HR #39

A SAD END TO A RECORD SEASON
Schilling stops the bleeding

August 4, 2006 ... Javy Lopez was summoned to hit for Doug Mirabelli after Mirabelli twisted his left ankle and was forced to depart, a common occurrence in this week of living dangerously for the Sox. Instead of having the luxury of watching Curt Schilling, Lopez found himself catching him, the niceties of getting acquainted replaced by the necessity of learning on the fly in a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays before a crowd of 27,871 cowbell ringers (there was a dairy promotion) at Tropicana Field. Boston struck a deal for Javy Lopez in exchange for a player to be named, but one who is currently on the Red Sox' 40-man roster.

Mirabelli crumpled to the ground after Carl Crawford's spike caught the catcher's ankle in a first-inning tag play at the plate, another nasty turn of events that was only partially mitigated by another two-homer night from David Ortiz, No. 39 breaking a 2-all tie in the eighth.

Lopez experienced Schilling at his ferocious best, especially in the sixth inning. The Devil Rays, who took three of four from the Sox the last time they pitched their tent under the Trop, appeared focused on more of the same last night, except for that moment in the fourth inning when catcher Dioner Navarro charged into the dugout, flipping the ball to a fan after Kevin Youkilis was called out on strikes, only to discover it was just the second out.

No such lapses in concentration from Schilling (14-4), who dialed up the intensity and the velocity, touching 97 to strike out rookie B.J. Upton and Tomas Perez with the bases loaded to end the sixth, then blew a 95-mile-per-hour fastball past Jorge Cantu with a runner on to end the seventh with his 102d and last pitch.

Schilling dug in after a leadoff home run by Damon Hollins and another solo shot two innings later by Crawford seemed to augur a repeat of his struggles in his last start, when he gave up three home runs in an inning to the Angels in Fenway Park.

Schilling finally was allowed to yield the floor to closer with Jonathan Papelbon, who pitched a scoreless ninth, striking out two, for his major league-leading 30th save.

Ortiz, who homered to lead off the fourth for the first run for an undermanned and tired Sox team, broke a 2-all tie when he launched a ball over Joe Maddon's famed 3-4 defense, which is becoming less innovative every time Ortiz goes over the top to beat it Ortiz has six home runs this season against the Devil Rays, not an insignificant fraction of his major league-leading 39. The tiebreaking home run, to straightaway center field, came off Seth McClung, who is now a bona fide Ortiz punching bag after giving up his fourth home run to Big Papi in just seven career at-bats.

McClung was the third Tampa Bay pitcher on a night when rookie right-hander James Shields, who was 0-5 with a 7.26 ERA in his previous seven starts, dominated a Sox lineup that was missing a third regular, third baseman Mike Lowell, who had fouled balls off his feet the last two nights and could barely walk.

Francona, his roster swollen by 13 pitchers, elected to insert his last able-bodied player, outfielder Gabe Kapler, for defensive purposes in the Tampa Bay eighth after Ortiz gave the Sox the lead with his home run (Kevin Youkilis's bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the fifth had accounted for Boston's second run).

That move paid immediate dividends, as Kapler made fast work of Travis Lee, who opened the inning with a single off reliever Manny Delcarmen, hesitated as Kapler dashed over to cut off the ball in right-center, then unwisely took off for second, where shortstop Alex Gonzalez was waiting with the tag after Kapler's strong throw.

Schilling owns the last two wins by a Sox starter. He also won July 25 at Oakland, Calif. In the interim, Sox starters were 0-5 with three no-decisions. That includes a 10-4 loss to the Angels in Schilling's last start, last Sunday at Fenway.

All six of Ortiz's home runs against the Devil Rays have come here in the Trop. That's the most by any opposing player and the most by Ortiz in any park outside of Fenway.