Ramirez, Ortiz lead Red Sox to 9-2 win over Yanks

[July 28, 2008]  BOSTON (AP) -- The David Ortiz-Manny Ramirez combo struck again -- though for the first time in a while -- shifting the focus from Ramirez's talk about being traded by the Red Sox and helping to end the Yankees' eight-game winning streak with a 9-2 victory Sunday night.

Ramirez doubled twice and drove in two runs just hours after saying he was "tired" of the Red Sox and would agree to a trade if it made him and the team happy. Ortiz homered and drove in three runs in just his third game after missing 45 with an injured left wrist.

Boston moved one game behind AL East leader Tampa Bay after preventing a three-game sweep. New York, which had been 8-0 since the All-Star break, remained three games back.

The Red Sox slumping hitters capitalized on a rare poor performance by a New York starter.

They scored in each of the first four innings, taking a 7-0 lead against Sidney Ponson (6-2), who hadn't lost since May 26. It was only the second time in 17 games that a Yankees starter allowed more than three earned runs.

Jon Lester (9-3) stayed unbeaten since his last loss on May 25 with his sixth win in nine starts despite working out of trouble in four of the first five innings.

But the Red Sox won with offense after losing 1-0 and 10-3 in the first two games of the series with a total of 12 hits. They had 15 on Sunday as Ramirez's concerns didn't bother him at the plate. He went 3-for-5 with a fly out deep to center field.

Before the game, he said "if the Red Sox think they can find a trade that's going to make their team better and both sides are going to be happy, I'm going to agree.."

But he didn't think that would happen by the non-waiver trading deadline Thursday.

Four of the Red Sox first five hitters hit safely in a three-run first inning. Ramirez's RBI double was followed by Mike Lowell's two-run single. Ramirez scored on that hit after running through a stop sign by third base coach DeMarlo Hale.

Dustin Pedroia hit a sacrifice fly in the second and Jason Varitek doubled in a run in the third after batting just .147 in his previous 45 games and striking out in his first at bat Sunday.

Boston made it 7-0 in the fourth on Ortiz's 14th homer of the year -- and first since May 31 -- into the right field seats after Pedroia's double.

The Red Sox added two runs in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Ortiz and an RBI single by Ramirez.

Lester, who pitched a complete game shutout at the Yankees on July 3, allowed five hits in the first four innings. Then he escaped a potentially damaging fifth.

The Yankees loaded the bases with no outs on singles by Melky Cabrera, Jose Molina and Johnny Damon. Derek Jeter then singled in a a run with a slower roller to third before Bobby Abreu walked, making it 7-2. Then Lester shut the door.

He retired Alex Rodriguez on a liner to third, Xavier Nady on a fly to center and Robinson Cano on a grounder back to the mound.

Lester retired the side in order in his last two innings, finishing by setting down his last nine batters.

Notes: The start of the game was delayed 52 minutes by rain. ... Ramirez got his 1,668th RBI in the first inning, breaking a tie with Sammy Sosa for 23rd on the all-time list. ... Abreu reached safely in his 25th game at Fenway Park, including all 20 he's played with the Yankees. ... Boston's Bartolo Colon, on the disabled list since June 17 with a stuff lower back, plans to throw on the side Monday. He threw 35 pitches in his previous side session. ... New York's Hideki Matsui, sidelined since June 22 with a left knee injury, is scheduled to hit both off a tee and soft toss pitches on Monday before the Yankees home game against Baltimore.

[Associated Press; By HOWARD ULMAN]

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