BOSTON — Kevin Youkilis doubled in
the tying run in the ninth inning, then drove in the winner with a
bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the 11th, and the Boston Red Sox overcame
a strong start by Cliff Lee and beat the Texas Rangers 3-2 Saturday
night.
Marco Scutaro led off the 11th with a
walk before Darnell McDonald bunted on a sacrifice attempt. Pitcher
Alexi Ogando (3-1) fielded the ball and threw toward second, where it
hit Scutaro and caromed into short left field. Scutaro went to third
and McDonald took second. David Ortiz was walked intentionally, loading
the bases with no outs.
Darren O'Day came in to face
Youkilis, who lifted a fly ball to medium center field. Scutaro beat
Josh Hamilton's throw without a slide.
Manny Delcarmen (3-2) pitched a perfect 11th after being activated from the disabled list earlier Saturday.
Texas, which lost its last four games
before the All-Star break, had won the first two games against Boston
but is 5-9 in its past 14 games. The Red Sox won for just the third
time in 10 games.
Lee was cruising all night, retiring
22 of the previous 23 batters in his second start since being traded by
Seattle. Then Scutaro led off the ninth with a single. He took second
on a sacrifice by McDonald and third on a groundout to second by Ortiz.
Youkilis then tied the game with a double down the left-field line.
Adrian Beltre was walked intentionally, the first walk off Lee, but J.D. Drew grounded out to second for the third out.
After Jonathan Papelbon's second
straight perfect inning in the 10th, Mike Cameron hit Ogando's first
pitch toward Boston's bullpen in right-center field. Right fielder
Nelson Cruz raced back and caught it with a little jump and his glove
draped over the low fence.
Lee struggled early, allowing three
of Boston's first four batters to reach base on a double by McDonald,
an RBI single by Ortiz and a single by Youkilis. Then Beltre grounded
into an inning-ending double play.
Texas went ahead 2-1 in the sixth on RBI singles by Hamilton and Cruz.
Boston's ninth-inning rally ruined
what could have been Lee's second complete game in his two starts since
the trade. In his first, he threw 95 pitches but gave up three homers
in a 6-1 loss to Baltimore.
Over the next seven innings, Lee
allowed just one runner, Cameron with a one-out double in the fourth.
Then Bill Hall and Kevin Cash took called third strikes.
But through five innings, John Lackey and the Red Sox led 1-0, although the Rangers were caught stealing twice.
Their streak of 35 successful stolen
base attempts against Boston ended when Cruz was thrown out going to
third on an odd play in the second. Cruz had moved to second on a
groundout before Chris Davis walked. As Davis headed toward first and
Julio Borbon approached the batter's box, Cruz ran to third and was
thrown out on Lackey's throw to third baseman Beltre.
Texas squandered a scoring chance in
the fourth after Vladimir Guerrero singled with one out. He was thrown
out trying to steal second before Hamilton doubled into the left-center
field gap. But Hamilton was stranded when Cruz grounded out.
After a perfect fifth, Lackey lost the lead in the sixth.
He retired the first two batters
before Ian Kinsler singled. Guerrero then walked and Hamilton tied the
game with a single to left field. Cruz then singled to center, scoring
Guerrero for a 2-1 lead.
Notes
Kinsler extended his hitting
streak to 10 games with a single in the first. … The Red Sox called
up C Dusty Brown from Pawtucket of the International League. They
optioned LHP Felix Doubront to Pawtucket and designated RHP Fernando
Cabrera for assignment. … Texas C Bengie Molina went 0-for-4 after
hitting for the cycle with a grand slam in Friday night's 8-4 win. …
Elvis Andrus is hitless in his past 26 at-bats after going 0-for-5.