A rarity: Lugo gets an RBI

Single in second ends his drought

A pat on the head from Manny Ramírez is Kevin Youkilis's reward after his two-run homer in the seventh inning. (Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff)

It wasn't worth stopping the game for a ceremony, but it was notable nonetheless: Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo drove in a run last night. His second-inning single brought in Kevin Youkilis.

Lugo hadn't knocked in a run since May 22. It was his first RBI in 18 games, and just his 14th of the season, which puts him on pace to knock in 33 for the year. By this date last season, he had 34 RBIs, and he finished the season with 73, just two off his career best in 2004.

So, what's different this season, especially with Lugo beginning the night with a .267 average, compared with the .215 he was batting at this time last season?

It's not a matter of opportunity: Entering last night, Lugo had come to the plate with 79 runners in scoring position, or an average of 1.4 for each of the 58 games in which he has played. In 2007, he came up with 220 runners in scoring position in 147 games, an average of 1.5. That's a negligible difference (numbers courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com).

In 2007, Lugo was one of the team's better hitters with runners in scoring position, batting .277. He came into last night's game batting a team-worst .154 (8 for 52) with runners in scoring position, and had just one game in which he knocked in more than one run.

He had a chance to double that number last night, but grounded into a fielder's choice with runners at the corners and one out in the fourth.

An inning later, with Youkilis on first, he doubled, but Youkilis stopped at third.

Lugo began the night ranked 25th among qualifying shortstops in RBIs. Among those with fewer were Cesar Izturis (12), Troy Tulowitzki (11; injured), and Omar Vizquel (7).

Lugo also made his 13th error of the season in the eighth inning, giving him one more RBI than errors.

Varitek ailing
Jason Varitek sat out with what appears to be strep throat, according to manager Terry Francona. Come to think of it, the manager said, Varitek probably shouldn't have played Wednesday night, either, though no one was offering to give back his three-run, first-inning home run, the first from the right side this season by the switch-hitting catcher. "He had no business playing [Wednesday]," Francona said. "He hit a three-run homer and had a good game. Let the medication, hopefully, kick in. He should feel better [today]."

Kevin Cash started last night. Varitek was available in an emergency.

The avenger
Closer Jonathan Papelbon, in his weekly TV appearance on Comcast SportsNet that aired Wednesday night, evidently had revenge on his mind when he spoke about last week's brawl with the Tampa Bay Rays.

"In my opinion, it is a bunch of bull what they did," he said. "All I got to say is what comes around goes around. In my opinion, and the way I feel right now, this thing isn't all settled and done. We still got to play them a few more times, and I know when we go into Tropicana, things will be a little different than when we went in there last time."

The Sox play the Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla., in a three-game set beginning June 30. Rest assured, the umpiring crew will be meeting with the managers before this one to warn both clubs that a resumption of hostilities might not be such a good idea.

Last week's brawl resulted in eight suspensions, three for the Sox. Jon Lester served his suspension; Coco Crisp and Sean Casey have appealed.

At home in Cincinnati
Homecomings galore when the Sox go to Cincinnati. Youkilis starred at the University of Cincinnati, where he was a two-time All-American and holds the school record for home runs. Casey played eight seasons for the Reds, hit .332 in 1999, and cemented his reputation there as "the Mayor." Casey will get the nod tonight at first base over Youkilis against Reds ace Aaron Harang, Francona said. Tonight's starting pitcher for the Sox, Justin Masterson, went to high school in Beavercreek, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton, in the middle of Reds territory. And Francona spent a miserable 1987 there, hitting a career-low .227. Asked if the artificial surface at old Riverfront Stadium was tough on his knees, Francona said, "I didn't play much. The bench was hard. Bergy - Bill Bergesch, the general manager - pulled me aside. We had finished that season in San Diego, and we took the red-eye home. Bergy says to me, 'You know, you weren't that [bad].' The next day, he was fired." Francona was released after the season . . . Daisuke Matsuzaka (strained rotator cuff) will go with the team to Cincinnati, where he is scheduled to throw a side session tonight. Beyond that, Francona is unwilling to commit publicly, though Matsuzaka's next step will be to face hitters, either in a simulated game (a good guess) or a minor league rehab assignment . . . A road trip might do wonders for Dustin Pedroia: He went 2 for 26 on the homestand, and was hitless in four at-bats last night . . . David Ortiz, who will stay in Boston to rehab rather than accompany the team to Cincinnati and Philadelphia, said he doesn't know if he'll still be involved in an advertising promotion in which a fan was supposed to get a chance to "call a shot" for Ortiz at the All-Star Home Run Derby. State Farm, which is promoting the event, no longer is using him in its online advertising. The ads now read, "Tell a couple MLB sluggers where to hit one," and said the contest winner will call a shot for the derby finalists . . . Former Sox fan favorite Kevin Millar left the game in the second after fouling a ball off his left knee. X-rays were negative; Millar had a bruise, according to a press box announcement . . . J.D. Drew extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a fifth-inning double, and homered, his 10th, in the eighth.