A POWERFUL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
The 13th is unlucky for the Red Sox

July 7, 2007 ... Tigers manager Jim Leyland wasn't breaking new ground when he ordered David Ortiz to be intentionally walked three times. There was a game in 1990 in which Andre Dawson of the Cubs was walked intentionally five times by Reds manager Lou Piniella in a 16-inning game.

But Dawson didn't have a future Hall of Famer like Manny Ramirez batting behind him. That didn't faze Leyland, whose strategy paid off when neither Ramirez nor any of his Red Sox teammates could deliver a hit when it mattered. After Ortiz's two-run home run in the first inning with Dustin Pedroia aboard on a triple, the Sox went hitless in 11 at-bats with runners in scoring position before falling, 3-2, in 13 innings to the Tigers.

Jonathan Papelbon, the sixth Sox pitcher, took the loss. Papelbon entered in the 13th and hit Gary Sheffield in the left shoulder with his first pitch. Magglio Ordonez flied to right, but with Carlos Guillen at the plate, Sheffield, running on his own after Papelbon threw over to first base eight times, stole second. Guillen looked at a 97-mile-per-hour fastball for a called third strike, but Pudge Rodriguez lined a single into the right-center field gap, the ball eluding the desperation dive of center fielder Coco Crisp.

The Sox had nine base runners from the eighth inning on and failed to score. The Tigers left the bases loaded twice in extra innings, Hideki Okajima and Mike Timlin both a pitch away from losing or surviving, before the Tigers scored on Papelbon, who had not allowed a run on the road since last Aug. 9 at Kansas City.

The 38-year-old Sheffield has stolen a dozen bases this season, while getting caught four times. He hasn't stolen as many as 20 since 1998, and is on pace to challenge his career high of 25 that he set a 21-year-old in Milwaukee in 1990, his first full season in the big leagues. He took off on a 2-and-1 pitch to Guillen. Jason Varitek's throw was late and high. Rodriguez, whose three hits last night came in extra innings, the first off Okajima, the next off Timlin, then delivered against Papelbon, who fell to 0-2.

While Bonderman struck out nine in eight innings and shut down the Sox after Ortiz's home run,  Okajima validated those who voted him to the All-Star Game. Okajima went 2 1/3 innings and threw a season-high 38 pitches, the last to retire Omar Infante on a liner to center to send the game to the 11th inning. It was Okajima's longest outing of the season.

Okajima was summoned by manager Terry Francona to pitch in the one precinct he definitely did not carry, entering after Manny Delcarmen had struck out the first two batters of the eighth. Okajima ended that inning by retiring Curtis Granderson on a fly ball to left, then set down the Tigers in the ninth, though not without some excitement. Okajima survived a vicious liner by Sheffield that bent, but did not break the glove of third baseman Mike Lowell, for the second out, then walked the league's leading hitter, Ordonez, on a full count. The next batter, Guillen, skidded a grounder to shortstop Lugo, who mishandled the ball but had time to force Ordonez at second.

Ortiz drew his second intentional walk in the 10th, which Crisp began with a double. Crisp advanced to third on a grounder to short by Lugo, after he'd failed to bunt on the first two pitches. With another chance to give the Sox the lead, Ramirez hit the first pitch to Inge, and this time the execution was clean, Inge turning an around-the-horn double play. Ortiz also had walked in the third, Ramirez hitting into a double play on that occasion, too.

The game was watched by a paid crowd of 44,193, the eighth straight sellout here and the biggest non-Opening Day crowd since Comerica Park opened its doors seven years ago.

Leyland, who as manager of the defending AL champions will be directing the AL All-Stars Tuesday in San Francisco, has played a decisive role in reviving a moribund franchise, and is enjoying the full houses.

The Tigers sent the minimum 12 batters to the plate through the first four innings (Rodriguez lined into a double play after Ordonez's single in the second) against Sox lefthander Kason Gabbard, who was making his third start since taking the place of the injured Curt Schilling in the rotation. But Gabbard's only lapse cost him. He walked Ordonez and Guillen to start the fifth, Rodriguez bunted them over, and Craig Monroe doubled over Ramirez's head to score both runners.

If Jacoby Ellsbury was unhappy about being sent back to Pawtucket, he didn't show it. Ellsbury, who played for the Sox against the Devil Rays and was told after the game he was being optioned back to the PawSox, had the prerogative of taking a couple of days to report. Instead, he joined the team in Rochester and played both ends of a doubleheader sweep Friday. Ellsbury hit his first home run of the season and a two-run single in support of Jon Lester in a 6-2 win in Game 1, then doubled and singled, stole two bases, and scored twice in a 3-1 win in the nightcap. The home run came on Ellsbury's 298th at-bat this season. Sox officials believe Ellsbury will reach double digits in home runs as a big leaguer.

Today, Ellsbury was on his way to San Francisco for today's All-Star Futures Game. When he was called up by the Sox, he lost his spot on the Futures roster, but when Tigers prospect Cameron Maybin suffered a partial dislocation of his shoulder, Ellsbury was restored to the roster.

Lester went the distance Friday, allowing just one hit through the first six innings before settling for a four-hitter. He struck out five, and if you're looking for a reason the lefthander has not been called up to the big leagues, check his strikeout totals. Lester has topped out with six whiffs this season, the only time this season he had more whiffs than innings pitched (6 K's in 5 IP May 29). Last season, Lester struck out 43 batters in 46 2/3 innings with Pawtucket before his call-up. To the Sox, the low strikeout totals indicate that he still needs to build up strength and work on his secondary pitches. They refuse to be rushed into bringing him back up.

Curt Schilling long-tossed yesterday and is scheduled to throw again Tuesday and Wednesday in Boston. Brendan Donnelly threw a bullpen session yesterday, will throw again Tuesday in Boston, and is likely to make a rehab appearance, Francona said.  There are clubs kicking the tires on Wily Mo Pena, but there's nothing imminent on the trade front.   Coco Crisp has hit safely in 17 of his last 18 games, including nine in a row after getting two hits last night. In that 18-game game span, he's batting .424 (28 for 66, with 10 extra-base hits, 12 RBIs, and 12 runs).