Ortiz homers twice as Red Sox cap sweep of Brewers

[May 19, 2008]  BOSTON (AP) -- David Ortiz homered twice and drove in four runs and the Boston Red Sox outslugged the Milwaukee Brewers to complete a sweep of their interleague series with an 11-7 win Sunday despite a subpar outing by ace Josh Beckett.

Kevin Youkilis hit a two-run homer and Dustin Pedroia also homered for Boston, hitting a solo shot ahead of Ortiz's first of the game.

Ryan Braun hit his 12th and 13th homers, J.J. Hardy had a two-run shot and Prince Fielder added a solo homer for the Brewers, who lost their fifth straight.

Manny Ramirez went 1-for-5 with a single and remains two homers shy of becoming the 24th player in major league history to reach 500.

Boston improved to 31-8 since 2006 in interleague games, 18-3 at Fenway Park.

Beckett (5-3) pitched seven innings, allowing six runs -- all on homers -- six hits, while striking out nine and walking one.

Trailing 4-3, the Red Sox scored three in the fourth, two in the fifth, one in the sixth and two in the seventh.

In the fourth, Fielder -- the only infielder who didn't have one of Milwaukee's four errors Saturday night -- dropped a throw that allowed Mike Lowell to reach. Milwaukee starter Carlos Villanueva (2-5) then loaded the bases on Youkilis' single and Jason Varitek's walk before walking Julio Lugo to force in the tying run. Jacoby Ellsbury followed with a two-run single, making it 6-4.

Mike DiFelice, making his major league debut in the fifth, gave up a double to the first batter he faced -- Pedroia -- and Ortiz followed by homering into the Brewers' bullpen to make it 8-4.

Braun's second of the game and Fielder's sixth of the season -- the first time Milwaukee's had consecutive homers this season -- cut it to 8-6 in the sixth. Pedroia had a sixth-inning RBI single, and Youkilis homered in the seventh.

Braun's first homer gave Milwaukee a 2-0 lead in the first. After that, Beckett struck out the next four batters and breezed through the second and third innings until Hardy's two-run shot moved Milwaukee back in front 4-3 in the fourth.

Ortiz's RBI double sliced it to 2-1 in the bottom of the first.

Boston jumped ahead 3-2 in the third when Ortiz and Pedroia hit back-to-back homers.

Milwaukee regained the lead on Hardy's homer.

Ellsbury was caught stealing in the fourth, the first time for the rookie after a club-record 25 successful attempts.

Notes: DiFelice, 31, became the third-oldest player in team history to make his debut. ... It was Ortiz's 31st career multihomer game, 29th with the Red Sox, third most behind Ted Williams and Jim Rice. ... Boston manager Terry Francona said before the game that the team expects to recall RHP Justin Masterson to start Tuesday, and RHP Bartolo Colon would make his Red Sox debut on Wednesday. Colon, signed as a free agent in February, has been rehabbing a strained oblique. ... Francona didn't use LHP Hideki Okajima, who has been bothered by a sore wrist, for the second straight day. ... Red Sox OF Brandon Moss, who had an emergency appendectomy on May 3, will play in Florida on Monday and then go to Triple-A Pawtucket later this week.

[Associated Press]

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