G33: Red Sox 4, Angels 3

Red Sox - 010 000 021 - 4  8  2
Angels  - 100 100 100 - 3  6  0

The night owls were rewarded with a win (at 1:27 AM) as the Red Sox tied the game in the eighth and Jason Varitek doubled home J.D. Drew in the top of the ninth for what turned out to be the winning run.

Boston trailed 3-1 after seven innings (the one run was a Drew dong to center). Facing Jose Arredondo, Varitek popped to shortstop, but Nick Green and Jacoby Ellsbury singled and Julio Lugo walked. Bases loaded. Exit Arredondo, enter Darren Oliver. David Ortiz fell behind 1-2, then was hit on the left wrist, forcing home a run. Oliver turned things over to Scot Shields and Jason Bay tied the game with a grounder to second.

In the Los Angeles eighth, Ramon Ramirez (aka Pedro) was forced to deal with a base runner thanks to an inning-opening fielding error by Lugo, but Ram-Ram left the runner on second.

In the ninth, Drew singled to left-center off Shields (on an 0-2 pitch). After Jeff Bailey lined out to center (Torii Hunter's 8th putout of the night), Varitek doubled to the gap in right-center, giving Boston its first lead of the game. Jonathan Papelbon walked Bobby Abreu with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but then fanned Hunter to save the win.

Earlier: Roy Halladay and the Blue Jays defeated the Yankees 5-1, so New York drops to 6.5 GB, while Boston remains 1 GB.

Before the game, Kevin Youkilis was put on the disabled list, retroactive to May 5. Gil Velazquez was called up.

***

Justin Masterson (5.28, 94 ERA+) / Jered Weaver (2.66, 181 ERA+)

After playing on 17 consecutive days (and going 11-6), the Red Sox rested in Anaheim on Monday before beginning their second (and last) west coast trip of the regular season tonight. This weekend's series against the Mariners is their only visit to Seattle.

Kevin Youkilis may return to the lineup tonight; he last played on Monday, May 4. Dustin Pedroia (strained groin) will likely not play.

MLB.com:

Weaver is coming off his first career complete game last Thursday, when he limited the explosive Blue Jays to one run and three hits while striking out eight. Weaver faced just three batters over the minimum, tying up hitters with a slider he said was as good as he's ever had during the course of a game. ... Weaver beat the Red Sox in his season debut at home on April 10, holding them to one unearned run in 6.2 innings while striking out eight and walking two.

In his last 8.2 innings of work, Hideki Okajima has allowed only three hits and no runs (six appearances), with 10 strikeouts. Terry Francona:

He's locating the fastball, both sides of the plate, to both types of hitters. [Sunday] he threw a great split. He's real confident in his command right now. If he falls behind he still throws the ball to the location he wants to - that 87 or 88 looks a lot harder. It's a lot of swings and misses.

AAA: Pawtucket collected 20 hits and beat Columbus 9-1. Michael Bowden allowed one earned run in 7.1 inning -- and his ERA went up, to 1.06. ... On Sunday, Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched four shutout innings (58 pitches), allowing four hits and two walks; he had no strikeouts.

***

The first-place Blue Jays host the Yankees at 7 PM: Burnett/Halladay. ...
If you watched YES, you would have no idea that Alex Rodriguez was mixed up with that silly steroids nonsense and would naturally assume that every single baseball fan -- even those on the road -- is cheering his return. P.S. Michael Kay is still loathsome.