Red Sox Throttle Clawless Tigers 12-6

[April 11, 2008]  BOSTON (AP) -- J.D. Drew went 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs, and Tim Wakefield fluttered his knuckleball for five innings to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 12-6 victory over Detroit on Thursday and send the Tigers to their eighth loss in nine games.

Manny Ramirez had a two-run double, and he also scored a run by ignoring a two-handed stop sign put up by third base coach DeMarlo Hale. Sean Casey drove in three runs on a pair of hits, including a two-run single in the four-run seventh when Boston made it 8-3.

Five straight Detroit batters reached base in the eighth off Julian Tavarez, who came in when Hideki Okajima was pulled after warming up to start the inning. Tavarez got Gary Sheffield to hit into a run-scoring double play that cut the deficit to 8-6, before Jonathan Papelbon got Magglio Ordonez on a popup to center to end the eighth.

The Red Sox added four in the eighth on a two-run double by Kevin Youkilis, Drew's sacrifice fly and an RBI single by Coco Crisp. Papelbon pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save in three tries.

The Tigers stranded six baserunners in the first three innings despite failing to get a hit off Wakefield (1-0). He walked five and hit two batters by the time he was done, allowing three hits and one earned run while striking out five to improve to 10-1 in his last 12 starts at Fenway.

Nate Robertson (0-1) allowed eight hits and two walks while striking out six in 5 1-3 innings, giving up all of his four runs in the fourth inning. Five Detroit pitchers combined to throw 212 pitches, allowing 13 hits and nine walks.

Detroit's Ivan Rodriguez reached base all five times he came to the plate, with three singles, a walk and a hit-by-pitch.

The crowd of 37,612, boosted by the offseason addition of nearly 1,000 seats, was the most at Fenway since World War II.

Notes: The Red Sox celebrated "Japan Night," playing the Japanese national anthem before the game with Japanese dancers and drummers on the warning track. ... All of Boston's runs came in four-run innings. All three times Boston scored after the Tigers had scored in the top half of the inning. ... Drew has a hit in all seven games in which he's played. ... The Red Sox put 3B Mike Lowell on the 15-day disabled list and purchased the contract of Jed Lowrie from Triple-A Pawtucket. ... Robertson is 1-3 with a 7.36 ERA in four Fenway starts. David Ortiz is just 3-for-22 against him, the worst numbers against any pitcher he has faced more than 20 times. ... Ortiz is in an 0-for-10 slump. He was the only Red Sox starter without a hit.

[Associated Press; By MIKE HARRIS]

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