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Drew's homer leads Red Sox past Twins

Sep 30, 2007 - 3:24 AM By Mike Petraglia PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

BOSTON (Ticker) - The Boston Red Sox still had plenty to play for Saturday night. And thanks to J.D. Drew, they reached another goal.

One day after clinching the American League East title, the Red Sox rested starters David Ortiz, Julio Lugo, Jason Varitek and Dustin Pedroia but still managed to beat the Minnesota Twins, 6-4, at Fenway Park.

Boston clinched home-field advantage throughout the American League playoffs and the World Series when the Cleveland Indians (95-66) lost to Kansas City, 4-3, later Saturday night.

The Red Sox (96-65) own the tiebreaker because they won the season series with the Indians, 5-2.

Home-field advantage also gave the Red Sox their choice of starting postseason play Wednesday or Thursday. They chose Wednesday for Game One with an off day on Thursday before hosting Game Two on Friday at Fenway.

Drew, much maligned all season for underachieving after signing a five-year, $70 million contract last winter, had three hits, including a go-ahead, three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh, his 11th of the season.

"I think the big key is I've gotten some hits and they've fallen and that's nice when you can kind of get a rhythm going," Drew said. "When you hit the ball hard and somebody catches it, and you don't have anything to show for it, those things tend to change the way you approach things at the plate."

Drew drilled a full-count fastball from reliever Nick Blackburn (0-2) into the Twins bullpen after thinking he had walked on the prior pitch.

"It was real nice to see that ball leave the ballpark," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "That 3-1 pitch that he thought was a ball. Rather than (losing) his at-bat or focus, he hits the next ball into the bullpen, which turns the game right around."

Drew also tripled as part of the three-hit night that raised his average to .270.

"I was guilty of hitting a lot of balls hard and then going up there and trying to tinker with my swing to make things fall in between or go over their head," Drew said.

The blast to right capped a four-run rally and lifted the Red Sox to their fourth win in the last five games, giving starter Tim Wakefield his first win since Aug. 25.

"I thought I had pretty good movement most of the night," Wakefield said. "Even the two home runs that they hit, I asked Doug (Mirabelli) and he said that they were really good pitches, they just found the barrel."

Wakefield (17-12), making his final start before the playoffs, pitched seven innings, allowing six hits and four runs, to match his career high of 17 wins set in 1998.

"It's very satisfying, considering the month that I've had and that last start," Wakefield said. "Our guys did a great job. J.D had a tremendous night tonight, hitting that three-run homer to put us ahead after I got taken out of the game after seven. It was huge for us."

Twins starter Carlos Silva, who won his last two starts prior to Saturday, was denied a .500 finish to his season when reliever Nick Blackburn (0-2) allowed four runs in the seventh.

Silva held Boston to two runs, scattering nine hits, striking out three and walking none.

"We had a nice ballgame going, I think, for six innings," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Silva pitched real well for us, last start of the year, and he's had a heck of a year for us. Unfortunately, we couldn't hold it for him.

"Our bullpen's a little beat up like most bullpens this time of the year. Blackburn, we wanted to get him out there, see if he could get through after he had a hard time in Detroit."

Mike Lowell also homered for Boston, giving the third baseman a team-leading 119 RBI.

Joe Mauer and Rondell White, who is likely playing his last season, homered for the Twins, who fell to 78-83.

Javier Lopez turned in a scoreless eighth and Hideki Okajima pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his fifth save.