There was nothing clean, pretty or easy about it but the Red Sox held off the Angels in a 7-5 nailbiter last night to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-five Division Series. J. Drew’s’s ninth-inning two-run home run off closer Francisco Rodriguez salvaged the night after the Red Sox wasted early 4-0 and 5-1 leads.With the series shifting to Fenway Park for Game 3 tomorrow and Game 4, if necessary, on Monday, the Red Sox hope the only reason they would have to come back to Los Angeles this year would be to face the Dodgers in a World Series. A win tomorrow would give the Sox their third straight sweep of the Angels in a Division Series.
Drew’s home run made it all possible after the Angels stormed back from their early four-run deficit, eventually tying it in the eighth on a Chone Figgins leadoff triple and Mark Teixeira’s sacrifice fly. David Ortiz led off the inning against Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez with a double off the wall that looked as if it could have been caught by right fielder Reggie Willits. Coco Crisp, who pinch ran for Ortiz, nearly got picked off second base on a highly debatable call by second base ump Ed Rapuano. Nonetheless, after Kevin Youkilis grounded out, Drew sent his blast soaring over the wall in center.
Jonathan Papelbon collected the final six outs for the Sox and got credit for the win. Kevin Youkilis, playing third base for the banged-up Mike Lowell, made two standout defensive plays for the first two outs of the ninth inning. Playing in on Torii Hunter, Youkilis charged the bunt he thought might be coming and, picking it up bare-handed, made the off-balance throw to first before the speedy Hunter got there. The next batter, Juan Rivera, lofted a high pop-up into foul territory that appeared to be drifting into the stands but Youkilis made a last-second backhanded catch for out No. 2.
Jason Bay’s three-run home run off starter Ervin Santana in the first inning set the early tone and gave the Sox a 4-0 lead. It was Bay’s second home run in as many games, as he became the first Red Sox player to homer in each of his first two career postseason games. After Santana retired the first two batters, the Red Sox went to work. Back-to-back singles from Ortiz and Youkilis brought up Drew, who lined a double into right-center to drive in Ortiz for the first run. Then came Bay, Wednesday night’s Game 1 hero for his two-run home run, who did even better this time around.
In the fourth, Alex Cora connected for a two-out double and was driven in by the hot-hitting Jacoby Ellsbury’s double as the lead grew to 5-1. However, the early leads dwindled thanks mainly to a slow-motion collapse from starter Daisuke Matsuzaka. He gave up single runs in the fourth and fifth innings and required 108 pitches to last only five innings. He walked three, struck out five and allowed eight hits.
Reliever Hideki Okajima did not help matters when he put two runners on with no outs in the seventh and Justin Masterson eventually walked in a run to narrow the score to 5-4. Papelbon relieved Masterson after Figgins’ triple to start the eighth, and while Teixeira’s sac fly temporarily breathed life into the Angels, Drew settled matters in the top of the ninth inning.
Nation Notes: Josh Beckett, who is scheduled to speak to the media today for the first time since straining his right oblique Sept. 26, is still on target to pitch Game 3. Beckett was fine yesterday after his aggressive side session Thursday when he threw 67 pitches.
