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Crisp, Red Sox roll past Reds

Jun 15, 2008 - 9:42 PM By Douglas Tifft PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- The absence of the Boston Red Sox sluggers did not seem to matter Sunday.

Coco Crisp drove in four runs and hit one of of his team's four homers as the Red Sox cruised past the Cincinnati Reds, 9-0, in the finale of a three-game interleague series.

Jacoby Ellsbury, J.D. Drew and Dustin Pedroia also homered for the Red Sox, who won their second straight game with Manny Ramirez out of the lineup due to a sore hamstring. David Ortiz also remains sidelined with a torn sheath in his left wrist.

"Everybody can hit. They would not be in this locker room if they could not hit," Red Sox starter Josh Beckett said. "Not too many people slip through the cracks in the big leagues, and I would say probably zero slip through and play for the Boston Red Sox."

Beckett (7-4) enjoyed the run support, pitching seven outstanding innings while allowing six hits and two walks with six strikeouts.

Establishing himself with first-pitch strikes was a key to Beckett's success.

"You are always trying to get ahead (of hitters)," Beckett said. "That first-pitch pitch is key, and then you can work off of that. I felt good today. I threw good pitches when I needed them."

Despite the number of home runs, it was Ellsbury's speed that gave the Red Sox an early lead.

The rookie led off the game with a single and stole second and third base before scoring on Pedroia's sacrifice fly. The two steals gave Ellsbury 33 for the season, breaking Amby McConnell's club rookie record of 31 set in 1908.

"It's pretty neat (to break a) 100-year record with the Red Sox," Ellsbury said. "Just the tradition (that the club has). To break a record like that is pretty special."

Ellsbury, the American League steals leader, knows that he could be on pace for a historic year on the basepaths.

"I hope I get 60 (stolen bases)," he said. "It just depends on the situations. I let the game dictate what is going to happen. The numbers they just pile up, and at the end of the year I look at them and go from there. I try to get as many as I can, but with stolen bases you have to get on base."

Crisp blasted a two-run homer to right in the second, and Ellsbury and Drew each homered in the third off Reds starter Homer Bailey (0-3) to take a 5-0 lead. The righthander allowed five runs and four hits with three walks in 2 1/3 innings.

"Playing in Cincinnati (helps)," Crisp said. "You get the bat on the ball and it goes 350 (feet). If I hit the ball well in Fenway and it goes 350 then it is just a shallow fly ball."

Kevin Cash delivered an RBI single and Crisp lined a two-run single to left in the fifth, extending the advantage to 8-0 before Pedroia capped the scoring with a solo shot in the sixth.

Ellsbury, Pedroia and Drew's homers marked the first time the first three batters in the Red Sox order homered in the same game since 1997.

"When the top of the lineup is swinging like that we are going to win some games," Ellsbury said.

David Aardsma and Mike Timlin each pitched an inning of scoreless relief for the Red Sox, who won for the fourth time in five games.