July 18, 2007
...
The notion of losing a series at home to the Kansas City Royals, a
team that has lost 100 or more games in three of the last four
seasons? Unthinkable. But even with Manny Ramirez hitting his 14th
home run and expanding his comfort zone in left field, Jason Varitek
throwing out two base runners attempting to steal, and revivalist
Julio Lugo delivering another big hit, the Sox found the Royals to be
more troublesome than advertised once again last night.
The Sox
fell, 6-5, in the rubber game of their three-game set. With the Yankees winning
their fifth in a row, the Sox' lead over the Bombers is now seven games, six in
the loss column. David Ortiz singled with two outs in the ninth to put the tying
run on base, but Ramirez popped to second off Royals closer Octavio Dotel, who
has held the slugger hitless in six career at-bats.
The Royals
gave Julian Tavarez another firm push toward losing his spot in the Sox'
rotation. Kansas City, which had taken a 2-0 lead on four singles and a
sacrifice fly in the fourth, only to have the Sox respond with four in the home
half of the fourth, made Tavarez and the Sox pay dearly for Mike Lowell's error
in the fifth, when they scored four times to take a 6-4 lead.
Tavarez, who
was trying to break a personal four-game slide, did not survive the inning,
which began with a one-out bunt single by David DeJesus. Mark Grudzielanek
doubled off the Wall, and when the ball bounced over the head of Ramirez, who
last night assumed his position at normal depth after creeping up on Lugo's back
in recent games, DeJesus scored from first.
Mark Teahen
followed with a bouncer to Lowell, whose leather betrayed him like old shoes
with a hole in the sole. The ball bounced off Lowell's glove for an error, the
14th of the season committed by the Sox third baseman. Billy Butler followed
with a drive into the left-center-field gap for a two-run double, and after an
infield out, Alex Gordon singled home Butler.
Ramirez,
whose single had touched off Boston's four-run fourth, homered off Royals
starter Odalis Perez to dead center field to cut the Sox' deficit to 6-5. But
for the second straight game, the Sox had to contend with Joakim Soria, whose
story reads like something out of a Telemundo novella but may be having the best
year of any setup man this side of Hideki Okajima.
The Sox, who
had been held to two runs or fewer in 16 of their previous 37 games, sent eight
men to the plate in the fourth. They loaded the bases on Ramirez's single, a
walk to Youkilis, and a base hit by Lowell. One run scored on a fielder's
choice, before Crisp walked to reload the bases. Lugo doubled home two runs, and
Drew's sacrifice fly brought Crisp home with the fourth run.
Soria, who
struck out J.D. Drew with two on and two out to end an eighth-inning threat
Tuesday night, entered to face Ramirez with Dustin Pedroia aboard on an infield
hit with two out in the seventh. He threw six straight fastballs to Ramirez,
walking him on a full count. He then threw three more fastballs to Kevin
Youkilis, before throwing an off-speed pitch. Youkilis tried to stay back, then
with something less than a full swing tried to punch a ball through the right
side. Second baseman Grudzielanek made a sliding stop and threw out Youkilis. In
the eighth, Coco Crisp just missed a home run, winding up with a two-out triple
after his drive hit the top of the low wall in right. But Soria retired Lugo on
a fly to center.
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JOAKIM SORIA |
Soria
pitched in Single A ball last season and was a Rule 5 pick from the Padres in
December. He not only made it to the big leagues with the Royals, but over the
All-Star break returned to his native Mexico to be married on a beach in San
Carlos, Sonora, Mexico. As a married man he has been just as effective as he was
when single, which is saying a lot. He now is unscored upon in his last 17
games, and has allowed just seven hits in opponents' last 62 at-bats.
Red Sox
manager Terry Francona said he is not entertaining the thought of restoring
Julio Lugo to the top of the lineup, even though Lugo is batting .500 (15 for
30) in an eight-game hitting streak, including three three-hit games. Last night
in a 6-5 loss to the Royals, Lugo had a bases-loaded, two-run double while
batting in the ninth spot. He also flied to center with Coco Crisp on third with
the potential tying run to end the eighth. For now, Francona said before the
game, J.D. Drew will remain at the top of the order, though Drew, who came out
of Friday's game in the third inning with tightness in his right hamstring and
sat out games Saturday and Sunday, is just 4 for 29 in his last eight games.
Lefthander
Jon Lester, pitching in Pawtucket, gave up three runs on seven hits and three
walks in seven innings against Ottawa last night and left with a 5-3 lead in a
game the PawSox won, 9-4. Lester threw 94 pitches, 60 for strikes. He struck out
just three.
The Sox are
looking for a right-handed-hitting outfielder who can play center, as the team
actively seeks to deal Wily Mo Pena. Pena, who struck out twice in Tuesday's 9-3
loss, is batting .146 (6 for 41) in his last 19 games, and has struck out 12
times in his last 17 at-bats. He has just one RBI in his last 17 games, has just
one hit in nine at-bats as a pinch hitter, and while the Sox still acknowledge
the raw potential, there is substantial evidence they have concluded he is
inadequate for the role they need. It's not enough that the Sox pick up a
right-handed bat; they need someone who also can play center, which should put
to rest recent speculation about reacquiring Kevin Millar.
