Lowell and Youkilis Help Sox Get the Win - Jenn

Two members of the Sox infield are responsible for the 6-3 win they got last night in the first of a four game series against the Detroit Tigers.

After a 1,2,3 first inning, things improved substantially for the Sox. Top of the second inning and Bonderman would face the heart of the order in Ramirez, Lowell and Youkilis. First Manny found the gap in left center and waltzed into second with nobody out. Then Lowell stepped in. The first pitch he saw was a ball, so he let it pass. The second was much more his style, so he let the wood fly. And that ball flew alright. Over the head of Gary Sheffield and into the Tigers' bullpen for a two-run home run. That two-run shot would be Lowell's first for the season as well as his first and second RBI's. The 3rd baseman is back!

That wasn't the only hit Lowell got last night. He'd reach 2nd with a line drive down the third base line in the fourth inning and bloop the ball to short right for a single in the 6th. But it was that double that would turn into the third Red Sox run of the night thanks to another infielder - Yooooooouk.

With Lowell on second and nobody out Youkilis took his place in the batters box and readied his bat. Unlike Lowell in the second, the first pitch Youk saw was a strike. The second was a strike too, but Youkilis didn't miss that one. Instead he sent it on the same trip as Lowell's homer in the second inning. This trip had a little more distance though, as the ball flew over Sheffield and landed in the bleachers. That would be Youkilis' fourth homer of the season and his seventh against the Tigers, which is the most any player in the majors has against one team.

Papi had a solo shot in the 9th to give the Sox an insurance run. That home run makes number six on the season and puts him ahead of Manny in both homers and RBI's. It also marks the fifth straight game in which Ortiz has gotten a hit. He's actually on a streak. Could that slump be a thing of the past? I and all other Sox fans out there certainly hope so.

It's a good thing Lowell, Youkilis, and Papi each sent the ball out of the stadium, because with the way Dice-K was pitching, we needed those runs. Like Dad said, it ain't easy to give up at least 8 walks and two or fewer hits and still get the win. As a matter of fact, the last time it happened to a Red Sox pitcher was July 22, 1968 when Jim Longborg pitched against the Yankees in the House that Ruth built. And frankly, I hope it's at least another 40 years before it happens again.

But that's in the past. Let's look to the future when Tim Wakefield will face Nate Robertson tonight in game two against those guys from Detroit.