• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Varitek drives in three; Lowell brings in winner

Jun 10, 2007 - 7:03 AM PHOENIX (Ticker) -- In front of the largest crowd in Chase Field history, Jason Varitek brought the Boston Red Sox back and Mike Lowell got them over the top.

Varitek drove in the first three runs and Lowell delivered a 10th-inning sacrifice fly as the Red Sox took the second straight of a three-game interleague series with the Arizona Diamondbacks, 4-3, on Saturday in front of 49,826 fans.

David Ortiz started the winning rally with a leadoff walk off Juan Cruz (2-1) and advanced to third after singles by Kevin Youkilis and J.D. Drew.

Cruz struck out Varitek before Lowell pinch hit and lifted a medium fly ball to right field. Ortiz lumbered down the line but right fielder Carlos Quentin's throw was way up the first base line.

"Coming off the bench to hit is a totally different mentality," Lowell said. "You look at him (Cruz) and you think he is a skinny guy but the ball explodes out of his hands. I just battled and I am lucky that I have more of a fly-ball swing then a ground-ball swing. Then I was praying for David (Ortiz) to get those choppy steps going."

"David is a good baserunner. You are not going to hit with that kind of power and have Maury Wills speed," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said." He is a good base runner and gets himself in position. That is a big kid out there but he can run the bases when he needs to."

Hideki Okajima (2-0) worked two scoreless innings for the win and Jonathan Papelbon got rookie Mark Reynolds to line out with runners on first and second and two outs in the ninth for his 10th save in 10 chances.

"If you haven't seen Okajima before that is a difficult task to come back," Diamondback manager Bob Melvin said. "Our at-bats were not great from the fourth or fifth inning on. We can't just say here is the lead so go ahead bullpen and hold it. They have too good of a line up just to sit back and say bullpen you do the work."

Arizona rookie Micah Owings was in line for his fifth win in six decisions before Varitek doubled to the right-center field gap off reliever Brandon Lyon in the eighth, scoring Drew with the tying run.

Owings, who was the Diamondbacks' Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2006, went six innings, allowing two runs and seven hits.

"I felt really good out there but unfortunately it is a great club we are playing, maybe the best in baseball, but I will go up against them with our team any day," Owings said. "I fell behind Varitek and the last thing I wanted to do was walk him. I tried to make one on the outer half and he got extended a bit. That was not what I wanted to happen but that's baseball."

Owings carried a 2-0 edge into the sixth until Drew singled with two outs and Varitek followed with his seventh homer - a shot over the right field wall.

"Owings was throwing the ball really well, but he just made a mistake to me and it got us back in the game," Varitek said. "I was able to get a couple of hits but the big hit was Mike's."

Drew, who hit two homers and drove in a career-high seven runs in Friday's 10-3 triumph, collected three more hits to raise his average to .246.

In the second inning, his brother Stephen Drew showed some muscle by smacking an 0-2 pitch from Red Sox starter Julian Tavarez over his older brother and into the right field seats for his third blast and a 3-0 lead.

Tavarez gave up three runs and six hits in six innings.

"He (Tavarez) goes out there and keeps us in games," Francona said. "He has done a pretty good job. Sometimes it is bend but don't break but he gives us a chance."