Red Sox clip Angels on Ramirez's monster shot

06.10.2007 06:00 Sport and Travel - Source: USA Today

The Los Angeles Angels chose to walk Ortiz, Boston's frequent big-game hero, and pitch to Ramirez — and the result was a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning that gave the Red Sox a 6-3 victory for a 2-0 lead in their American League series.

Game 3 is Sunday afternoon at Angel Stadium.

GAME 2 REPORT: Red Sox 6, Angels 3

Julio Lugo led off the ninth with a single to left against Justin Speier, who along with Scot Shields had held the Red Sox hitless from the beginning of the sixth inning after starter Kelvim Escobar left the game.

With Lugo running on the first pitch, Dustin Pedroia hit a sharp grounder that would otherwise have been a double play but shortstop Orlando Cabrera's only play was to first.

Francisco Rodriguez relieved Speier and struck out Kevin Youkilis, thus allowing an intentional walk to Ortiz, who previously has three career post-season walkoff hits, including two homers. It was Ortiz's second intentional walk and fourth walk of the game.

Ramirez then launched Rodriguez's 1-0 pitch onto the Lansdowne Street beyond the Green Monster in left field. It was his first walkoff homer at any time against the Angels since Sept. 10, 1996, when Ramirez was playing for Cleveland.

The Red Sox tied the game in the fifth help of a Fenway fan. Pedroia, who had double leading off the inning, was on third base with one out. Ramirez popped a foul between home and first and Angels catcher Jeff Mathis tried to reach into the stands to make the catch. He had his glove under the ball but a fan reached above the glove and caught the ball. Fan interference was not called because the ball was in the stands.

Ramirez eventually walked and Mike Lowell followed with a sacrifice fly, a play that would have been the third out had Mathis caught Ramirez's ball.

The four-hour, five-minute game was hardly a replay of Wednesday's crisp Game 1, a 4-0 Red Sox victory.

When Angels first baseman Casey Kotchman grounded out for the second out in the top of the third, the two starting pitchers had combined for 108 pitches, the number Boston's Josh Beckett needed in his complete game in the series opener on Wednesday.

That first game lasted just two hours, 27 minutes, a mark that was equalled Friday in 5 1/2 innings.

Boston starter Daisuke Matsuzaka allowed baserunners in every inning but didn't finish the fifth in his first major league postseason start. He left after 96 pitchers, trailing 3-2 with two runners on and two out. Javier Lopez got Kendry Morales to ground out, stranding the sixth and seventh of 11 runners the Angels would leave on base.

Escobar got through the fifth, but it took 101 pitches and the Red Sox had just tied the game. He allowed just four hits but issued five of the nine walks from Angels pitchers in the game.

Escobar had settled down after a rough first inning, one he nearly escaped after a single by Ortiz and walks to Youkilis and Lowell loaded the bases with two out.

But J.D. Drew, one of Boston's hotter hitters down the stretch at .393 with four homers and 15 RBI in his last 18 games, singled up the middle to drive in two runs.

Matsuzaka gave up the lead in the next inning when he walked Kotchman and allowed a single to Morales to start the inning. Kotchman scored on Mathis' groundout before Chone Figgins and Orlando Cabrera hit consecutive run-scoring doubles.

Figgins' double actually was a routine single to left that left fielder Manny Ramirez overran by so much that he missed touching the ball by several feel as it bounced past him.

That was just one of several missteps by both teams.

Garret Anderson ran into an out in the top of the third after leading off with a double. Maicer Izturis followed with a ground ball right in front of Anderson to shortstop Julio Lugo but Anderson continued running toward third anyone and was an easy out.

Boston's Coco Crisp was doubled off second on a hit-and-run play in the bottom of the sixth. Lugo flied out to center as Crisp slid into second. Crisp took one step toward third then ran back to first, but didn't retouch second on his way and the Angels got the out by tagging the bag.

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