Thinking big, Sox get back in the swing

April 30, 2006|Gordon Edes, Globe Staff

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Think of the options available to Theo Epstein had he chosen to stay home this weekend. He could have popped into the Patriots' draft room in Foxborough and observed counterpart Scott Pioli in action. He could have helped mom Ilene push Christopher Blue jeans at The Studio in Brookline. He could have taken his girlfriend to Johnny D's in Somerville to watch a sax player for the Funky White Honkies perform a solo while hanging upside down.

Or he could have convened a summit meeting of Bill James, Eric Van, Jed Hoyer, and some of his other laptop warriors to see if it was possible to devise a new software program for the Red Sox' offense.

For five innings last night at Tropicana Field, with the Sox scoreless and trailing by four, all of those alternatives, especially the last one, loomed as preferable to Epstein's decision to come here. But by night's end, the Sox general manager was able to bear witness not to one, but two four-run uprisings, Boston's biggest innings in eight games on this trip, the second coming in the ninth, when the Sox overcame a one-run deficit and won going away against Tampa Bay, 9-6.

''We battled back, especially to get back in the game, lose it, get back in the game, lose it -- we had to," said catcher Jason Varitek, who delivered the bases-loaded single that broke a 6-all tie created when new closer-by-default Tyler Walker walked Trot Nixon with the bases loaded after whiffing Manny Ramírez, Boston's best hitter with the bases juiced and a guy who already had homered and tripled. ''It was a good job."

Kevin Youkilis, whose two-run double had keyed the Sox' comeback from a 4-0 deficit in the sixth, singled to open the rally in the ninth, fueled by three walks by Walker, who had pitched much better the night before when he was jet-lagged.

Walker last night pitched like a guy dumped by his previous team, the Giants, walking pinch hitter Mark Loretta and David Ortiz, before issuing pass No. 3 to Nixon. With Dan Miceli warming in the pen, Varitek lined a single to make it 7-6, before Miceli belatedly entered and Mike Lowell (sacrifice fly) and Wily Mo Peña (single) brought home two more runs.

Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon struck out the side in the ninth for his 10th save, tying Mike MacDougal's record for saves by a rookie through April (MacDougal had one in March, nine in April for Kansas City in 2003). Keith Foulke, despite giving up the go-ahead run in the eighth, was credited with the win, one earned by the Sox overcoming three Devil Rays leads: 4-0, 5-4, and 6-5.