He put them in double jeopardy

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Playing against his old team was something he tried to block out. Lenny DiNardo tried to treat the Red Sox like just any other team. He tried. And, mostly, it worked.

Except when he got Kevin Youkilis to ground into an inning-ending double play, the fourth for the Red Sox on the evening, in the sixth inning. Not only did DiNardo get out of a bases-loaded situation, but he got something to hold over his former roommate's head.

"The one from Youkilis was one that stands out in my mind," DiNardo said. "That was kind of key in the last inning. I knew I was probably getting a little tired out there. And he's my former roommate [2004-06]. I had him three balls and I knew I needed to make a pitch there. I just tried to throw it right down the middle and low."

And got him.

When the Red Sox -- 2-0 losers last night to DiNardo and the A's -- added J.D. Drew to their 40-man roster in spring training, the team attempted to get DiNardo through waivers. It didn't work, with the A's picking him up, though he was hardly assured of a job.

"My ERA last year with Boston was about 7-something [7.85], and I was hurt for the majority of the year," DiNardo said. "If you look at it like that, it's probably a good business move for them. They want to get a guy who can perform. And honestly, I didn't perform up to my expectations or the team's expectations last year. Surprised? No. Kind of let down a little bit, yeah, 'cause I know I had more to give."

And now? He's a starter, last night marking his second straight turn in the rotation.

Despite quite an odd pitching line -- no runs on two hits, six walks, and one hit batter -- DiNardo managed to force the Red Sox into mistake after mistake. Five double plays in all left the Red Sox with nothing to show.

"Damage control," DiNardo said. "Pretty much, all right, I've got a man on base, I've got to make a good pitch right here, keep the ball down. Hopefully, he'll roll over it. It wasn't a really picturesque performance. Six walks in an outing -- I think I doubled my walks on the year, possibly, tonight."

He did. With six walks coming into the start, issued in just 25 innings, DiNardo made it an even dozen, including two free passes in the first inning and the sixth. And yet, no runs.

It was just enough to control a team that never could get the right hit in the right situation. Instead, it was the wrong double-play ball in the wrong situation. And very few hits.

"He just has good movement," Oakland manager Bob Geren said. "Jason [Kendall] says that even when he catches the ball, it tends to move both ways. That's the reason. It's not velocity or anything like that."

But while he repeated that it didn't matter against whom the win came, it did matter the way he's pitching now, with three straight good appearances, according to his manager. Plus an ERA that sank to 1.45 last night.

"I have no hard feelings whatsoever," DiNardo said. "I'm in a good situation here. I learned a lot from them. I got a World Series win with them. I'm not trying to rub anything in anybody's face whatsoever."

Well, except maybe Youkilis's.