01:00 AM EDT on Monday, April 17, 2006

BOSTON -- When it came time to make defensive changes yesterday, with Boston ahead by a run in the ninth, Red Sox manager Terry Francona elected not to replace neophyte first baseman Kevin Youkilis with veteran Gold Glover J.T. Snow.

There were a couple of factors.

Francona already had inserted Adam Stern into center field, moving Dustan Mohr from center to right and taking out defense-challenged right fielder Wily Mo Pena. Had the Mariners tied the game or gone ahead, the additions of Snow and Stern would have given the Sox too many left-handers in the lineup with no right-handed backups on the bench.

That was one reason Youkilis stayed in. There was another reason, though, and that is how well Youkilis has been playing the position in his first year as a starter there. Yesterday, he made another outstanding play, diving to his right to rob Raul Ibanez of a first-inning hit.

Not conceding the run The Red Sox offense has been having trouble scoring lately.

But that, according to Francona, was not the reason the Red Sox had their infield pulled three-quarters in with Boston ahead, 2-1, a runner at third and one out -- in only the third inning.

Ibanez made the Sox pay for that strategy by blooping a game-tying RBI single to left-center, with shortstop Alex Gonzalez unable to make an over-the-shoulder diving catch as the ball fell between him and left fielder Manny Ramirez. Had Gonzalez been playing back, it would have been a routine out.

But beyond that bit of what-might-have-been was the decision to have the infield playing in closer than their normal deployment.

"Why give them a run?" asked Francona. "Why make it easy for Ibanez (to drive in a run). We don't want to just give runs away."

No huddle for umps When Jimy Williams was the manager in Boston, one of his chief gripes with umpires was that they didn't huddle after a debatable call to make sure they got the call right.

The umpires have been more willing to do so over the last few years, but not yesterday, when a bad call by first-base umpire Rick Reed handed the Red Sox a first-inning run, no small thing given Boston won by a run.

With two outs and a runner at third, Seattle first baseman Richie Sexson had to come off the bag to the home-plate side of the line to catch a throw from third baseman Adrian Beltre, who had fielded Jason Varitek's grounder.

The 6-foot-8 Sexson reached out his long arm and, as replays showed, tagged Varitek under his left arm, in the ribs area, before Varitek slid past him.

Reed, positioned behind the bag on the foul line, called Varitek safe, which meant Loretta was credited with a run scored. Seattle manager Mike Hargrove argued the call, but Reed never checked with plate umpire Laz Diaz, who might have had a better view of the play.

Amazingly, there was a virtual instant replay of the situation in the fifth. Beltre made a diving stop of a ball hit by Varitek, got up, stepped on third and threw to first, attempting a double play. His throw again was on the home-plate side of first. Sexson again came off the bag and gloved the ball.

And again, Sexson reached out and tagged a sliding Varitek. This time, Reed saw the tag and called Varitek out.

Alert on the bases Good baserunning instincts by Youkilis, not one of the faster Red Sox, helped produce a pair of runs in the first inning.

Youkilis opened the game with a walk. He alertly raced to third on Loretta's liner to left, a seemingly catchable ball because of the strong wind blowing in, quickly judging that the ball would go over Raul Ibanez's head, which it did.

His hustle to third allowed Loretta to make it to second on the play. They both ended up scoring.

Not getting up to speed Pena, whose defense has been problematic, didn't run hard out of the batter's box on his grounder to second in the second inning, and that cost him a chance to reach on a bobble by Jose Lopez.

"We address those things," said Francona.

Beltre sticks with it Professionals have to be able to put previous failures behind them.

Beltre was able to do that. He already had been charged with two errors in the game when Manny Ramirez scorched a one-hopper his way with Mark Loretta at second and two outs in the seventh. Beltre somehow managed to get his glove on the ball, unable to field it cleanly but keeping it in the infield.

Ramirez got a single, but Loretta was forced to stop at third instead of scoring, which he would have done had the ball gotten past Beltre. The next man was retired, so Beltre's play saved a run and kept Boston's lead at one run, at 3-2.

skrasner@projo.com / (401) 277-7340