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Lowell, Varitek spark rally as Red Sox top D'backs

Jun 25, 2008 - 4:33 AM By Tony Lee PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

BOSTON (Ticker) -- Doug Davis looked like he might add another chapter to his feel-good story. In the blink of an eye, the Boston Red Sox made it feel so bad.

Mike Lowell and a slumping Jason Varitek highlighted a four-run eighth inning with the tying and go-ahead hits as the Red Sox chased a dominant Davis to rally for a 5-4 interleague win over the Diamondbacks on Tuesday at Fenway Park.

Boston had six hits in the rally to turn what looked like another weak effort against an Arizona starter into its 19th come-from-behind win of the year.

After Dan Haren dominated the Red Sox in the series opener Monday, Davis took a 4-1 lead into the eighth, facing just one batter over the minimum from the third through the seventh innings. The lefty, who has been solid since returning from surgery for thyroid cancer in May, allowed the first two to reach in the eighth before being lifted for Chad Qualls, his first win since May 23 a distinct possibility.

"He pitched great," Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said of Davis, who is 0-1 in five June starts despite a 3.03 ERA. "It's as good as he's pitched the last couple times out, if not maybe a little better than that."

However, with Davis gone, the floodgates opened.

Dustin Pedroia, who homered off Davis in the first, singled in Julio Lugo to cut the Diamondbacks' lead to 4-2. After J.D. Drew struck out and Manny Ramirez hit into a fielder's choice, Lowell drove a ball off the "Green Monster" in left field to plate rookie Jacoby Ellsbury and Pedroia.

"I only have one at-bat against him," Lowell said of Qualls. "He throws 97 and has a hard slider ... someone who throws that hard and paints three pitches, you're probably not gonna get a hit. That's the way the game goes and it worked out nice for us."

Varitek was next, mired in a colossal slump. His double in Monday's loss broke a career-worst 0-for-24 slump and he was 0-for-3 Tuesday before facing Qualls. But he pulled the second pitch he saw from the struggling reliever into right field to drive in Lowell and put the Red Sox ahead.

"I was just trying to get a pitch to hit," Varitek said. "He left a slider up and I was able to put the good part of the bat on it ... I've made some changes. But some things you can't control. I hit a ball off a guy's leg in the first inning and I get out. Some things you can't control. If (Diamondbacks second baseman Orlando Hudson) caught it, I might have exited and come upstairs and got dressed and went home."

"As long as we win it's the same but that was a big hit," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "Not just for your team but for him that's good."

Qualls (1-6) was charged with the final two runs of the rally. He has been hammered for five runs and eight hits in one inning over his last two outings.

Jonathan Papelbon got the last three outs for Boston to pick up his 22nd save, making a winner out of rookie Chris Smith (1-0), who pitched two scoreless innings in his second major league appearance.

Fellow rookie Justin Masterson gave up four runs in six innings, striking out four and walking four.

Davis was charged with three runs and seven hits in seven-plus frames. He struck out six, walked just one and had retired 16 of 18 batters entering the eighth.

"He's doing it to everybody," Francona said of Davis. "It was a lot of different type pitching than last night but he was carving us up pretty good."

Despite the dominant stretch, Davis did have a slow start. Pedroia smacked his 11th offering of the night for his seventh homer of the season and third in nine games.

Ramirez and Lowell lined back-to-back singles with two outs in the frame before Davis got Varitek to ground out to escape further trouble. The Red Sox did not threaten again until the eighth.

Chad Tracy provided all the offense for Arizona with an RBI single in the second and a three-run homer in the third. Masterson got the first two outs in that frame before Hudson singled and Conor Jackson walked. Tracy followed with a blast over the bullpens in right for his fourth home run of the year.

Despite getting runners on in each of the next four innings, Arizona was unable to expand on the 4-1 lead, with Masterson and Smith keeping it close.

"We battled," Masterson said. "I hung the sinker to Chad Tracy ... that's the only thing I was really upset about. I was really happy to see Chris Smith go out there, hold them at bay until the offense could turn around and say, 'Here we go, we're taking the lead.' And (Papelbon) does what he does, shuts the door. Simple as that. That's pretty much the story right there."

The start of the contest was delayed 36 minutes by rain, marking the third straight game and fourth in the last five at Fenway to fall victim to a rain delay.