Daisuke Matsuzaka (7-0), who has not lost to anyone this season, today can complete a four-game sweep after the Sox scuttled the Royals, 6-3, last night for their sixth straight win, this one before 37,674 at Fenway Park. So far, the Sox, who got home runs from Jacoby Ellsbury and Jason Varitek, have outscored the Royals, 15-4, thrown a no-hitter at them (Jon Lester), and otherwise made them look skittish, with wild pitches (two last night, one for a run) and dropped infield popups (two in three games) the order of the day.
"You have to find ways to win even when your big donkeys aren't doing their damage," said Varitek, who also singled and has had five two-hit games in his last six.
"David [Ortiz] has been swinging the bat well. Manny put us on his back quite a bit early. He'll go through it a little bit, but then we'll see Manny returning to being Manny."
Ellsbury, who opened the Sox first with a home run, reached base four times with three hits and a walk, scored three runs, and stole a base. Dustin Pedroia also had three hits, while the bottom of the order, Coco Crisp and Julio Lugo, had key hits in a four-run fifth.
An old Ramírez running mate, Bartolo Colon, made his Red Sox debut, three days before his 35th birthday, and gave a veteran's twist to what had been a kiddie ride for the Sox. Colon, who became Ramírez's teammate in Cleveland in 1997 and started shaving when Lester and Tuesday night's winner, Justin Masterson, were toddlers, made his first appearance in a Sox uniform a winning one, even if equipment manager Joe Cochran had to break out the XXL's for the first time since Rich "El Guapo" Garces was here.
"I'm sure the veteran felt like a rookie again," Varitek said, "maybe even more so because the previous history puts expectations on Bartolo.
"The young guys don't have as much expectations. It's like if they throw well, they get a big pat on the back. If they don't throw so well, they're not ready."
