"I'll be excited that maybe Lyle Overbay won't in the lineup and recognize everything that comes out of my hand," Byrd said.
Though it wasn't his best outing - beginning with his first walk in 16 1/3 innings, and continuing with home runs to Overbay and Alex Rios - Byrd did enough to get the Red Sox started on the right foot. Add in more offense from a bat that was considered long gone and there were good signs against a team to which the Sox had lost six of their first eight meetings this season.
"We've had nights just like this where we've come in here and I'm explaining why we lost or how we lost, and we found a way tonight to turn it around and have a good win," manager Terry Francona said.
Part of the reason was the bottom of the order, Jason Varitek not least among them. The last three batters reached base nine times, including four for Varitek, three for Coco Crisp, and two for Alex Cora. They also scored five runs.
"We did a good job - the bottom of the lineup today found ways to get on base and set the table for the top of the lineup," Varitek said. "This team has always won with good starting pitching. Had a good starting outing, and we allowed us to get some runs across."
Varitek's bat may have been left for dead, but at least on this trip, the 36-year-old catcher is doing his best to impersonate a mighty healthy offensive force. It started in Baltimore with his first lefthanded home run in three months, then another. That marked the first time he had homered in back-to-back games in 11 months.
Last night he connected again.
Having already reached base in his first two plate appearances (single, walk), Varitek slammed a righthanded homer off reliever Brian Tallet to lead off the sixth. It was his third straight game with a homer, the first time in his career he accomplished the feat.
A three-game surge isn't nearly enough to erase the two-month slump that left him batting .218, but it certainly isn't bad, especially if J.D. Drew's herniated disk keeps him out of the lineup. There's no question the Sox could use extra pop.
