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The Boston Red Sox Sunday, September 4, 2011 * The Boston Globe A grandiose win for Red Sox Peter Abraham For a few minutes yesterday afternoon, everything was as it was supposed to be for Carl Crawford. He sent a grand slam sailing into the stands in right field at Fenway Park in the fourth inning and arrived at the plate to hand slaps and hugs from teammates Adrian Gonzalez, David Ortiz, and Mike Aviles. As the sold-out crowd cheered and some even chanted his name, Crawford walked back to the dugout smiling. His shot helped propel the Sox to a 12-7 victory against the Texas Rangers. ―That‘s the guy we used to play against. He changes a game just like that,‘‘ Ortiz said, smacking his hands together for emphasis. ―One swing, look what it did.‘‘ But even a grand slam can only change the statistics slightly at this point in the season. Crawford is hitting .252 with 11 home runs and 52 RBIs. After stealing 47 bases last season, he has 17 this year. His .690 OPS is a whopping 161 points less than it was in 2010. Whatever personal goals Crawford may have had when the Sox signed him to a lucrative seven-year deal last winter won‘t be attained. That contract has sat on his shoulders like an anvil from the first day of spring training. ―I don‘t look at the numbers,‘‘ Crawford said. ―I guess when [the media] reminds me, then I know. But other that that, I just try to take each new day as it comes. That‘s my approach.‘‘ Still, that one swing was a reminder of just how much impact Crawford can have on the Sox in the 24 games remaining in the regular season and particularly in the playoff games that will follow. World Series trophies have a way of outshining the dullest of statistics. ―How many times do you see it? A guy gets hot at the right time and just carries a team,‘‘ Dustin Pedroia said. ―Carl can do that.‘‘ That‘s the message Terry Francona has been preaching. ―It would be nice to see him string it together,‘‘ the manager said. ―He can do that. That‘s what we‘ve been saying the whole way. If his batting average at the end of the season is a little short of what expectations were, that doesn‘t mean he can‘t be a force like he was today.‘‘ A day after losing 10-0 and being held to two hits, the Sox battered six Texas pitchers for 16 hits, six for extra bases. Rookie Josh Reddick had four hits, his career high. Erik Bedard (5-9) was the beneficiary of the run support as he won his first game with the Sox in six attempts, going six innings and allowing three runs. ―It‘s nice,‘‘ he said. ―At the end of the day, it‘s for the team. If we win the game and I pitch good and we play good, that‘s all that counts.‘‘ With the Yankees beating Toronto, the Sox remain a half-game out of first place in the American League East. They will try to take the series this afternoon with John Lackey facing Matt Harrison. Bedard had a tough start, giving up three runs on five hits and three walks in the first four innings. Two unassisted double plays by Gonzalez, one on a suicide squeeze to end the fourth inning, may have saved the lefthander from an early exit. Trailing, 3-1, Bedard watched his teammates make his day much easier as they scored eight runs in the fourth inning. Texas starter Colby Lewis (11-10) allowed a single by Reddick before Jarrod Saltalamacchia drove a home run into the stands in right field. It was his 14th of the season and his second against Texas, his former team. With one out, Pedroia singled. With Gonzalez 6 for 7 against Lewis in his career, Texas manager Ron Washington called in Yoshinori Tateyama. Good intentions led to bad results as, following a passed ball, Gonzalez was given a free pass. After a wild pitch with two outs, Ortiz was intentionally walked to load the bases. Aviles hit for an ailing Jed Lowrie (tight left shoulder) and lined an RBI single to right field. Crawford then hammered a hanging changeup over the fence in right for his fourth career grand slam. That gave the Sox an 8-3 lead. ―You hit a grand slam it definitely helps your confidence,‘‘ Crawford said. ―You‘re hoping that‘s something that can get you going.