08:39 AM EDT on Thursday, April 29, 2004

BY ROBERT LEE
Journal Sports Writer

AP photo Jason Varitek, right, gets a celebratory bash from Manny Ramirez after belting a long two-run homer in the fourth inning last night that staked the Red Sox a 2-0 lead.

BOSTON -- Although Jason Varitek had gone hitless in his last 17 at-bats before last night's game, no one in the Red Sox locker room had lost confidence in the all-star catcher.

That faith proved warranted as Varitek snapped his slump with a fourth-inning two-run homer that he sent over the Red Sox bullpen in right field to help Boston defeat Tampa Bay, 6-0, in front of the ninth sellout crowd of the season.

"It's all relative," Varitek said about his slump. "The most important thing is that we are winning."

Boston manager Terry Francona was impressed that Varitek broke out of his slump with a home run against Tampa starter Paul Abbott, who entered the game with a 2.37 E.R.A.

"Abbott was really throwing the ball well," Francona said. "He was cutting his fastball, throwing his sliders, split effectively. His numbers show that coming into the game. He's been a very good pitcher for them and we struggled with him. Tek gets us on the board, and it's nice to play with the lead, even if it's a slim lead."

It was Varitek's third home run of the season.

"Just to give that boost of giving Kurt [Shilling] a couple of runs to work with, that was really nice," Varitek said. "The most important thing is that we pitched well."

Even though Varitek sent Paul Abbot's 1-2 pitch 10 rows back into the right-field crowd, Tampa Bay still didn't believe that Varitek, batting .263 this season, could repeat his performance. Well, at least Devil Rays coach Lou Piniella believed Manny Ramirez (.392) had a better shot at causing damage, so the Devil Rays intentionally walked Ramirez with one out to load the bases for Varitek in the bottom of the seventh.

He made them pay for that decision. On a 3-2 count, with the Fenway crowd on their feet, Varitek sliced an RBI single to right to put Boston ahead, 3-0, in what turned out to be a three-run inning.

"My job is with the pitchers," Varitek said. "Anything I do offensively is just a bonus."

Varitek was not the only surprise hero last night. Boston second baseman Mark Bellhorn entered last night's game with a .185 batting average, but he went 2-for-2 with two walks, and he knocked in the other two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning with a single to left.

"He just knows the strike zone and not too many guys do," Boston first baseman Johnny Damon said of Bellhorn. "He is able to get the big hit when we need it, too."

Despite his poor batting average, Bellhorn has a solid .400 on-base percentage. He leads the American League with 21 walks.

"Bell, he's getting his walks, and I hope he understands how important they are," Francona said. "I think he does. And then, the hits he's gotten have all been big hits. It just seems like every time he fires a hit, it's [during] an important part of the game. He's on base two or three times a game. We'll take that all the time; it's huge. He makes pitchers work. He doesn't swing at balls. He finally gets a strike and he hits it where he's supposed to at an opportune time; it's huge."