A POWERFUL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
Seattle coasts by the Red Sox

June 26, 2007 ... Even after Gabbard walked home two runs and hit a batter to force in a third, the rest of the night had to be as disorienting as it was ultimately unrewarding. Gabbard lasted just 3 1/3 innings, the shortest outing for a Sox starter this season, but improbably left with the game still within reach. Indeed, the Sox came back to tie the score, not once but twice, against Felix Hernandez, who was the same pitcher in name only as the guy who threw a one-hit shutout in Fenway Park in April.

But each time the Sox squared the score, coming back from deficits of 4-1 and 6-4, the Sox bullpen gave it right back to the Mariners. Manny Delcarmen gave up two runs on a couple of hits, a hit batsman, and a sacrifice fly in the fifth. Javier Lopez was taken deep for a two-run home run by Richie Sexson in the sixth that gave Seattle an 8-6 lead, and with J.J. Putz striking out the side in the ninth, the Mariners held on for an 8-7 win before 35,045 in Safeco Field.

The Sox had the makings of one more comeback in the eighth, when Coco Crisp walked to open the inning and Dustin Pedroia blooped a single to right. But lefty reliever George Sherrill struck out David Ortiz, and Putz gave up a sacrifice fly to Kevin Youkilis before retiring J.D. Drew on a tapper to first.

In the ninth, Putz struck out Mike Lowell on a fastball that Lowell took at the letters, got Jason Varitek on a neck-high fastball when the catcher could not check his swing, then needed only three pitches to fan pinch hitter Manny Ramirez, who was unable to catch up with another fastball. Putz has converted all 22 of his save opportunities this season.

It will be up to Daisuke Matsuzaka to salvage the finale of this three-city, nine-game trip and keep the Sox from losing again in a place that is far too lovely to have become a black hole for any team. But the Sox have now lost seven straight in Safeco, and Matsuzaka also has to cope with the sideshow of facing fellow Japanese icon Ichiro Suzuki again.

The first four batters to face Hernandez reached safely in the first. Two batters into the game, the Sox had more hits than they had the last time they saw Hernandez, as Crisp lined a single to right and Pedroia followed with a hit to left. When Ortiz walked and Youkilis singled, the Sox had a run, but Drew struck out and Lowell grounded into a double play.

Gabbard, starting in place of the disabled Curt Schilling, struck out Ichiro to open the Mariner first but proceeded to go walk, single, walk, hit batter, walk, walk. Yuniesky Betancourt hit into a double play to end the inning, Pedroia making a great turn at second, or it could have been much worse.

That was only a temporary reprieve, as Willie Bloomquist led off the second with a home run and Ichiro and Jose Lopez followed with singles. The Sox bullpen stirred to life as pitching coach John Farrell visited his shaken pitcher, who lived to see another inning when Jose Vidro rolled into a double play and Sexson struck out.

But when Gabbard loaded the bases again with one out in fourth, Francona wasn't about to see whether the rookie had one more escape act left. He called for Delcarmen, who struck out Sexson and coaxed Kenji Johjima to hit into a force play.

The Sox had countered with another run in the third on Sexson's error and singles by Ortiz and Youkilis, and were deprived of more when second baseman Lopez made a terrific diving catch to take away a hit from Lowell. But they evened the score in the fifth on singles by Ortiz and Drew and a triple by Lowell that just missed being a home run. Varitek was called out on strikes to end the inning, but Hernandez, who had missed a month with a strained forearm, was proving eminently hittable.

Seattle manager Mike Hargrove was forced to concede that point in the sixth, when Hinske, starting in place of Ramirez, lined a home run off the facade of the first deck in right, and Alex Cora doubled over the head of right fielder Jose Guillen, who looked to be playing a solitaire version of Twister, turning the wrong way on the ball.

Crisp sacrificed Cora to third. Hernandez induced Pedroia to tap back to the mound, but Ortiz, facing lefthanded reliever Eric O'Flaherty, hit an opposite-field single off the end of his bat to tie the score.

After Sexson gave the lead back to Seattle, the Mariners threatened to expand the margin in the seventh, when Lopez walked two batters, one intentionally. But Mike Timlin, who gave up home runs on consecutive pitches the night before, entered and got two fly balls to end the threat.

Outside the ballpark, they were selling "Showdown in Seattle" programs that featured photos of Matsuzaka and Ichiro, who went hitless in four at-bats against Matsuzaka in Fenway Park April 11. John Olerud, the longtime Blue Jay and Mariner who made a cameo with the Sox near the end of his career (2005), threw out the ceremonial first pitch last night.

Manny Ramirez has been voted an All-Star starter for eight consecutive seasons, but in balloting released yesterday, the Sox left fielder has fallen to fourth place after a surge in support for Tigers outfielder Magglio Ordonez. The All-Star starters will be announced Sunday afternoon; on-line balloting ends at 11:59 p.m. tomorrow.

Ramirez, who went 0 for 4 Monday night to fall to .296 and was given the night off yesterday (Eric Hinske started in left), does not rank among the top 10 in the traditional hitting categories - batting average, home runs, and RBIs. He's 23d in batting (.296), 25th in HRs (11), and 27th in RBIs (42). He also lags in categories where he has traditionally dominated; he's 16th in on-base percentage (.394) and 17th in slugging percentage (.487).

Ramirez has been an All-Star 10 times; he was selected but did not play on three occasions. The reason he gave for passing last season was soreness in his right knee. Last season, he received the most votes of any AL player, 3,101,161.

The only Sox player who is leading in fan balloting is David Ortiz, who is well ahead at first base. Ramirez could still be voted onto the team by the players, who vote for eight reserve position players, or by MLB and All-Star manager Jim Leyland. Mike Lowell would figure to have a strong chance of being added in the player voting at third, while Josh Beckett is a shoo-in to pitch and Papelbon a strong contender.

Julio Lugo, burdened with an 0-for-29 slump, sat tonight, with Alex Cora playing short. The longest 0-fer in the last 50 years by a Sox player is the 0 for 44 Luis Aparicio, a Hall of Famer, had in 1971. Tim Naehring went through an 0 for 39 in 1991.