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Crisp, Lowell power Red Sox barrage

Jul 6, 2007 - 4:50 AM BOSTON (Ticker) -- The Boston Red Sox offense may have struggled in June, but it was alive and kicking Thursday night.

Coco Crisp provided the big blow with a monster grand slam to spark a six-run first inning as the Red Sox crushed the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 15-4, to complete a three-game series sweep.

Mike Lowell went 5-for-6, including a three-run homer, and drove in five runs as Boston sent the reeling Devil Rays to their 11th consecutive defeat.

It was his second career grand slam for Crisp - and the first since July 27, 2004 against Detroit. It came off ineffective starter J.P. Howell (1-3), who lasted just two-thirds of an inning and allowed six runs and six hits.

"As soon as I hit it, I knew I got it," Crisp said. "The first pitch was a good one but I laid off it. He left the next pitch right down the middle of the plate."

Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon knows Howell needed to be sharp against an offense like the one he saw Thursday night.

"If you're not making your pitch and you're just outside the zone, they're going to be patient enough to make you come back into the zone, and that's what happened," Maddon said.

Crisp's fifth home run this year sparked a Boston offense that had been dormant throughout June. The team managed just 112 runs last month, ranking 13th out of 14 teams in the American League.

With the 15-run explosion, the Red Sox now have scored 34 runs in July in just five games.

Josh Beckett (12-2) was the beneficiary of the offensive explosion, allowing him to tie Cleveland's C.C. Sabathia for the American League lead in victories.

Lowell continued his All-Star season with a three-run shot - his 14th of the year - in the second inning to put the Sox ahead 9-0. The five RBI gave him 62 for the season.

With seven hits and two home runs in his last two games, Lowell seems to be over the thumb injury that plagued him over the last few weeks.

"My approach has been really good lately," Lowell said. "And I think I've totally eliminated the whole thumb issue at the plate and that's big for me."

Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees, the leading vote-getter for the All-Star game, may skip the contest due to a hamstring injury. That would make Lowell the AL starter at third base.

"I think it would be cool if they announced you as you're running out there instead of just standing out there on the (third base) line," Lowell said. "It's the same honor to me but, yeah, there's a little added oomph when your name's called out with the eight other guys. It'd be good but I'm losing zero sleep over it."

While Devil Ray pitching pounded for 21 hits, Beckett (12-2) was dominant early and effective throughout.

Beckett started the game with four straight strikeouts, finishing with nine in his six innings. He allowed three runs and nine hits, walking one.

An All-Star himself, this performance could make Beckett a candidate to start Tuesday's game against the National League.

"It's exciting," Beckett said of the possibility. "It's completely out of my control but it is exciting. I'll be happy if he (Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland) chooses me."

Aside from being tied for the AL lead in wins, Beckett is second in winning percentage at .857 and 12th in ERA (3.44).

While Crisp finished 2-for-5 with five RBI, he had a chance to inflict much more damage, coming to the plate with the bases loaded four times in the game.

That's never happened to me before and I've never seen it happen before. I was kind of hoping I wouldn't get that last at-bat because I was tired," Crisp joked.

While the Sox maintained their 12-game lead in the American League East, the Devil Rays continue to plummet, falling further back into their familiar spot in last place, 20 games out of first.

"I never say things can't get worse because they always could," Maddon said. "You just come out and play tomorrow."