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Red Sox pound Atlanta in interleague opener

May 19, 2007 - 11:13 PM BOSTON (Ticker) -- The Boston Red Sox are welcoming interleague play in 2007 the same way they left it last season: with success.

The Red Sox pounded out a season-high 18 hits Saturday to earn a 13-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves in the opener of a day-night doubleheader.

Boston went 16-2 against National League opponents last season, including a three-game sweep of the Braves in Atlanta.

Daisuke Matsuzaka (6-2) had little trouble with Atlanta's hitters, yielding three runs and nine hits over eight innings. The 26-year-old righthander struck out six and did not issue a walk, lowering his ERA to 4.06.

"I feel like I am doing better compared to the outset of the season," Matsuzaka said through an interpreter. "Given my pitch count at the end of the eighth inning, I was expecting to go back for the ninth inning but the manager came in and spoke to me and said that given our big lead, go and get some rest."

"His location of his fastball has been better to set up all of his other pitches, he threw some phenomenal splits today to go along with his breaking stuff," catcher Jason Varitek said.

The Red Sox chased Atlanta starter Anthony Lerew (0-2) after just two innings. The 24-year-old, who was making just his third major league start, allowed three runs and five hits in two frames, including two homers.

"He just couldn't get the ball where he wanted," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "He hung that breaking ball to (Julio) Lugo to set the stage."

Boston also had no problems with the bullpen of the Braves. After loading the bases in the fifth, Mike Lowell blasted his sixth career grand slam over the wall in left field to blow the game open. Lowell, who matched a career high with four hits in the game, extended his hitting streak to 10 games and drove in five runs.

"I actually didn't want to get too riled up in the fact that it was bases loaded because I felt like I let one get away in my first at-bat so I wanted to really concentrate on having a normal good at bat and just look for a pitch to hit," Lowell said. "He left a pitch out over the plate on 2-2 and I got it pretty good so it was a good feeling being able to redeem myself in that situation."

Atlanta burned through five relievers, with both Mike Redman and Chad Paronto surrendering four earned runs.

"He fell behind some hitters," Cox said about Redman. "The bad hop at third cost us a bunch of runs, the ball just shot to the left, could have got out of that inning and could have been a different ballgame."

"Ever since he has come back from that going he hasn't been the same, his balls are getting too high, he can't get the sinker down like he used to," Cox said about Paronto.

The Red Sox added five more in the sixth on Lowell's RBI single and a pair of two-run doubles by Coco Crisp and Julio Lugo.

"He has given us production out of that sixth hole, in our batting order that's going to be a huge spot," Francona said about Lowell.

Lugo, who signed a four-year, $36 million deal in the offseason to become Boston's leadoff hitter, welcomed Lerew to Fenway Park with a leadoff homer in the first. It was the newly acquired shortstop's third blast of the season and eighth career leadoff homer, but his first here as a member of the Red Sox.

Boston added a pair in the following frame, when Dustin Pedroia reached on a fielder's choice and scored on Youkilis' homer.

The Red Sox first baseman has been on fire of late, hitting safely in his past 12 games. Youkilis is batting at a .440 clip (22-for-50) with three homers and 13 RBI.

The Braves got on the board in the seventh when rookie Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled in Chipper Jones from second base. Jeff Francoeur followed with a two-run blast off Matsuzaka.

Atlanta shortstop Edgar Renteria made his return to Fenway to mostly boos. The shortstop signed a four-year, $40 million deal with Boston prior to the 2005 season, but suffered through his worst season as a major leaguer that year before being dealt to the Braves.

Renteria went 3-for-4 off Matsuzaka and is batting .341 this season.