All signs clutch and go

When Oakland manager Ken Macha decided to intentionally walk Manny Ramirez with two outs, first base open, and Johnny Damon on third for the Red Sox in the sixth inning last night, the least surprised onlooker was Jason Varitek.

"I did expect it. Even before Manny went up there, I was getting ready to hit," said Varitek, who blasted a 1-and-0 changeup over the Monster seats for a three-run homer off A's starter, and loser, Mark Redman that made the difference in Boston's 9-6 victory. "I was able to get a pitch up in the zone. It was important that we were able to swing the bats well and it was important that we were able to extend the lead. It doesn't matter when it happens. You just want to be able to help your team."

Varitek's homer was his eighth of the season and his 1-for-5 night came on the heels of his 3-for-3, 2-walk outing in Tuesday's 12-2 pounding of the A's. He is now 9 for 18 in his last five games with 2 homers, 6 RBIs, and 5 runs.

"That was a key point. We let them back in a little bit and it's tough sometimes. You only have so many opportunities to come back and win a game and that really did hurt their chances," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona, who feels Varitek's contributions may sometimes be taken for granted. "The way he calls a game. The way he catches. I think there's probably a lot of things that go unnoticed during the game when he has a hand in us having a win."

Macha stayed with his lefthanded starter against the switch-hitting Varitek because, he said, "he kind of hits everybody in our bullpen and [Redman] had gotten him out three times tonight."

But one of those outs was hardly routine as Varitek lined a Redman fastball into right-center field that Jermaine Dye tracked down in full stride, robbing Varitek of extra bases. "Jermaine made a tremendous catch," said Varitek. "That's the second time he's gotten me. He dived into the stands at the Pesky Pole once. But the last couple of days I was getting a little better at [hitting lefthanders]. I didn't feel I was swinging the bat well righthanded and even though I made some outs today, I had some quality at-bats."

Varitek said last night's game was a grind-it-out affair because of Oakland's offense.

"They swung the bats very well and there was no letup," he said. "You can give up singles. Derek [Lowe's] a ground-ball pitcher and he gave up singles, but that's OK."

Varitek had the best seat in the house to evaluate Boston's pitching and defense. He felt Lowe had better stuff than his pitching line indicated, that Alan Embree getting Dye to ground into a double play to end the seventh was huge, and that David McCarty's flip to Mike Timlin to retire pinch hitter Billy McMillon in the eighth and Pokey Reese's barehanded play on Bobby Crosby's fourth-inning grounder were outstanding plays.

Varitek said his approach is always the same: "This game is about trying to compete every day," he said. "The more at-bats you get the better timing you have."

It was obvious after he came back to the clubhouse and began to take off his gear how those around him feel about Varitek's consistent effort. There was a tapping of fists with bullpen catcher Dana Levangie as the latter passed Varitek's locker. Pitcher Tim Wakefield came by and offered a hearty slap on the back.

The appreciation was obvious.

"He's a clutch player," said Francona. "And that was a beautiful swing."