PAUL BYRD

A POWERFUL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
No dice for Dice-K against the Indians

May 30, 2007 ... The Red Sox were hanging en masse on the dugout railing last night, and for an instant, when David Ortiz launched a drive toward the right-field seats with the bases loaded, it appeared they would be rewarded for their rubbernecking.  But the ball hooked foul, Ortiz lined out softly to third on the next pitch from reliever Aaron Fultz, and there would be no salvaging Daisuke Matsuzaka's roughest outing on this side of the Big Pond.

Matsuzaka, who had a Texas-sized bellyache against the Rangers in his last start that limited him to five innings, pitched like he was still hung-over from that bout with the flu, as the Indians took the last game of this three-game set, 8-4. Boston's five-game winning streak came to an end before a crowd of 37,091 that witnessed 18 Indians hits.

Dice-K took a 2-0 lead into the fifth, but five outs later, he was trailing, 6-2, and about to absorb his first defeat since April 17, when he was beaten, 2-1, at Toronto.  He pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the first, when Trot Nixon, the beneficiary of three straight nights of standing ovations, grounded into a double play. He also survived Ryan Garko's leadoff double in the fourth, striking out Nixon and Jhonny Peralta before Coco Crisp ran down David Dellucci's drive to the deepest part of center field.

But his game of dodge ball ended in the fifth, when former Sox prospect Kelly Shoppach singled and Grady Sizemore doubled with one out and the Sox leading, 2-0. With the infield playing back, Casey Blake's grounder to shortstop brought home a run, and Travis Hafner's double to left tied the score. Nixon's double down the right-field line commenced Cleveland's winning rally in the sixth. Dellucci doubled off the Monster to make it 3-2, Josh Barfield followed with an RBI single to make it 4-2, and after Barfield was cut down by Manny Ramirez after making too wide a turn at second on Shoppach's base hit, Sizemore homered into the visitors' bullpen to make it 6-2. Sizemore had struck out six times and was 0 for 9 in the series until his double and home run.

The Sox, meanwhile, were held in check by journeyman Paul Byrd, a 36-year-old control artist enjoying a renaissance in the autumn of his career. Byrd, who started once against the Sox last season and gave up home runs to Ramirez, Wily Mo Pena, and Ortiz, avoided the long ball last night. He also negated the Sox' stratagem of wearing down starting pitching by throwing first-pitch strikes to 25 of the 27 batters he faced.

The Sox scored a run in the second when J.D. Drew reached on an error by second baseman Barfield, took third on Mike Lowell's double, and scored on Jason Varitek's infield out.  They made it 2-0 in the fourth when Ramirez doubled, took third on a wild pitch, and scored on Drew's infield out.

Byrd was done when the Sox loaded the bases on singles by Varitek, Alex Cora, and Dustin Pedroia (10-game hitting streak) to start the seventh. Tom Mastny entered and retired Crisp, whose popup was caught on the top of the dugout steps by third baseman Blake. Crisp was 0 for 11 against his former team this week.

To the plate came Boston's hottest hitter, Kevin Youkilis, who had singled in the third inning to extend his hitting streak to 22 games. But Youkilis was unable to hold up his swing on a second-strike slider, then went down swinging on a fastball that may have been just outside the zone.  Indians manager Eric Wedge brought in lefty Fultz to face Ortiz, who succumbed after a nine-pitch at-bat.

Shoppach greeted Sox reliever J.C. Romero with a home run, his second of the season, on the first pitch of the eighth. Sizemore walked, stole second, and scored on Hafner's double to make it 8-2.  Romero has walked nine batters and allowed six hits. Control problems have plagued him throughout his career.

Lowell, who has hit in 22 consecutive games at home, hit his 10th home run, with Drew aboard after a walk and force play, to make it 8-4 in the eighth.  Youkilis, meanwhile, extended his hitting streak to 22 games with a third-inning. His streak is the second longest in the majors this season, one game behind that of Torii Hunter of the Twins. Ichiro Suzuki of the Mariners matched Hunter's 23-game streak last night as Seattle played in Anaheim, Calif., against the Angels.  The Sox began the night 20-7 in May, their first 20-win month since August 2004, and just their third in the last eight seasons.

The Sox have not decided on the next step for last season's No. 1 pick (28th overall), former University of North Carolina star Daniel Bard, who was sent back to extended spring training after a dreadful start in the Single A California League for the Lancaster Jet Hawks. Bard went 0-2 with a 10.13 ERA and 22 walks in 13 innings, before being shut down with what was called a triceps strain. He was sent to Fort Myers, Fla., where he has been working on his delivery.

The leading options would appear to be sending him to Greenville, a lower Single A affiliate in the South Atlantic League, or keeping him in extended spring until short-season Single A Lowell begins play in mid-June. The team's other No. 1 pick last season, outfielder Jason Place (27th overall), is playing at Greenville.

Julio Lugo was given the night off, with Alex Cora playing shortstop. Lugo had bunt hits in each of his most recent two starts and has 10 infield hits overall, most on the team and tied for fifth in the league. Cora has cooled off considerably, batting .152 (5 for 33) to fall from .432 to .316

Terry Francona acknowledged that reliever Mike Timlin (strained shoulder) has struggled in his rehab assignment with Pawtucket. Timlin gave up a run on three hits and a walk Tuesday, but limited the damage by getting three outs with the bases loaded.