Beckett, Sox thwart Angels

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- He is not only the heartbeat of the Red Sox, but the backbone, soul, and inspiration of a team desperately trying to stay alive in the American League playoff race.

And on a night that a published report surfaced that he spent last Saturday night in a Boston hospital for observation because of a possible irregular heartbeat, David Ortiz once again was the epitome of cool, and not only because he spent the day touring the headquarters of the folks who make Oakleys, the sunglasses of choice for the well-heeled athlete.

Ortiz -- shouldering a load that grew exponentially as the day went on, first with the news that Manny Ramírez had patellar tendinitis in his right knee, then with Josh Beckett's departure in the seventh inning with a small cut on his right middle finger -- hit his 46th home run last night in a 2-1 Sox win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. With Mike Timlin weathering another crisis, Jonathan Papelbon recording his second four-out save in two nights, and catcher Doug Mirabelli saving a run with a performance straight out of method acting class, the Sox gained ground on the New York Yankees for the first time in a week.

The Sox, winning before a sellout crowd in Angel Stadium of 44,109 that sounded equally divided for the home team and visitors, drew to within 5 1/2 games of the Bombers in the American League East. New York lost last night in Seattle, where the Sox are headed next. The Sox did not gain ground in the wild-card race on the White Sox or Twins, both of whom won.

``I'm the one who should have been there," Sox manager Terry Francona said when asked about a Boston Herald report in which Ortiz, prior to last night's game, confirmed that he'd spent last Saturday night at Massachusetts General Hospital after apparently experiencing an irregular heartbeat the night before.

Ortiz told Peter Chase, the team's media relations coordinator, that he did not want to address the issue with reporters and remained in seclusion after the game. According to the newspaper, the report first surfaced on an unnamed Internet site.

Ortiz acknowledged, the paper said, that he was admitted Saturday night for observation after experiencing a rapid heartbeat the night after a day-night doubleheader against the Yankees. When the problem persisted the next day, Ortiz visited Mass. General.

Neither Gill nor Red Sox spokesman John Blake would comment last night.

``I've been asked not to talk about it," Francona said. ``David just asked me. But if David were to go down, I'd like to go down with him."

The significance of the home run? Besides giving the Sox a 1-0 lead in the fourth, tying Ortiz for third on the all-time Sox season home run list with Jim Rice (one more, and Ortiz ties the 47 he hit last season), and marking the 26th time that he has tied a game or given the Sox a lead, Ortiz made sure that Angels rookie Jered Weaver would not extend his remarkable run of success at Boston's expense.

Weaver, who already had tied Whitey Ford's American League record for best record (9-0) to start a season for a rookie, was denied the chance to become just one of three pitchers to begin his career with double-digit wins without suffering a defeat. The others were Kirk Rueter with Montreal in 1993-94 (10-0) and Hooks Wiltse with the New York Giants in 1904 (12-0).

And Ortiz did it with an assist from the batboy -- Jeff Bennett, a local kid from Orange, Calif., who fretted afterward that he didn't want to get in trouble for aiding and abetting the opposition.

``[Ortiz] told me he was going to hit a home run on the first pitch, because [Weaver] thought he'd be taking and would try to sneak a fastball by him," Bennett said. ``I told him he would throw him a slider."

That's what Weaver did, and Ortiz laid off. The fastball came on a 1-and-2 pitch, after three sliders, and Ortiz buried it deep into the right-field seats. ``He was smiling, and pointing at me in the dugout," said Bennett .

Weaver had a no-decision against the Red Sox July 29 in a 7-6 extra-inning win for the Sox in Fenway Park. He was charged with his first loss last night, despite a stretch in which he struck out five straight batters, as he left after six innings, trailing, 1-0.

The Sox, playing without Ramírez, who was relieved to learn he had not sustained structural damage in his right knee, managed just three other hits against Weaver -- a two-out single by Kevin Youkilis in the first, a bloop single by Mike Lowell to open the second, and Ortiz's two-out single in the sixth.

The Sox added to their lead in the seventh against reliever Brendan Donnelly on consecutive singles by Lowell, Wily Mo Peña, and Alex Cora that loaded the bases, and an infield out by Mirabelli, Cora distinguishing himself with a terrific takeout slide of shortstop Orlando Cabrera.

But Beckett, who had been brilliant through six innings after a nine-walk fiasco in his last outing against the Yankees last Saturday, was forced to depart after issuing a walk to Garret Anderson to open the seventh -- his first walk of the night -- then falling behind the next hitter, Juan Rivera, two balls and no strikes. Pitching coach Dave Wallace, who'd walked out to visit Beckett on the mound, was soon joined by Francona and assistant trainer Mike Reinold, and Francona, after taking the ball from Beckett, could be seen staring intently at Beckett's right hand.

``It wasn't a blister," Francona said, referencing Beckett's long history of blister problems. ``It was a nail digging into his skin. We sent [Wallace] out there to see what the deal was. Beckett said, `I can't grip my curveball or my fastball.' I'm glad we sent [Wallace] out there. I don't think [Beckett] would have said anything."

Timlin entered, finished the walk to Rivera, then issued a wild pitch, the runners moving up. Howie Kendrick followed with a single that scored Anderson, but Rivera was erased on a strong throw by Peña, playing left in Ramirez's absence, with catcher Mirabelli deking Rivera until the last moment.

``I've used that a few times," Mirabelli said. ``It's a way to put some indecision in the runner's head. He doesn't know if the ball is coming or not. He probably assumes it is, but he's not entirely sure."

The Angels, who had won five straight, stranded 17 runners over the last two games of the series.

``We did some things tonight -- we handled some situations, and we played with as much intensity as we can," Francona said. ``That's why we won."