Ellsbury hasn't hit on a solution

There's almost a retro vibe in the Red Sox outfield. While last postseason the call was for Jacoby Ellsbury to replace Coco Crisp in center field, this season it might become the other way around.

Because, while his 0 for 3 yesterday wasn't quite as bad as his 0 for 6 Saturday night, it still left Ellsbury hitless in his last 20 at-bats, including all 14 in the American League Championship Series.

He did hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh to score Jason Varitek with the Sox' only run.

"I thought I took some good swings at balls today, fortunately got them in the air," Ellsbury said. "That's the way it goes sometimes, you hope it doesn't happen in the postseason. Just not getting hits. Today I felt like I swung the bat, put good swings on balls. That's the way it goes."

Asked if he were getting frustrated, he said, "If you're rolling over and hitting little doinkers, that's another thing. It's a seven-game series. If you start to get down now, it's too late. That's why it's a seven-game series."

Before the game, manager Terry Francona addressed his decision to stick with Ellsbury in the leadoff spot, bringing up the Crisp idea on his own. Crisp, in limited duty this postseason, has four hits in 10 at-bats, with two doubles and two runs. He also has a walk and a stolen base.

"As long as I think we're a better team with [Ellsbury] hitting first, I'll do it," Francona said. "He had a tough game the other night, so did a couple guys. But I don't know that because a guy has a tough game or two you necessarily change the batting order. If there's a place and time when I think we're a better team doing something else, I would do it.

"I mean, last year we played Coco and then we didn't play Coco when I felt it was time to make a change. I don't know that just moving a guy cause he hasn't gotten hits makes us better."

Not taking advantage

It isn't as if the Sox haven't had their chances over the last two games, leaving 13 on base in Game 2 and another eight on in Game 3. That's 21 in two games. Compare that with the clutch hitting of the Rays, who have left just 11 runners on the past two games. The Sox have had 32 baserunners, while the Rays have had 31 . . . When Paul Byrd relieved Jon Lester in the sixth inning, it wasn't exactly where he might have done his best work. With questions still raining down on Francona regarding his decision not to bring Byrd into Saturday's Game 2, Byrd finally entered the postseason fray. While Byrd got out of the sixth, he gave up a three-run homer to Rocco Baldelli in the eighth and a solo shot to Carlos Peña in the ninth. It was his first relief appearance since Game 5 of the 2004 NLCS . . . Francona elected to go with Alex Cora at shortstop instead of Jed Lowrie with the Rays throwing Matt Garza. The manager likened it to using Cora against Ervin Santana in Game 2 of the Division Series. "Kind of the power righty, seems like it's been more of a fit for Alex," Francona said. "I anticipate Jed being right back in there tomorrow. Sometimes you have different ways of being a good team. Just try to do what's best for the ball club, but we will always make sure that Jed knows, when he goes out today to take his grounders, he's not being punished."

End of a streak

Before Lester allowed a three-run homer to B.J. Upton in the third inning, he had gone 16 consecutive innings in ALCS play without allowing an earned run. Lester had thrown 24 2/3 consecutive scoreless postseason innings going back to Game 2 of the 2007 ALCS . . . Kevin Youkilis went 0 for 4, ending his ALCS hitting streak at nine games . . . There were boos directed at slumping catcher Jason Varitek after he fouled to first in the fourth . . . Since the ALCS became a best-of-seven series in 1985, 13 of the 18 teams to take a 2-1 lead in the series have gone on to win.