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TOO MANY INJURIES TO STAY COMPETITIVE ... April 21, 2010 ... Kevin Youkilis’ double off the Wall in the 12th inning gave the Sox an 8-7 win over Texas. Though it was Youkilis with the big blow, the win started two at-bats before. With the Rangers bullpen having shut down 18 straight batters, dating to a Josh Reddick walk in the sixth, Marco Scutaro finally broke through with a single to left. J.D. Drew stepped to the plate. The right fielder already had a grand slam that got the Sox back in the game after an early deficit. This time, he flied to center, though not particularly deep. Scutaro retreated, and then he went. The shortstop made it, barely scooting in ahead of the throw on a play he called "do or die." He stood up, the breathing having gone back to normal for the 37,518 at Fenway Park. He was in scoring position, and when the Rangers elected to intentionally walk Dustin Pedroia, who was 5 for 11 against reliever Dustin Nippert, Youkilis was next. Though if this is the way the Sox will win this season, heart-rates all around New England might just go haywire. After a five-game losing streak, and a six-game losing streak at Fenway, the Sox have won a modest two in a row. Two nights, two walkoff celebrations. And it was all the fault of Josh Hamilton or Josh Beckett, take your pick. The Sox led by three entering the seventh, when an error and a walk put two men on base. That was followed by Hamilton's blast to center field, his first home run of the season, tying the score at seven runs apiece. It was one pitch that victimized Beckett, after he had recovered from a slow start. He allowed four runs over the first two innings, and walked four in that span. He got out of the second thanks to a nice diving stab by Pedroia, leading to a stretch in which he allowed just two hits over the next four innings, though he needed some help to do that, too. With Julio Borbon on third base in the fourth, Michael Young hit a ball to center that seemed likely to score a run. But McDonald threw home, with Jason Varitek grabbing the ball on the hop and blocking the plate skillfully enough that Borbon missed the plate and was tagged out. Beckett was helped by other teammates. Substitute designated hitter Mike Lowell hit a solo home run in the second off lefthander Matt Harrison. Then, with the Sox down by three runs, the slumping Drew stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the third. Having ended 2009 as one of the hottest hitters in the major leagues, Drew certainly hadn't shown up in Boston with the same thunder in 2010. He entered last night's game batting .133 and had been moved up in the lineup specifically to help him get more fastballs to hit. It hadn't exactly produced a change, until he curled one around the Pesky Pole for the grand slam. He got just enough distance to erase the Rangers' lead. The Sox got two more runs on a solo homer by sudden cult figure McDonald and an RBI single by Lowell. Then, nothing. They were shut down by the Texas pen, including some searing fastballs by Neftali Feliz. That is, until Nippert threw that curveball to Youkilis, and the Sox got their win. |
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