Anyone looking for lingering hard feelings between Ramírez and Kevin Youkilis, the principals in a brief dugout scrap Thursday night, would have been disappointed to see Youkilis tapping Ramírez on the helmet after the slugger's first-inning home run gave the Sox a 2-0 lead.
See? Opposites can attract, especially when the hyper-intense Youkilis and beyond-laid-back Ramírez are committed to a common purpose.
The victory, Boston's seventh in nine games, kept the Sox ahead of Tampa Bay in the American League East, and put them in position to take this series from the Mariners, who had shut out the Sox in each of their two previous meetings.
"David is so important to what we do," manager Terry Francona said, "but it's really gratifying, and I think the players feel the same way, to do something when you don't have one of your big guns out there."
Helmet throwing? It didn't happen Thursday, Youkilis reiterated ("I don't think I threw anything, if you want to check the tape"), and although the occasional frustration will still inspire airborne headgear, no one should expect helmet-throwing to be part of their regular TV fare - unless it's added as a demonstration sport in the Beijing Olympics.
Drew, meanwhile, tripled ahead of Ramírez's home run in the first off Miguel Batista, hit his seventh home run of the season, off R.A. Dickey in the sixth, then added an RBI single in the eighth, when the Sox broke it open with five runs. Even Drew's outs were clashing cymbals, as he lined out twice. In his last seven games, Drew is batting .542 (13 for 24), and his seven home runs have been achieved in 52 games, after he required 113 games to achieve that number last season.
"Best day? Nice day," Drew said, as casually as he would if he'd just been asked about the weather, which was a sweltering 86 degrees at game time.
"I'm swinging the bat, hitting some balls hard. I don't think I've changed much. I'm not missing my pitches."
