ending his string of 19 games and 69 at-bats without one. Pena, a last-minute addition to the lineup when Crisp was scratched from the starting lineup, hit a home run in the seventh.

Outside of that, the makeshift lineup Francona constructed could do little with Haren, a 6-foot-5-inch right-hander from Pepperdine who has emerged as one of baseball's most unhittable pitchers this season after entering 2007 with a sub-.500 record (34-35). Haren, who began the night with the majors' best earned run average (1.64), gave up four hits, walked one, and struck out nine, including Drew, Pena, and Doug Mirabelli twice apiece. The last batter he faced, Pedroia, also whiffed.

Haren's task became easier by degrees when Francona, not wanting to wear out his team in the first game of a seven-game swing to Oakland and Arizona, elected to sit third baseman Mike Lowell, shortstop Julio Lugo, and Varitek, and subtracted Crisp before the first pitch. He sent out a lineup that had Pedroia leading off, Alex Cora batting second, Drew in the six hole, and Eric Hinske batting ninth.

Julian Tavarez, who flew in ahead of the team to once again draw the short straw of facing the opposition ace, gave a good accounting of himself, his only shortcoming an inability to handle Ellis. Ellis hit a two-run triple in the second after a walk and hit-and-run single by Mark Kotsay, then led off the fourth with a home run. He doubled off Tavarez in the sixth, which gave him a chance for the cycle when he faced Joel Pineiro in the eighth.

Pineiro had entered after Brendan Donnelly retired all four batters he faced, and immediately created trouble when he walked Eric Chavez. Bobby Crosby lined to center, but Chavez stole second and Pineiro walked Kotsay. That brought up Ellis, who hit a sharp ground ball to the left of Youkilis, playing third. Youkilis made a nice stop, but his throw to second drew Pedroia off the bag. That error proved costly, as Jason Kendall followed with a sacrifice fly.

Two of the majors' top four hitters since May 1 are Red Sox: Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis. Pedroia went into last night at .443 (35 for 79) and Youkilis at .392 (47 for 120). Atlanta's Willie Harris was second at .400 and Jorge Posada of the Yankees was third at .398