Deep ball really helping the Sox

Though he struggled at the plate in place of Manny Ramírez, left fielder Joe Thurston made a nice catch against the scoreboard to take a hit away from Texas'sGerald Laird in the fourth. (Jim Davis/Globe Staff)

Depth is a beautiful thing in baseball.

The Red Sox had Manny Ramírez get ejected in the second inning Sunday, and with Dustin Pedroia having most of the day off and Joe Thurston in the cleanup spot much of the game, they still rallied late to edge the Rangers, 6-5. Yesterday they rested Ramírez and used Thurston in left, played Kevin Cash for a sick Jason Varitek, and used youngster Jed Lowrie at third base and still clobbered the Rangers, 8-3, in a Patriots Day matinee at Fenway Park.

Of course it helped that they were facing the Rangers, with their bad pitching, and yesterday their bad defense. It also helped that Texas starter Kason Gabbard hurt his back and couldn't pitch beyond the second inning, the Sox jumping on Dustin Nippert, who allowed eight runs in 2 1/3 innings. And it helped that second baseman Ian Kinsler made a throwing error and left fielder Milton Bradley lost a ball in the sun.

With the Angels in town, the Red Sox are 14-7 with their 26th-ranked pitching (4.67 ERA) and first-ranked offense (.297 average). Obviously the pitching needs to improve before all is said and done or the Sox won't be atop the division for long. But with Alex Cora and Mike Lowell on the disabled list and Curt Schilling out indefinitely, the Sox not only are surviving but are thriving with guys like Sean Casey and Lowrie.

Not everyone believes. When Terry Francona said he was giving Ramírez the day off, e-mails came flowing in to this address. There were a lot of unflattering comments directed toward the manager.

"Manny needs a day off after being ejected in the second inning?"

"Is Manny managing the damn team!"

"Manny needs two days off in April?"

Knee-jerk reactions are common. But how many times since 2004 has the manager been right? The percentage is pretty high.

That's because he knows his personnel better than any of us. Go ahead and question away, but for the most part Francona is correct. He felt Ramírez would benefit from two restful days. Many believe a player can lose momentum when he is taken out of a rhythm, but in reality that rarely happens.

In Ramírez's case, if you don't sit him every now and then, he'll sit himself, so why not pick your spots? Why not rest him against a second-division team and save him for the big guys in town tonight?

Francona would never show a lack of respect for the opponent or divulge that was his thinking, but it makes sense that you rest your best players against poorer teams.

When Francona walked into the clubhouse yesterday morning he knew Varitek had left the night before sick as a dog. He was waiting on whether Coco Crisp finally could get his sore legs out on the field and the answer was no. Francona easily could have changed his plans and told Manny, "We're shorthanded, you're playing." But instead, he thought Thurston would provide some energy for the team because of his enthusiasm.

"It was a good series for us to test our depth," said general manager Theo Epstein. "I felt that our depth would be tested maybe later in the season, but it's been tested right off the bat and we've responded very well to it.

"We had a tough start to the season with the long trip to Japan and the games in Oakland and Toronto, and there was the potential for our team to struggle out of the gate. But we've played well. We've done a good job overcoming some obstacles."

The start reinforces the thoroughness of the Sox' operation. They took great care in mapping out ways to reduce the physical and mental stress of the Japan trip. Their plan to return to the West Coast after Japan rather than come all the way back to Florida, as the Yankees had in 2004, seemed to work wonders in reducing wear and tear. While players like David Ortiz and Varitek felt it at the start, both now have shaken off early cobwebs.

"It's not always perfect," said Francona. "You get banged up, or sick, and things happen, but we played a good game. On a day when you start at 11 a.m. and you want a lot of energy, our guys did that.

"With Gabby having to leave because his back was stiff, that doesn't help them. We got into their bullpen and they got into situations where they have to leave guys out there, but we took advantage of it."

Some of the Sox' depth has come from the farm system, which was the hope. The late Haywood Sullivan's philosophy was that every five years you should be able to replace your current starters with prospects. The Sox appear headed in that direction.

"I don't think there's any trepidation on ever playing these young kids," said Francona. "They bring some enthusiasm. It's kind of fun. They've been prepared well for when they get here. There are a lot of people included in that.

"They know how to act and they know how to play and it's kind of fun. Believe me, we'll be thrilled when Mikey Lowell comes back, but in the meantime having some of these guys do some of the things they're doing is only going to help us down the road, and it seems to be helping us in the present."

The strong start is only reinforced by the fact that the Yankees' situation could implode. Already Hank Steinbrenner is talking about Joba Chamberlain and his 100-mile-per-hour fastball being in the rotation and called anyone who didn't see that "an idiot."

Well, his GM, Brian Cashman, said there were no plans to take Chamberlain out of his setup role right now. The Yankees are 10-10 and young Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy are struggling in the rotation. In Toronto, the Blue Jays just released 39-year-old designated hitter Frank Thomas. And who really believes Baltimore will remain one of the best teams in baseball?

While other teams haven't met their depth challenges, the Red Sox so far have conquered theirs fairly well. There will be more along the way; as the months pass, the challenge becomes greater. So far, so good.

Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com.