BOSTON -- The temperature may be dropping, but the Red Sox bats show no signs of cooling off.
Boston had 10 hits and 2 home runs yesterday in an 8-0 thumping of the Detroit Tigers. That makes it 21 hits and 4 home runs for the Red Sox in their last two games.
"They got the bats going," Detroit manager Luis Pujols said. "You know, when you get behind big hitters at this ballpark, you are going to pay for it."
Surprisingly, Johnny Damon, one of the team's top hitters, was the only player in the Boston lineup who didn't get a hit yesterday.
Doug Mirabelli (2-for-4, 3-run HR), Manny Ramirez (2-for-3, 2B, RBI), Nomar Garciaparra (2-for-4, 2B, RBI, run), Trot Nixon (1-for-3, solo HR, 2 runs), and Jose Offerman (1-for-3, 2 runs) led the Boston attack.
The Red Sox wasted no time as they scored five runs in the first inning, capped by Mirabelli's home run. It was the first time Mirabelli hit home runs in consecutive games since June 2000, when he played for San Francisco.
"That allowed us some breathing room and probably deflated them a little bit when you have a guy like Pedro on the mound," catcher Jason Varitek said about Mirabelli's shot over the Green Monster.
"We kind of tried to stay away from throwing (Mirabelli) a fastball and it seems like we made a couple of mistakes with fastballs and he hit two home runs," Pujols said.
Mirabelli, the backup catcher, was Boston's designated hitter yesterday. He was just waiting on a fastball.
"They have to throw a fastball," Mirabelli said. "It's my job when they don't throw a fastball to try not to swing at it and get myself out. I try to get myself into a good hitting count where I almost force them to throw a fastball like in a 2-and-1 or 3-and-1 situation where they end up having to throw a pitch that they don't really want to."
Five of Mirabelli's 16 home runs as an American Leaguer have come against the Tigers.
Ramirez now has reached base safely in 30 of his last 31 games with a .488 on-base percentage during that span. His double down the third-base line in the bottom of the first scored Offerman from second base and gave the Sox a 1-0 lead. He leads the A.L. with a .462 (18-for-39) batting average with runners in scoring position.
Garciaparra has hit safely in eight of his last nine games, hitting .361 (13-for-36) with seven RBI. Garciaparra has at least one double in 21 of the Red Sox' 27 series this season and has 30 on the season. He has either scored a run or driven in a run in 13 of his last 18 games.
With his solo home run, Nixon extended his hitting streak to five games, a span in which he has batted .417 (7-for-17), and has hit safely in 15 of his last 18 games.
"We have a great hitting team," Mirabelli said. "We are a great ballclub. I don't think it's any secret that we are a contender. I don't think anybody's surprised where we are right now."
"We just came out swinging," Garciaparra said. "Sometimes you go in a rut and you don't hit, and sometimes you do and you come out and start swinging the bat well and hopefully we can continue, but tomorrow can be a totally different story."
With one game left before the All-Star break, the Red Sox are right where they want to be.
"We had that two weeks of interleague play where they got the best of us, but this team has been playing solid all year and I think we are right where we ought to be going into the second half," Mirabelli said.
"I believe we are as skilled as any team and if we stay healthy, knock on wood, we are going to be there," Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez said. "So, it doesn't matter what the Yankees do. I still believe we will be right there with them and the rest of the league."
