Jimenez initially made good on the Rockies' hope meter, requiring just six pitches to set down the Sox in order in the first after his teammates grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the inning when Willy Taveras was grazed in the hand by a pitch, sped to third when Holliday's smash was knocked down by third baseman Lowell but rolled into short left field, and scored when Helton rolled to first.
The Sox did not have a hit until the fourth.
It was the first time since the end of Game 4 in the American League Championship Series that the Sox found themselves on the short end of the score, having bludgeoned the Indians (three games) and Rockies (one) by a combined 43-6, the kind of spread Broncos fans could appreciate.
In the fourth, Jimenez, who had hit J.D. Drew in the right ankle with a pitch in the second and walked two batters in the third, walked Lowell with one out. Drew followed by lining a single to right, Lowell advancing to third and Drew moving to second when right fielder Hawpe, showing little respect for Lowell's ambulatory skills, attempted to get him at third. Jason Varitek brought Lowell home with a sacrifice fly to center, Drew moving up another base, and Jacoby Ellsbury drew another walk.
Jimenez survived to start another inning when Julio Lugo, after scorching a ball down the third base line inches foul, grounded to first.
But with two out and nobody on in the fifth, Jimenez issued his fifth walk, to Ortiz. Manny RamÃrez grounded a single through the left side, and Lowell doubled over the head of third baseman Atkins, scoring Ortiz to make it 2-1.
For the second straight game, Rockies manager Clint 0Hurdle had to go to his bullpen in the fifth. He brought in lefthander Jeremy Affeldt, who lasted just one batter as he walked Drew to load the bases. In came Matt Herges, who retired Varitek on a fly ball to end the inning.
Herges gave up a leadoff single to Ellsbury in the sixth. Lugo bunted him to second, and Ellsbury took third on an infield out by Pedroia. When Kevin Youkilis walked, Boston's seventh of the night, Hurdle summoned lefty Brian Fuentes to face Ortiz. Big Papi flied to left, and the Sox had stranded 10 runners in six innings.
Schilling, meanwhile, allowed just four singles before he was lifted in the sixth after Holliday lined a one-out hit to left and Helton walked. Francona, with the benefit of a well-rested bullpen, brought in Okajima earlier than normal, and Okajima responded, retiring Atkins on a tapper to first and striking out Hawpe on three pitches.
Gordon Edes can be reached at edes@globe.com.