Rake it from the top

One is a September call-up while the other is a mainstay to the point that it's easy to forget he's still a rookie. Together, Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia formed a dangerous duo at the top of the order in last night's wild 13-10 victory against Toronto.

In their first three plate appearances, both reached base and came around to score, setting the table for a big early lead that turned out to be barely enough.

"That's our job," Pedroia said. "Try to get on base for the guys behind us."

The big evening for the duo - 2 for 5, three runs for Ellsbury, 3 for 5, three runs for Pedroia - underscored their head-turning debut seasons.

Pedroia, 24, has started at second base all year, making a case for Rookie of the Year with a .327 batting average and eye-popping plays in the field, such as the diving play Saturday night that Clay Buchholz won't soon forget.

But last night it was Ellsbury, the electric outfielder, who made the crucial play, a diving snare of a Frank Thomas line drive in the sixth.

The eight runs the Red Sox allowed in that inning were the most they had given up in a frame all year, but it could have been more. If Thomas's shot had touched turf, Matt Stairs would have scored from third, the game would have been tied at 10, and the inning would have continued. Instead, Ellsbury sprinted in and made the diving catch.

"That was the play of the game," said shortstop Julio Lugo.

Said Toronto manager John Gibbons, "He's supposed to be one of their top prospects. It looks like he's got a good idea."

Ellsbury and Pedroia - whose birthdays are a month apart - have been star prospects in the Sox system. They were also both Pac-10 Players of the Year - Pedroia at Arizona State, Ellsbury at Oregon State. Ellsbury came up behind Pedroia in the Sox system, playing in Single A and Double A last year while Pedroia was in Pawtucket.

Ellsbury, a week from turning 24, arrived this summer with a bang, becoming a fan sensation when he came up for a week in late June and early July to fill in for the injured Coco Crisp. His signature highlight was scoring from second on a wild pitch in his third game in the bigs.

But Ellsbury returned to Pawtucket - making one more appearance in Boston Aug. 17 - and he reeled off a team-record 25-game hitting streak.

Back with the big club, Ellsbury isn't exactly a seasoned vet, but he is past the newcomer jitters.

"I got a lot of the firsts out of the way - my first hit, my first stolen base," Ellsbury said.

"You get those out of the way, you get the routine of it, you know what's going to happen. I hadn't played here at Fenway before. You definitely come back with that confidence that you've done it before.

"Being around the guys, you don't have to make your rounds and introduce yourself to everybody. The feeling of being in the locker room is a lot more comfortable."

Manager Terry Francona agreed that the big-league experience for Ellsbury and outfielder Brandon Moss, who spent three games with the Red Sox in early August, was important.

"They don't have to be shown where the shower is," Francona said. "They know the guys. They know what's expected of them. Hopefully the more the newness wears off, the energy doesn't, but the nervousness leaves and they can go about competing."

That hasn't been a question all year for Pedroia, whose average has been above .300 since May. The second baseman has been even hotter recently, collecting two or more hits in each of his last four games, hitting .579 in that stretch. And Ellsbury isn't far behind, hitting .556 in his first three games since his return to the majors.

"We're just happy to be called up for September," Ellsbury said. "It gives us the opportunity to get some playing time and rest some guys who need some rest. We're just having a good time and playing hard."

Combined with Pedroia at the top of the lineup, Ellsbury did far more than that.