BOSTON - Red Sox left fielder Jacoby Ellsbury made a diving catch last night in a key spot, taking a leadoff single away from speedy Carlos Gomez in a 0-0 game in the eighth.

Ellsbury got a great jump on the ball, his first-step quickness the difference between catching the ball and having it fall for a hit.

Lugo makes the play

Who says Julio Lugo, the Boston shortstop, never makes a play to his left, instead giving the bouncing ball the T-Rex arms as it finds its way into center field?

Well, last night Lugo made a play to his left. Joe Mauer hit a hard grounder up the middle. Lugo went into his normal fetal-position slide instead of an all-out dive, but this time he was able to snag the ball with his glove.

He quickly got up and threw a strike to first base, stealing a hit from Mauer, ending the third inning.

Making the grab

The behind-the-back maneuver was made famous in Boston by the Celtics’ Bob Cousy.

Twins starter Scott Baker took a page from the Cooz’s book by making a dazzling behind-the-back stop of a hard one-hopper drilled by Manny Ramirez in the second, robbing him of a single up the middle.

Baker is a right-handed pitcher. His follow-through took him toward first base. The ball scalded by Ramirez was to his right. Baker simply stuck down his glove and snared it, likely much to his surprise.

Twins’ rookie is on the ball

Minnesota rookie Denard Span looked like he has been playing in the sometimes tricky right field at Fenway Park all his life.

When Dustin Pedroia lofted an opposite-field fly ball down the right-field line toward the Pesky Pole, Span drifted over toward the low wall. The ball floated down short of the pole, and Span floated with it, making the catch with a little leap over the wall for the final out of the third.

Span had no difficulty racing to right-center for a catch, either. Span ran down Coco Crisp’s long drive to the Sox’ bullpen fence on a ball that would have carried over for a homer.

skrasner@projo.com