Sunshine state

The Sox' seemingly inexhaustible supply of ways to beat the division doormats last night featured a used car salesman doing things that no used car salesman could be expected to do, especially this one. David Ortiz, who has gone on eBay to peddle the Sox-red Mercedes he bought for himself as a gift for winning the World Series in 2004, hit a triple and beat out an infield hit -- in successive at-bats.

The triple, to left-center, was the first of the season for Big Papi and drove in the first two runs. The infield roller between the mound and the third-base line jump-started a five-run fourth inning against Andy Sonnanstine, the Devil Rays rookie who only last week had held the Sox to two hits through six innings, despite his 6-plus ERA.

"It's not fun to give guys days off, but it certainly helps," said manager Terry Francona, who'd given Ortiz a pass the night before. "He can get 'em going when he needs to. I think he felt that triple for about five innings, but he can get a move."

Ortiz was still light on his feet after the game, dancing in the buff back and forth in the shower room while singing over and over at the top of his lungs the theme from "Monday Night Football." "Dah-dah-dah-DAH, dah-dah-dah-DAH," sang Ortiz, apparently jacked up that the team's fantasy football draft was about to commence as soon as he could find a towel.

"When he perms down his hair, he can move a little," said center fielder Coco Crisp, whose two-run double was sandwiched by Jason Varitek's RBI single and Julio Lugo's two-run double in the fourth-inning uprising. "I thought he was Cadillacking a little bit on the triple. He's faster than that. He could have run harder."

The last four outs were recorded by Jonathan Papelbon, who became the first Sox reliever to record 30 saves in two different seasons, but was more concerned that history remember him as a modern-day Edison. Papelbon was telling everyone within earshot that he has invented a new pitch, a combination slider and cutter that he has dubbed "the slutter."