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Varitek Rallies Red Sox To Late Victory

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By HOWARD ULMAN The Associated Press

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 25, 2008

Updated: 06/25/2008 12:11 am

BOSTON A slumping Jason Varitek capped a four-run eighth inning with a go-ahead single, and the Boston Red Sox resumed hitting just in time to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4 Tuesday night.

The Red Sox had six hits in the inning, one more than their total in the first seven innings and two more than they managed in Monday night's 2-1 loss in the series opener.

It was Varitek who delivered the decisive blow, lining a single to right that scored Mike Lowell, whose two-run double tied the game. Varitek was 1-for-30 before that at-bat, dropping his batting average to .227.

Chris Smith (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings in relief of another rookie, Justin Masterson, for his first major-league win. Jonathan Papelbon struck out two in the ninth and earned his 22nd save in 26 chances.

Arizona led 4-1 going into the bottom of the eighth behind the pitching of Doug Davis and the hitting of Chad Tracy, who singled home a run in the second and hit a three-run homer, his third of the season, in the third.

Dustin Pedroia's homer in the first, his seventh, was the only run off Davis through seven.

But the left-hander allowed singles to the first two batters in the eighth, Julio Lugo and Jacoby Ellsbury, and was replaced by Chad Qualls (1-6). Pedroia then singled in Lugo, but Qualls nearly got out of the jam by striking out J.D. Drew and retiring Manny Ramirez, who has just one RBI in 11 games, on a grounder to third.

Then, with runners at second and third, Lowell lined a 2-0 pitch over the head of left fielder Eric Byrnes. Ellsbury and Pedroia scored easily, tying the game at 4.

The switch-hitting Varitek, batting lefty against the right-handed Qualls, then singled for his first RBI in nine games.

Davis was solid through seven innings. After allowing three hits in the first, he faced just two batters over the minimum in the next six innings, giving up two hits and one walk and striking out five.

Masterson, who started the season in Double-A, allowed four runs for the second time in seven starts.

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