Francona: Opportunities lacking

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The limitations within the Red Sox lineup caught up to manager Terry Francona last night.

Francona found himself in the uncomfortable position of trying to create runs. It was a stark contrast to last fall, when the Red Sox slugged their way to the World Series title.

This year, it did not end well for Francona and the Sox. They managed only three hits in a 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series at Tropicana Field. Francona's two calculated attempts to create something out of little turned into an inning-ending double play and an inning-ending strikeout.

"You're not going to win many Game 7's when you score only one run," hitting coach Dave Magadan said.

The Red Sox averaged only 4.2 runs in 11 games this postseason. A year ago, they averaged 7.1 runs during their 14-game playoff romp.

Dustin Pedroia put the Sox up, 1-0, with a first-inning homer on a changeup from Matt Garza. That may have been the worst thing to happen to the Sox. Garza junked the changeup and went to his power game.

He had trouble only with Pedroia: hitting him with a pitch in the third and walking him to end an 11-pitch battle in the sixth. After Pedroia stole second following his HBP, Garza escaped the inning by blowing a 94-mile-per-hour fastball past David Ortiz.

That put Ortiz at 2 for 14 lifetime against Garza, with seven strikeouts. Francona nonetheless decided in the sixth to gamble that Ortiz could put the ball in play. With Pedroia on first and one out, Garza reached a full count on Ortiz on his 24th pitch of the inning. Francona risked a strikeout-throw out double play by starting Pedroia on the pitch.

Garza again threw a 94-mile-per-hour fastball past Ortiz, and Pedroia was caught stealing by about 3 feet.

"We have a chance to go from first to third," Francona said. "There weren't a whole lot of opportunities to run. That was one I thought was in our favor, and it didn't work."

Trailing, 2-1, in the seventh, the Sox put runners at first and second with one out. Rays manager Joe Maddon seemed ready to pull Garza but stayed with him after a pep talk on the mound.

Mark Kotsay, who went 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position this postseason, flied to right. That brought up Jason Varitek.

On Saturday night, Varitek ended an 0-for-15 slump with a stunning homer against righthander James Shields to put the Red Sox ahead. Varitek, a switch-hitter, went into that at-bat with only two singles in 23 at-bats against righthanders this postseason.

Varitek homered on a subpar 89-mile-per-hour fastball. Garza was working with a better and wider variety of pitches than Shields. Garza had frozen Varitek on a curveball for a called strike three in the second and got him to ground out on a 93-mile-per-hour fastball in the fifth.

Francona nonetheless stayed with Varitek in the seventh. Varitek said he missed two juicy pitches before chasing a slider in the dirt for the inning-ending strikeout.

Maddon had two relievers ready: lefthander Trever Miller and righthander Grant Balfour. Francona felt more comfortable with Varitek against Garza than a pinch-hitter from a thin bench against a reliever.

"They've got double-barrel in the bullpen," Francona said. "We're going to end up with a matchup that doesn't work."

Francona also let Varitek bat as the tying run in the ninth against lefthander David Price. This time, Francona had no viable alternative. His best bats on the bench were lefthanded hitters: Jacoby Ellsbury and Sean Casey.

Varitek struck out. The manager always looks bad when that happens.