Red Sox roll over White Sox for sweep
 J.D. Drew watched the flight of his solo home run in the second inning. (AP Photo) |
CHICAGO --David Ortiz hit a two-run homer, and J.D. Drew and Bobby Kielty ended long homerless droughts to back Julian Tavarez's first win since late June as the Boston Red Sox finished a four-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox with a 11-1 victory Sunday.
Strangely enough, Drew's last home run was in the same game as Tavarez's last win: June 20 at Atlanta. Kielty homered for the first time since last Sept. 19, when he was with Oakland.
The Red Sox outscored Chicago 46-7 in the series, dropping the White Sox to 18 games under .500. Boston has won four in a row, improved baseball's best record to 80-51 and increased their lead over second-place New York to 7 1/2 games in the AL East.
Tavarez (7-9), who has bounced between the rotation and the bullpen, was making just his second start since the beginning of August, but struck out seven and handcuffed the White Sox to two hits in six innings. He was 0-5 in his last seven starts, going back to June 25.
Ortiz's 24th homer capped off a four-run fifth inning as the Red Sox ended Javier Vazquez's perfect month and sent the White Sox to their fifth straight loss and 13th in 15 games.
In the fifth, Dustin Pedroia broke a 1-all tie with a two-run single. After a mound meeting with his manager and catcher, Vazquez's first pitch to Ortiz landed more than 400 feet away in center to make it 5-1. Kielty added a two-run shot off Vazquez in the sixth.
Drew hit his seventh homer in the second to give Boston a 1-0 lead. It was his first homer in 51 games, ending the longest drought of his career.
Jermaine Dye hit his 25th homer in the second, but the White Sox went hitless until Josh Fields had a single in the sixth.
Vazquez (11-7) was 3-0 in four previous August starts and 8-1 over his last 12 starts. He matched his season-high with 10 strikeouts but also matched a season-high allowing three home runs. He gave up seven runs and six hits, with three walks in six innings.
Vazquez was mowing down Red Sox hitters until the fifth. He struck out Jason Varitek to start the inning, his seventh of the game, but then gave up a bunt single to Kielty. Coco Crisp added a single and Julio Lugo reached on a fielder's choice, setting up Pedroia's hit.
Fields, usually a third baseman, made an error in his first start in left field, leading to three unearned runs during a four-run ninth.
Notes:@ Manny Ramirez didn't start for the Red Sox. Manager Terry Francona said it was just a day off but relented that Ramirez had been bothered by a sore back. ... Fields will stay in left for the rest of the season to see if he can play the position in 2008. ... White Sox DH Jim Thome returned after missing three games with a stiff lower back. ... Tavarez's seven strikeouts tied a season-high.
