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Ortiz, Pedroia lead as Red Sox rout Rays

May 4, 2008 - 4:19 AM By Mike Petraglia PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

BOSTON (Ticker) -- The Boston Red Sox got their revenge on James Shields.

Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz had three hits apiece and combined to score four times in support of Josh Beckett as the Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 12-4, on a raw, cold Saturday night at Fenway Park.

Jason Varitek added three RBI for the Red Sox, who improved to 4-1 on their six-game homestand.

Six days after being shut out on two hits by Shields, the Red Sox immediately jumped on the righthander in the first inning. Jacoby Ellsbury and Pedroia opened with singles before Ortiz lofted an RBI double off the "Green Monster" in left for a 1-0 lead.

"I was just trying to get a pitch in the zone and drive it," Ellsbury said of his base hit. "The last time, I was little too anxious and swung at some pitches out of the zone. Tonight, (I) got a couple better pitches in the zone and squared it up."

Manny Ramirez followed with a two-run single to center, putting Boston up, 3-0.

"It's not the easiest thing to face a team back-to-back," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said of facing Shields six days after a 3-0 loss at Tropicana Field. "Sometimes their stuff is not the same, their command is not the same. There are different reasons."

"He just wasn't comfortable," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said of his starter. "He just didn't appear to be. That would be the best word. From the side, you look at the velocity readings. They were normal, but (not) overall command."

The game was played with temperatures in the low 40s and a wind gusting up to 20 miles per hour.

"It was a tough night to pitch, too, because it's kind of cold," Maddon said. "But I just thought from the side, he just looked not comfortable. Not totally out of whack, but just not able to make the pitches he normally makes."

Ramirez threw Carlos Pena out at the plate in the fourth, completing an inning-ending double play with the Rays threatening to close a two-run deficit.

"Tonight's game ends up being 12-4, but in the fourth inning, we're up 5-3 and they have the bases loaded," Francona said. "Manny throws a guy out at the plate and then we score two, and the game changed drastically."

Ramirez's first-inning, two-run single provided his first RBI since April 19, a span of 11 games - the second-longest drought of his career.

Beckett (3-2) looked sharp early, easily retiring the first five batters he faced. But Dioner Navarro singled to right with two outs in the second and Gabe Gross followed with a long homer into the right field grandstands on a 1-0 pitch to cut the deficit to 3-2.

The Red Sox came back in the bottom of the inning as Pedroia plated Ellsbury with a single to right.

Julio Lugo doubled home J.D. Drew with two outs in the third to restore Boston's three-run cushion at 5-2.

The Red Sox finally knocked Shields from the game in the fourth, scoring twice more. Shields (3-2) lasted just 3 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs and 10 hits with three walks and three strikeouts.

"I got the ground balls I needed, but they were just finding holes," Shields said. "That's a good-hitting squad over there. I felt I made pretty good pitches, but it just wasn't my day today."

Beckett allowed four runs and seven hits - including two homers - in eight innings.

"I think it's our time right now to do what we're supposed to do, and that's go out and throw innings and not tax our bullpen like we did early in the year," Beckett said. "That's the difference between this year and (the Rays) in other years. They're going into it with a team approach. They've got a lot of guys that can put the bat on the ball."

Before the game, Red Sox reserve outfielder Brandon Moss felt ill and was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital for an emergency appendectomy. He got out of successful surgery just after 11 p.m. EDT.

"He was feeling ill and the medical team felt that rather than just an abdominal flu, there was a possibility of (appendicitis)," Francona said. "We took him over there right before the game, which is probably a good idea. We were trying to be safe rather than sorry, and he's having it removed."