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Red Sox Are Off And Swinging

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By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 16, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Six home runs.

It's not something you expect most nights – any night, really.

But that's what the Boston Red Sox got Monday night in a 13-5 win against the Rays at Tropicana Field. And even though Boston's offensive display seemed practically non-stop at times, the Red Sox stopped short of calling it an emphatic statement.

"We did a great job early,'' Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "That's what you set out to do.''

And this time, they did it against left-hander Scott Kazmir, who clearly was off his game. Kazmir allowed nine earned runs – and four homers – in three innings of work.

"Any time you're facing Kazmir, you know you have your hands full,'' Francona said. "We did an exceptional job against him. He's certainly one of the best – if not the best – left-handers in the league.''

That didn't show on Monday night.

After Kazmir allowed two straight first-inning walks, Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz crashed a three-run homer.

Mike Lowell, Jason Bay, Jason Varitek, Kevin Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury also homered for Boston.

But the shot by Ortiz, who has battled a wrist injury this season, was the one that really registered.

"I don't know about [how Ortiz's] wrist feels, but we want him to take more of a compact swing,'' Red Sox hitting coach Dave Magadan said. "Kazmir wasn't hitting his spots. Ortiz put a good swing on it.''

The Red Sox were off and swinging, making it look routine. Magadan cautioned that wasn't the case.

"We don't overlook them [Rays] by any stretch of the imagination,'' Magadan said. "They are a resilient team. They've been coming back all year. They are really tough. They have had a great year. They deserve to be in this position.''

Meanwhile, many Red Sox players expressed surprise that only 29,772 fans showed up at the Trop for a pivotal American League East game.

Boston third baseman Mike Lowell, who once played for the Florida Marlins, could relate.

"There were times with the Marlins when we actually looked forward to going out on the road,'' Lowell said. "It's not like they [Rays] have come out of the woodwork. They've been doing this all season.

"When you play like they have played, they deserve large crowds.''

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