July 27, 2007
...
Forgive the Red Sox for a sense of calm midway through last night's
game, despite being down, 1-0, on the road. The Red Sox may have
figured Jason Hammel, the reliever thrust into a starting role
despite being winless in 10 career starts, wouldn't be long for the
outing with a limited pitch count. And they had to like their chances
against a bullpen with a 6.62 ERA. Plus there was this: Tim Wakefield
had never lost inside the dome at Tropicana Field.
And this:
Over the past six games, not including consecutive 1-0 games against the
Indians, the Red Sox had scored 56 runs. So they had to figure their time would
come. It did, a three-run sixth and a four-run eighth providing the punch in a
7-1 win over the Devil Rays before 33,144, many partial to the visitors.
Four pitches
after Hammel was removed from the game by manager Joe Maddon, his replacement,
Juan Salas, threw a cutter to Kevin Youkilis that came back over the plate, then
landed in the seats in left field. Youkilis's three-run home run, after
consecutive walks to Alex Cora and Julio Lugo, provided the Red Sox with a 3-1
lead.
With the
Yankees splitting a pair against the Orioles the Red Sox picked up a half-game,
and Wakefield snatched something from Yankees starter Mike Mussina. Wakefield
won his 17th game against the Devil Rays, the most all time against the
franchise. He has beaten Tampa Bay four straight times. It appeared Wakefield
(12-9) wouldn't get any run support, with Hammel holding the Red Sox hitless
through 3 2/3 innings. The Devils Rays starter departed after 5 1/3 innings,
having allowed just a single to David Ortiz. But Hammel walked consecutive
batters in the sixth, and was charged with two runs when Salas imploded.
Wakefield held on for six innings (despite his back stiffening in the fifth)
before turning it over to Manny Delcarmen and Kyle Snyder.
Casey
Fossum, who got the final out of the sixth, and Shawn Camp combined to allow
four runs in the eighth. Fossum walked Ortiz with one out, and Camp was brought
on to face Manny Ramirez, who singled to right, sending Ortiz to third. J.D.
Drew singled to right to score Ortiz, and after Lowell popped to second, Coco
Crisp broke the game open at 6-1 with a two-run double. Mirabelli singled to
right to score Crisp, closing out the scoring.
And that was
without facing Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon. But Delcarmen, who came on
in the seventh and pitched two scoreless innings, is scary to just about
everyone these days, especially a Devil Rays team that was beaten down recently
by the Yankees, who scored 17 (in the second game of a doubleheader) and 21 runs
on consecutive days.
There's one
member of the Red Sox who knows what that's like. Lugo, who played for the Devil
Rays from 2003-06, was happy to see some old teammates, his old fans, his old
home. But he was even happier to be sitting in the visitors' clubhouse after the
game. After the win.
Julio Lugo
received a nice ovation in his first trip to Tampa since the Devil Rays dealt
him to the Dodgers at last season's trading deadline. And Lugo was glad to give
credit to the organization that picked him up after he was released by the
Astros following a misdemeanor assault charge. He was found innocent in a 2003
trial.
Brendan
Donnelly played catch from 110 feet as he recovers from a strained forearm. As
expected, Matt Clement made an appearance in the visitors' clubhouse. He's
scheduled to throw a side session today. Shortstop Jed Lowrie made his Pawtucket
debut last night, after being called up (with right-hander Lincoln Holdzkom)
from Portland. Lowrie (1 for 4) singled in two runs in a 4-2 victory at Toledo.
