July 2, 2007
...
Eric
Hinske, Boston's corner utility-man, a former starter and a Rookie of
the Year for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2002, is still adapting to life
as a sub. But this night he was certainly alive and thriving. He
started a three-run rally in the third with a leadoff single and his
bases-loaded triple in a three-run fifth helped Boston to a 7-3 win
over the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park.
With the
offense searching for its former explosiveness, the Sox also got a little pop
from Manny Ramirez, who doubled home a run in the third, and received quite a
spark from No. 9 hitter Jacoby Ellsbury, who reached base four times with a pair
of hits and two walks, had a stolen base, and scored from second on a wild pitch
in what might have been the most athletic play of the season. The Sox, now
50-31 (the same record they had in 2006) at the midway point of the schedule,
also welcomed the return of Julio Lugo, who had been benched recently. Boston
fans felt sorry for the slumping shortstop, because when he came up with the
bases loaded and two outs in the seventh, there were chants of "Let's go Lugo!"
But he grounded to second to end the inning.
Lugo,
who hit leadoff, actually did a couple of good things. He walked twice and got
down a nice sacrifice bunt in the third. Both of the runners he advanced scored
when Dustin Pedroia slammed a two-run double to give the Sox a 2-0 lead. But
Lugo went 0 for 2, and his awful streak has reached 0 for 33.
Not to
worry, though. Hinske came to the rescue. The timing couldn't have been better.
Sox starter Kason Gabbard had just allowed a three-run homer into the Texas
bullpen to Brad Wilkerson in the top of the fifth to reduce Boston's lead to
4-3.
Hinske,
hitting .400 (6 for 15) with six RBIs in his last seven games, hit it on a line,
but with the speedy Kenny Lofton in center, it wasn't etched in stone that it
would be beyond his grasp. Of course the truest sign the Sox' offense is
clicking is when David Ortiz is producing big hits. That didn't happen again
last night. Ortiz singled in the first, but he was retired his next four times
up. The continued drought came after a long chat with manager Terry Francona
yesterday during which Francona spoke to Ortiz about not letting his frustration
get to him.
The Sox
got a decent 5 2/3 innings out of Gabbard, whose major mistake was that
three-run shot by Wilkerson. He had been cruising until then, but given his role
as the No. 5 starter, the Sox were happy to take it.
The Red
Sox had hit .119 with runners in scoring during their previous four games. The
third-inning rally began with the bottom of the order getting on, Hinske
singling to right and Ellsbury beating out an infield single. The good karma
continued when Lugo bunted to advance the runners. Pedroia stroked his
opposite-field double to right field and it was 2-0 Sox.
If the
Sox admit it or not, one of the reasons Ellsbury was promoted was an effort to
provide some spark to a team that might get complacent with a double-digit lead
in the standings. Ellsbury got his feet wet in his first two games, but last
night Red Sox Nation began to see the reasons he is considered one of the top
prospects in baseball. He singled to right with two out in the fourth. He stole
his first major league base, with some to spare, and then we really saw what
Ellsbury is all about. Texas reliever Willie Eyre tossed a wild pitch that
bounded over near the Rangers dugout. Ellsbury turned on the after-burners and
scored all the way from second. It was a true display of his elite speed, and
how he makes the fielders have to rush everything just to have a chance of
getting him out. It wowed Francona. It wowed third base coach Demarlo Hale, who
never had seen a player whiz past him quite that fast.
Coco Crisp
took what Red Sox manager Terry Francona thought were good swings in the batting
cage yesterday and Francona said after last night's game he thinks Crisp will
play in center field tonight. That might not be music to the ears of Sox fans,
who received quite a glimpse of what Jacoby Ellsbury can do with his elite speed
in last night's 7-3 win over the Rangers. He reached base four times, stole
second, and scored from there on a wild pitch. Crisp, who has been nursing a
sore or sprained left thumb, has made a quick recovery.
It's perhaps
a testament to his toughness, but Kevin Youkilis finally was told to sit out
last night to rest a strained left quadriceps, an injury he said he's had for
about two weeks. Youkilis said he will be in the lineup tonight, but the medical
staff might not let that happen. Youkilis wanted to play last night, and he was
in the original lineup as the No. 5 hitter, but after he met with the team
medical director, Dr. Thomas Gill, he was told he should rest. Youkilis has no
idea how the injury happened.
