Wakefield helps Red Sox edge Rangers

Jun 30, 2007, 2:50 GMT

Boston, MA - Manny Ramirez was credited with driving in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the fifth inning, as Boston topped Texas, 2-1, in the opener of a four-game set at Fenway Park.

Tim Wakefield (8-8) allowed one run and seven hits over 6 2/3 innings, fanning four and walking four. Jonathan Papelbon held the Rangers at bay in his one inning of relief to earn his 19th save in 20 chances.

'It was one of those nights that I didn't have my best stuff but I felt like I made the pitches when I needed to make them and I was very fortunate,' Wakefield said.

J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell had two hits each for the Red Sox, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Kevin Youkilis and Ramirez each scored a run.

Jamey Wright (1-2) let up six hits and two runs over five-plus innings for Texas, with three strikeouts and three walks.

Jerry Hairston Jr. knocked in the lone run for the Rangers, who have dropped two in a row. Kenny Lofton was 4-for-4 with a walk and also stole four bases, Marlon Byrd collected a pair of doubles, and Adam Melhuse doubled and scored.

After the Rangers tied the game with a run in the top of the fifth, Dustin Pedroia walked with one out in the home half, then David Ortiz drew a free pass after Youkilis grounded into a force to erase Pedroia. A wild pitch put runners at second and third for Ramirez, who bounced a chopper back to the mound. The ball caromed off Wright's foot to third-baseman Ramon Vazquez, who put the tag on David Ortiz after Youkilis had already crossed home plate.

In the seventh, the Rangers put together a two-out rally. Wakefield yielded an infield single to Lofton, a stolen base, and a Hairston walk before exiting for Manny Delcarmen. He walked Michael Young, but recovered to strike out Sammy Sosa swinging to preserve the one-run lead.

Hideki Okajima pitched a scoreless eighth, then Papelbon worked out of trouble in the ninth to nail down the victory.

'We had some opportunities but they had a bunch of opportunities that they didn't cash in on either,' was Texas manager Ron Washington's assessment of the contest. 'We had some and we had the right people up there and we had to try to get it done with two outs, it's not that easy.'

The Sox took a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Wily Mo Pena beat an infield single to short which scored Ramirez.

Texas responded in the fifth as Melhuse doubled, moved to third on a Vazquez sacrifice, and scored on Hairston's sacrifice fly.

Game Notes

The Red Sox have won five of seven against Texas this season, including five straight...Boston has posted a 13-13 record in June after a 20-8 mark in May...Ortiz has not homered in his last 25 games at Fenway...Lofton's fourth steal gave him 619 career swipes, moving past George Davis for 16th on the all-time list. Otis Nixon is 15th with 620. Lofton had gone 25 games without a stolen base, and wound up stealing more bases in one game than any player this season...Papelbon has converted his last 11 save opportunities...The Rangers have not hit a home run in two straight games, after hitting at least one in nine consecutive games prior...Attendance was 36,756.

© 2007 The Sports Network

Game Notes

.