Curt Schilling adds an
exclamation mark
September 25, 2007
...
With the Red Sox' 7-3 win over Oakland, and a 7-6 Yankees loss, the
magic number for Boston to clinch the American League East slipped
down to 3, with five games to play. So after a week in which the
negatives began to predominate, the sweep in Toronto, the nagging
injuries to Manny Ramirez and Youkilis, the shutdown of Hideki
Okajima, the onrushing Yankees (and Indians and Angels) there is
cause for celebration. In Curt Schilling's six-inning, six-strikeout,
one-run performance. In J.D. Drew's three hits (which gave him 18 in
14 games). And in the race for the playoffs.
Getting
Ramirez, Youkilis, and, as of tomorrow, Okajima back doesn't hurt. But it wasn't
just the returnees. Schilling did his part, his newly discovered role of
six-inning pitcher not a problem tonight for him or for the team. In perhaps
his final full start before the Schilling staked his claim to the No. 2 spot in
the postseason rotation with another crisp outing, earning his first win since
Aug. 24 at Chicago.
And the A's
couldn't do much with him, their six hits scattered evenly through his six
innings, one in each. Plus, there were those six strikeouts, his most since he
fanned 10 May 28 against the Indians. After he gave up a solo home run to Daric
Barton, the second batter of the game, on a fat changeup that landed in the
alleyway in right field, Schilling allowed only one batter past second base.
To back him,
Ramirez singled and scored in the first inning, tying the score at 1-1, but it
was in the fifth inning that the Red Sox broke through without a hit. Starter
Chad Gaudin walked the first four batters (Ramirez, who was replaced on first
base by Brandon Moss, then Ortiz, Mike Lowell, and Drew), before being removed
in favor of Lenny DiNardo. But Drew's walk had already driven in a run, and
Jacoby Ellsbury would add another with a sacrifice fly to right field. The Red
Sox added a run (Drew single, passed ball, Ellsbury single) in the seventh
before smashing the game open in the eighth, immediately after Jonathan Papelbon
had come in for one pitch, getting Gagne out of his two-on, two-out jam. In the
bottom of the eighth, after Julio Lugo drew a walk from brother Ruddy, Dustin
Pedroia doubled to right. Bobby Kielty sent Lugo home with a sacrifice fly to
left. And that was all followed by the 33d home run of the season for Ortiz, a
two-run shot that extended the lead to 7-1, before the A's closed the game with
two runs off Bryan Corey in the ninth.
With six
strikeouts, including four looking on fastballs, Schilling had impressive
command of that pitch, with some hitters caught staring at fastballs that topped
out around 90 miles per hour. Since being activated from the disabled list,
Schilling is 3-4 with a 3.34 ERA. In those games, he has 30 strikeouts and four
walks.
Kevin
Youkilis, who took batting practice Monday, entered in the fifth inning as a
pinch hitter for Eric Hinske, his first action since he was hit by a Chien-Ming
Wang pitch Sept. 15. After the game, Youkilis said he wasn't quite 100 percent.
Francona said Youkilis might hit further down in the order when he rejoins the
starting lineup today.
Julio Lugo
was 0 for 0 lifetime against the pitcher he faced to lead off the eighth inning,
but he was all too familiar with his stuff. That's because the man on the mound
was Ruddy Lugo, Julio's younger brother. In the majors' first brother-on-brother
matchup since Alan and Andy Benes in 2002, Julio drew an eight-pitch walk.
Coco Crisp
was dizzy before the game, prompting the team to scratch him from the lineup. In
addition to the back problems he has had recently, illness has been going around
the clubhouse. Francona said Crisp would be examined by doctors at Fenway Park
today.
J.D. Drew is
batting .383 (18 for 47) over his last 14 games. He has four doubles, three home
runs, nine RBIs, 11 runs, and 11 walks over that time.
Hideki
Okajima threw a 40-pitch bullpen session around 3 p.m., with pitching coach John
Farrell watching closely. Nothing went wrong in the outing, which means that,
barring something unexpected, Okajima should be available to pitch against
Minnesota.
