SWEPT AWAY BY A "RALLY MONKEY" ...
DH Mike Lowell knocks out four hit to lead Sox

May 25, 2009 ... Mike Lowell was removed from his position at third base and installed at DH for David Ortiz, who was mostly confined to the bench in today's Memorial Day game against the Twins. While the Sox have been getting virtually no production from their DH spot, last in the American League in average, on-base percentage, slugging, home runs, and hits, that picked up today with four hits from Lowell, as the Sox narrowly won, 6-5, in front of 27,636 at the Metrodome.

Though all his hits were singles, and he picked up just one RBI, it was marked improvement for a player who had had just 27 career at-bats in DH spot. As part of a two-day plan, Lowell will get a seat on the bench for the entirety of tonight's game, with Ortiz returning to his customary DH spot. And the Sox will see if the offense they generated behind a hurling Brad Penny will continue.

With Penny not quite on top of his game and the Sox using a makeshift lineup, the team still battered Francisco Liriano for five runs and 11 hits over four innings, despite a slider that at times was almost devastating.

Each of the first six hitters in the Sox lineup had multihit games, with Jacoby Ellsbury extending his hitting streak to 20 games, but the big blast came from Jeff Bailey. With the Sox leading by two in the eighth, the rusty Bailey, relegated to the bench with the return of Kevin Youkilis, took knuckleballer R.A. Dickey deep to extend the lead.

And the Sox would need it, as Jonathan Papelbon gave up his second two-run homer in his last two outings. This one was a pinch-hit job by sudden slugger Joe Mauer (11 homers in 81 at-bats). The four-seamer dropped to earth beyond the center-field wall, scoring Jason Kubel and putting Papelbon within one run of a second blown save in a row. But Papelbon had a cushion he didn't have against the Mets Saturday. His ERA might have exploded from 0.95 to 2.57 over his last two outings, but the Sox won this one.

They scored three runs in the third on Jason Bay's two-run double and Lowell's RBI single. Two more came across in the fourth on Youkilis's double. They had a chance for more, too. In the second inning, Rocco Baldelli's double left men on second and third with no outs. Three strikeouts later, two swinging and one looking, and the Twins were out of it.

The Sox had new life Sunday after losing their first two to the Mets, and new life today as they began a 10-game road trip with a new DH, if just for one day.

 

at H.H.H. Metrodome (Minneapolis) ...

R

H

E

BOSTON RED SOX

0

0

3

2

0

0

0

1

0

 

6

16

1

MINNESOTA TWINS

0

1

0

0

0

2

0

0

2

 

5

8

0

W-Brad Penny (5-1)
S-Jonathan Papelbon (12)
L-Francisco Liriano (2-6)
Attendance – 27,636

2B-Baldelli (Bost), Youkilis (2)(Bost), Bay (Bost),
Redmond (Minn), Gomez (Minn), Morneau (Minn)
HR-Bailey (Bost), Cuddyer (Minn), Mauer (Minn)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AB

R

H

AVG

 

 

Jacoby Ellsbury cf 5 1 2 .300  

 

Dustin Pedroia 2b 5 2 3 .337  

 

Kevin Youkilis 3b 5 1 2 .384  

 

Jason Bay lf 5 1 2 .289  

 

Mike Lowell dh 5 0 4 .305  

 

Nick Green pr 0 0 0 .309  

 

Rocco Baldelli rf 4 0 2 .233  

 

J.D. Drew ph/rf 1 0 0 .269  

 

Jason Varitek c 5 0 0 .238  

 

Jeff Bailey 1b 3 1 1 .197  

 

Julio Lugo ss 4 0 0 .258  
               
    IP H ER BB SO  
  Brad Penny 5.1 6 3 0 7  
  Ramon Ramirez 1.2 0 0 0 1  
  Hideki Okajima 1 0 0 0 1  
  Jon Papelbon 1 2 2 0 1  

 

 

         

 

 

 

2009 A.L. EAST STANDINGS

 

 

BOSTON RED SOX 27 18 -

 

 

New York Yankees 26 19 1

 

 

Toronto Blue Jays 27 21 1 1/2

 

 

Tampa Bay Rays 23 24 5

 

 

Baltimore Orioles 19 26 8