‘‘ The next reliever, Merkin Valdez, allowed consecutives singles by Reddick, Saltalamacchia, and Jacoby Ellsbury as the Sox added another run. Six of the eight runs scored with two outs, The offense stayed hot in the sixth inning against rookie righthander Mark Hamburger. Crawford doubled to center before Reddick singled. Ellsbury then walked to load the bases for Pedroia with two outs. As always, he swung as hard as he could at a fastball and lined it to straightaway center. The ball banged off the wall and three runs scored. Those three runs helped offset the four runs allowed by Sox relievers Dan Wheeler and Franklin Morales later in the game. ―Everybody went home happy today,‘‘ Crawford said as he walked out of the clubhouse. ―It feels good to be part of that.‘‘ Bedard is finally over hump Frank Dell‘Apa It took a month for Erik Bedard to earn his first victory with the Red Sox. But it also took that long for the Sox to produce enough runs to provide Bedard with a comfortable margin for error. In Bedard‘s first five starts for the Sox dating to Aug. 4, he recorded a 3.46 ERA. Since 1919, no Sox starter had been winless in his first five starts with an ERA that low. In those five games, the Sox produced a total of 11 runs. But they surpassed that in six innings in a 12-7 win over the Texas Rangers yesterday. ―It was great putting 12 on the board, it makes it easier on the pitcher,‘‘ Bedard said. ―You‘re not going to quiet this offense for long. It‘s a matter of time before they score a lot of runs - and they did.‘‘ This did not start out as the most efficient of Bedard outings. The Rangers held a 3-1 lead and Yorvit Torrealba doubled to lead off the fourth. But David Murphy grounded out and Adrian Gonzalez grabbed a popped-up bunt by Craig Gentry, tagging Torrealba for a double play. The Sox scored eight times in the fourth inning, matching the run production Bedard had gained in 21 innings in four previous starts dating to Aug. 9. But Bedard was on the verge of trouble in each of the first four innings, rescued by the combination of his own resourcefulness and the fielding of Gonzalez. ―It starts out they‘re scoring and he‘s able to stop it,‘‘ Sox manager Terry Francona said of Bedard. ―And we had the big inning and the game completely turned around.‘‘ Gonzalez also had an unassisted double play in the opening inning. ―That got [Bedard] an extra inning,‘‘ Francona said. ―First and third and one out and all of a sudden we‘re coming off the field one pitch later.‘‘ Francona noted Bedard‘s difficulties have related to recovering from a knee sprain. ―There is some soreness and instability in there, so he ends up throwing with his arm instead of [using] his legs,‘‘ Francona said. Bedard believed in the inevitability of the Sox to provide support. And it also seemed like a matter of time before Bedard would get a victory against Texas - he had failed in eight previous starts against the Rangers with a record of 0-3 and an ERA of 4.23. ―I threw a lot of pitches the first couple innings,‘‘ Bedard said. ―I just kept battling and throwing strikes and trying to keep the ball down, and eventually I did. ―I was missing with my fastball early, but as the game went on I got better and better.‘‘ Whether Bedard was taking his time getting warmed up, or he was inspired by the Sox offense, the last two innings of his six-inning stint were spectacular. Facing the top of the Rangers‘ lineup, Bedard struck out four and did not allow a hit in the fifth and sixth innings. But Bedard is still finding his comfort zone with the Red Sox and working on not getting his signals crossed with his catchers. ―It‘s a problem,‘‘ Bedard said. ―But as [Jarrod Saltalamacchia] gets to know me, it gradually gets better every day.‘‘ Albers gets mechanical Peter Abraham The first four months of this season were a joy for Matt Albers. As the Red Sox climbed into first place, he was a reliable reliever in the late innings. ―I‘ve never really experienced that before,‘‘ said the 28-year-old righthander, who played with the Astros and Orioles before signing with the Sox as a free agent. ―It was a lot of fun.‘‘ But since Aug. 1, Albers has fallen into a hole. In 12 appearances, he has allowed 19 runs on 21 hits and 8 walks over 12 2/3 innings. His earned run average, once 2.09, sits at 4.69. Albers pitched one inning in Friday night‘s 10-0 loss against Texas and gave up three runs. ―He had a bad, tough time,‘‘ manager Terry Francona said.

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