BOSTON — Remember the Closer-By-Committee notion that the Red Sox toyed with back in 2003?

The concept was, in part, that the “save” in a game didn’t necessarily just come in the ninth inning. There were occasions earlier, say maybe the seventh or eighth inning, when it was important to have your “closer” in the game.

One of those occasions cropped up last night.

The Diamondbacks held a 4-2 lead with two outs in the eighth. Chad Qualls was on the mound. He had been brought in earlier in the inning, and he had given up an RBI single.

Qualls is not the Arizona closer. Brandon Lyon is. On Monday night, Lyon claimed his 16th save in 18 chances, a five-pitch breeze in the 2-1 victory.

At the plate was Mike Lowell. First base was open and on deck was Jason Varitek, in a 4-for-47 funk. After Lowell, the Sox featured a watered-down lineup for a variety of reasons.

Arizona manager Bob Melvin didn’t want to walk Lowell and put the go-ahead run on first. So the Diamondbacks pitched to him.

Instead of Lyon, though, Melvin stuck with Qualls. Melvin was going by the “book,” saving Lyon for the ninth.

Lowell ripped a game-tying double off the wall off Qualls. And when Varitek dunked a single to right, Arizona was forced to swallow a 5-4 loss.

Lowell said he wasn’t sure if Melvin would have Qualls walk him.

“I just took it as whatever,” said Lowell. “They probably wanted him to face a righty (Lowell) rather than a lefty (the switch-hitting Varitek). I can’t say you can second-guess that with a guy who throws 97 and has a slider.”

Melvin agreed it was the righty-righty matchup he wanted, even though left-handers were batting .172 against Qualls and right-handers .242.

“I’d much rather have him on a right-hander. He’s just got to make a better pitch there,” said Melvin. “Qualls was just missing his location. We don’t want to throw a ball down the middle there to Lowell.”

skrasner@projo.com