G113: Red Sox 16, Rangers 5

The Yankees lost to Chicago 2-1 in 10 innings in the afternoon, so Boston began the evening with a five-game lead in the East.

Rangers 1st: The newly-cornrowed Arroyo shows a nice bite on his breaking pitches and retires Texas in order on 13 pitches -- three fly balls to Damon in center. When will Varitek stop the stand-up-out-of-the-crouch on a potential strike three? It never works. Just because Tek will chase chin-high fastballs with two strikes doesn't mean anyone else will.

Red Sox 1st: Rogers, booed as he takes the hill, retires the Sox in order, also on 13 pitches. Ortiz ends the inning by drilling the ball right back at Rogers's mid-section, but he recovers and makes the throw to first.

Rangers 2nd: Three up and three down. Blalock pops to Mueller in short left. Soriano smacks one to deep right-center, but Kapler sprints over and grabs it on the track. Nevin strikes out.

Red Sox 2nd: Back from commercial and Rogers is still warming up. Texas pitching coach Orel Hershiser is talking with an umpire. Perhaps Rogers was hurt by Tiz's line drive? ... He seems fine and stays in. Rogers starts Manny off with a few off-speed pitches, then strikes him out with an 88 mph inside fastball. Varitek grounds out to second. Millar looks weak on a three-pitch strikeout. No baserunners for either side through two innings.

Rangers 3rd: I jinx the perfecto as Pumpkinhead Mench doubles into the left field corner on the first pitch. Matthews follows with a deep drive (also on the first pitch) that hits off the top of the low bullpen fence in right field for a double. Kapler throws the ball in to Millar, who hesitates before throwing home, and Mench scores. It's hard to say if a quick throw would have been in time. Texas 1-0. Matthews takes third on Alomar's grounder to the mound, but he has to hold when Dellucci flies to short right -- Kapler makes a nice throw home. Young grounds to third.

Red Sox 3rd: With two outs, Kapler homers just over the red line on the Monster. It is called a double, however, and Tito comes out to discuss. Fans on the Wall are all circling their fingers. The four umps get together and decide ..... double. The replay shows the ball clearly landed beyond the Wall -- it hits the Wall and bounces up. Trot Nixon -- who is on the DL, but must have been in the clubhouse watching the replay on TV -- appears in the dugout yelling and gesturing sarcastically at the umps and is ejected. Damon lines out to second. The game should be tied at 1-1, but it's not.

Rangers 4th: 3-4-5 hitters. Teixeira hit an opposite-field single to left. Blalock singles to center, but he's out trying to stretch it into a double, Damon to Graffanino. Teixeira takes third. Soriano pops out to Graffy in short center and Nevin grounds to short. Inning over. (NESN shows George Bush throwing out the first pitch to his wife Barbara, who is having an 80th birthday or something. They can both eat a loaf of shit.)

Red Sox 4th: Edgar starts things off with a single through the infield into left field. Ortiz follows with a ground single past the shift to right. Manny just kills a 1-1 pitch, blasting it way over the Monster onto Landsdowne Street. The umps can't call that a double, so it-s 3-1. HR #32 and 107 RBI for Manny. Millar beats out a grounder to short, as Teixeira is pulled off the bag and Millar slides in head-first. Graffanino belts a ball off the scoreboard for a double, Millar heads to third. Mueller singles to right, Millar scores. Sveum is also waving Graffanino in, but Tony doesn't see him and stops. Brocail up in the Rangers pen. Kapler grounds out to third -- Blalock had time to go home but chooses not to -- and another run scores. Boston 5-1.

Rangers 5th: Arroyo gets the Rangers in order on eight pitches and Rogers is quickly sent back out to the hill.

Red Sox 5th: Edgar K. Ortiz K. Manny walks - Rogers's first BB. And Varitek grounds out to second.

Rangers 6th: Arroyo mimics Rogers. After two strikeouts, he walks Teixeira. Blalock, against the shift, grounds to the left side. Mueller ranges to his right, but has no play, 1st and 2nd with 2 out. Soriano strikes out, still unable (after all these years) to lay off breaking stuff outside.

Red Sox 6th: Brocail relieves Rogers. Mueller singles with two outs and Kapler walks on four pitches, but Damon grounds out.

Rangers 7th: Arroyo gets a 1-2-3 inning: Nevin flies to right, Mench foul pops to first and Matthews grounds to second.

Red Sox 7th: Renteria doubles to left-center. He heads to third on Ortiz's grounder. Ramirez (ccbfbfbfff) walks on 11 pitches, after flicking several fastballs down the right field line. Varitek also works a walk -- on nine pitches; ball four is a wild pitch and Edgar scores. Karsay comes in to face Millar, who bloops a single to short right. It falls in and the bases are loaded for Graffanino. Tony grounds to third. Millar slides early into second, anticipating a force play, but Soriano drops the ball. Millar then dives forward towards the bag, but Soriano recovers in time for the out. Manny scores on the play and it's 7-1.

Rangers 8th: Arroyo starts the inning, but back-to-back doubles bring in Texas's second run. Of their seven hits so far, four are doubles. Myers gets loose. Young flies out to right. Will Tito bring in Myers for Teixeira and Blalock? ... No. Arroyo hits Teixeira, who makes no effort to get out of the way, in the shoulder. Arroyo is pulled, he gets a nice hand, tips his cap. Myers in and Bradford up. Blalock doubles to left towards the corner. Sox's lead is now 7-3. Myers out, Bradford in, Timlin up. Soriano falls behind 0-2, chasing pitches way outside, but battles back to a full count and singles to left field. Teixeira scores, it's 7-4 and Nevin is the tying run at the plate. Bradford gets a grounder to third, but Blalock scores and it's 7-5. Timlin comes in and gets Mench to line out to Manny in shallow left. Nice running, back-handed grab by Ramirez.

Red Sox 8th: Kapler beats out an infield hit to shortstop, as Young sidearm-slings the ball too late. Shouse in. Damon (13-game hitting streak on the line) bloop a single to left-center, Matthews throws wild to third, the pitcher bobbles the ball in foul territory and Damon takes second. Renteria singles to left and Kapler scores. Ortiz hits a sac fly to center and it's 8-5. Gryboski in. Manny rips a single into the left field corner, Renteria goes to third and Manny takes second on the throw in. Varitek is walked intentionally to load the bases for Millar. ... In the Sox pen, Schilling sits down and Delcarmen gets up. ... Millar is 4-for-4 against Gryboski, but he pops the first pitch to second. Boooooo.
Graffanino doubles towards the right field corner, two runs score, and Manny does a little dance right after he crosses the plate. Boston 11-5. Mueller walks on five pitches and the bases are reloaded for Kapler. Gryboski hits him and forces in a run, then he walks Damon, and forces in another run. 13-5. Renteria flies to Matthews in right center, but the ball hits off his glove and three runs score. Nine runs in the inning and Boston leads 16-5.

Rangers 9th: Delcarmen in. Matthews gets a leadoff single to left, but Little Manny strikes out pinch-hitter DeRosa, gets Dellucci to hit into a force play, and then strikes out another pinch-hitter, McDougall, on a high fastball.

The Red Sox have won their last 11 home games and they lead the East by 5.5 games.