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Ramirez, Lowell lead Red Sox over Yankees

May 23, 2007 - 6:36 AM BRONX, New York (Ticker) - With one big swing, Manny Ramirez reminded the New York Yankees how far they still have to go to climb back into the American League East race.

The Boston slugger connected for a two-out, three-run homer off Mike Mussina in the bottom of the first inning, sparking the first-place Red Sox to a 7-3 victory in the middle game of their three-game series with the nine-time defending division champions.

Following back-to-back one-out singles by Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz, Ramirez, who had gone 3-for-19 with no RBI in his previous five games, smacked a 2-0 pitch into the left field stands for his seventh homer and a quick 3-0 lead.

"You can stay away and make him hit the ball to center field or the opposite field," Mussina said. "Tonight the ball went right back to the inner third. It's just being able to throw the ball where you want to and I haven't been the last two weeks."

The blast was Ramirez's only hit in four at-bats, dropping his average to an uncharacteristic .244. But it gave Boston the instant lift it needed.

"Playing with a lead, especially on the road, is very important," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "You have to respect what Manny can do even when he isn't hitting well."

Mike Lowell started the fourth with his ninth homer, hooking a line drive around the left field foul pole for a 4-0 advantage.

Yankees manager Joe Torre spoke before the game of how pivotal it was for his team to build on Sunday's victory over the New York Mets and Monday's series-opening 6-2 win - both the result of strong starts by rookie Tyler Clippard and Chien-Ming Wang, respectively.

But Mussina (2-3) was reached for seven runs and 10 hits with ac walk and two strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings, suffering his second straight loss as New York failed to match its season-high three-game winning streak from May 1-3 and fell 10 1/2 games behind Boston.

Celebrating his 34th birthday, Boston starter Julian Tavarez (3-4) did not allow a hit until Hideki Matsui drilled a one-out single up the middle the fourth. Alex Rodriguez followed with a drive to deep center field, but Coco Crisp tracked it down in the middle of the warning track.

Jorge Posada singled to put runners at the corners and Tavarez uncorked a wild pitch to plate New York's first run before Abreu flied out to center.

In the fifth, Robinson Cano doubled with one out before Doug Mientkiewicz and Johnny Damon drew back-to-back walks. Derek Jeter beat out a potential double-play grounder to shave the deficit to 4-2, but Matsui grounded into a forceout.

"We had opportunities, we just couldn't get the big hit," Torre said.

Tavarez, who fired seven strong innings in a 2-1 win over Detroit on Thursday, yielded two runs and three hits with four walks and two strikeouts over 5 2/3 frames, posting back-to-back wins for the first time this year.

"The Yankees are one of the best hitting teams in baseball," said Tavarez, who is filling the fifth starter's role while lefthander Jon Lester continues his comeback from non-Hodgkins lymphoma. "Manny came up big and I everything went right for me."

"I sensed he was a little tired," said Boston catcher Jason Varitek of Tavarez. "We've still got another gear we can get him up to. Over and over he's given us quality starts."

Crisp walked, stole second and scored on Julio Lugo's two-out single in the seventh as Boston opened a three-run lead. Youkilis pounded a double up against the wall in right-center to make it 6-2, chasing Mussina.

Ortiz, who went 3-for-4, greeted lefthander Mike Myers with an RBI single to open a 7-2 cushion.

Jeter, hitless in his first three at-bats, ripped a one-out single off rookie lefthander Hideki Okajima in the eighth to extend his hitting streak to 17 games.

Matsui and Rodriguez walked before Posada delivered a run-scoring groundout, ending Okajima's scoreless streak at 20 2/3 innings - the longest by a Boston hurler since fellow southpaw Bruce Hurst tossed 21 1/3 scoreless frames in 1987.

Rodriguez, sliding into second on the play, came up high with an elbow into the ribs of Dustin Pedroia on the play, and the 5-foot-9, 180-pound second baseman took exception.

"It was kind of a cheap shot, but that's all right, I haven't played football in a while," he said. "I know now to drop my elbow when he comes in."

Jonathan Papelbon worked around a pair of ninth-inning walks to preserve the win.

"We can't worry about how many games we're back," Jeter said. "We have to worry about playing well. Like I said yesterday, it doesn't matter who we're playing. But we have to play well."