By homing in, Arroyo gets the fans' support

Wondering just how much it meant to Bronson Arroyo when a standing ovation from a soldout Fenway Park punctuated his winning effort last night? Perhaps, more than you can imagine.

Before pitching 7 1/3 strong innings and propelling the Red Sox to a 4-1 victory over the Tigers, Arroyo had not had much success at Fenway. In fact, he had just two wins in 12 appearances there, including 10 starts.

"It's been a struggle for me pitching at home," said Arroyo. "You know, you get a win here, especially with the fans the way they are, it feels almost like two wins instead of just one."

It counted as only one, but it was the first time this season Arroyo has earned wins in consecutive starts. After a shaky start to the season that included six losses in a row, Arroyo appears to be gathering confidence at just the right time.

"It's always nice to feel like you're getting on a roll, especially at the same time the team is playing well," he said. "It's coming down to the homestretch at the end of the season and you don't want to be the guy to go out there and kind of lose the momentum for the team."

In a performance that was a microcosm of his season, Arroyo struggled early, then gathered steam behind pinpoint control of his curveball. The righthander felt he could throw his breaking ball for a strike any time. So, after a pair of walks in the first, Arroyo used his curveball, and later his fastball, to carry the Red Sox until early in the eighth. After getting Omar Infante to fly out to start the inning, Arroyo allowed Bobby Higginson to double to left field and manager Terry Francona decided it was time to let the relievers go to work.

"As the game progressed, I thought he got more aggressive with his fastball," said Francona. "The first time around, he already went to his breaking ball a lot. He had a couple of long innings he had to wiggle out of and then he got real aggressive with his fastball."

Added Arroyo: "I felt good coming out of the pen, and getting out of the first inning was definitely big. I felt strong the whole game. I felt strong in the eighth. I worked hard in between starts and it paid off."

Arroyo threw 103 pitches (69 strikes) and allowed one unearned run on six hits, marking the third start of the season in which he did not give up an earned run. He struck out eight to earn his seventh win in his career-high 25th appearance of the year.

After the unearned run in the third -- on a throwing error by catcher Doug Mirabelli on a pickoff attempt -- Arroyo had his strongest stretch. In the fourth, two of three hitters ground out. In the fifth, Arroyo struck out all three batters (two swinging). In the sixth, the righthander picked up another pair of strikeouts. In the seventh, Arroyo again retired the Tigers in order.

While Francona credited Mirabelli with helping Arroyo work through the middle innings effectively and efficiently, pitcher and catcher were not exactly on the same page throughout the game. Since Mirabelli had not caught Arroyo for a long time, it took a little longer to agree on pitches. It was all about Arroyo becoming more comfortable on the mound and gaining confidence.

Arroyo hopes his success will carry over to future performances at Fenway.

"I focus more on how I'm feeling physically and try to hit my spots, but it's different out here," said Arroyo. "It's definitely a different feel. It's more like a playoff atmosphere every night."

And the Red Sox hope that's something else Arroyo would do well to get used to.