On final push, Papelbon pulled through
The Red Sox had gone through two relievers yesterday who couldn’t hold a lead. It was uncharacteristic - statistically, the Sox have the best bullpen in baseball - but not implausible. Tied entering the ninth tied, it was time to give Jonathan Papelbon a try.
The bullpen might fail on occasion, but it seems Papelbon struggles only when he feels he can get away with it. That was true yesterday. Papelbon struck out Matt Diaz with a high fastball to get out of a self-created, bases-loaded jam. On the first pitch in the bottom half, Nick Green wrapped a home run around Pesky’s Pole and Papelbon and the Sox walked off with a 6-5 win.
“It’s been tough for me lately,’’ said Papelbon. “I haven’t been pitching in a routine. It’s been a long weekend. I’ve been grinding and grinding.’’
Papelbon had pitched only twice in the last seven games. He hasn’t had a save opportunity in 10 days. On Saturday, he warmed up to potentially relieve Josh Beckett, but Beckett finished the game.
“It’s been a roller coaster for me,’’ said Papelbon. “To get up and down, not really throwing, not pitching three days prior to this - it takes you out of your routine. And athletes are so routine-oriented.’’
Papelbon said several times that he wasn’t complaining or making excuses, that it was part of the game, that there are stretches like this in such a long season.
The emotional fatigue did show in parts of the ninth inning yesterday. He walked Nate McLouth with one out. Two pitches later, Yunel Escobar singled, and the go-ahead run was in scoring position.
Papelbon said he was trying to shake the cobwebs, and trying to work the cold out of himself.
“It’s hard to sit in the rain the whole time, in that bad weather, and then get up,’’ he said. “It’s not an excuse to walk hitters, but you feel weird. It’s hard.’’
The inconsistency, falling behind in counts, dealing with runners in scoring position - Papelbon admitted those things might have gotten to him earlier in his career.
“It says as much as anything that I was able to grind my way out of it,’’ he said. “There’s satisfaction in that.’’
It wasn’t easy. With runners on first and second, Kelly Johnson reached on a fielder’s choice to first baseman Mark Kotsay, sending McLouth to third. Brian McCann, who had driven in two runs with a first-inning double, walked on five pitches, loading the bases. But Papelbon got Diaz to chase a high fastball to get out of the jam.
Manager Terry Francona saw nothing different from Papelbon than his usual resolve in an unwieldy situation.
“It was a tough inning with a lot of good hitters coming to the plate, and he made some real good pitches,’’ he said. “That last at-bat with Diaz was a real good sequence.’’
Papelbon challenged Diaz with five fastballs. Diaz looked at two of them, fouled two off, and swung late at the last one.
Papelbon may not be very confident right now, but he’s still fooling them most of the time.
Ben Collins can be reached at bcollins@globe.com 
