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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – Manny Ramirez homered twice, went
3-for-5 and boosted his batting average to .415. Yet, he still
doesn't feel he's settled into a groove for the Boston Red Sox.
|  | | Carl Everett connects for a three-run homer in the second inning. |
"I'm trying to be patient and get good pitches to hit and see
what happens," the slugger said after driving in three runs in the
Red Sox's 10-0 shutout of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Tuesday
night.
"It still doesn't feel that good at the plate. But I know it's
going to come along, so that's why I'm not worried about it. I've
still got a long way to go. I can't get a big head because I just
had a good night."
Ramirez hit a 451-foot, two-run homer off Travis Harper (0-2) in
the first inning and added a solo shot off Rusty Meacham in the
ninth. All three of his homers have come against the Devil Rays,
and 10 of his 16 RBI also have come against Tampa Bay.
"He's the one guy in that lineup you don't want to beat you,"
Tampa Bay manager Larry Rothschild said. "And he has."
Brian Daubach hit a two-run shot, his fifth, and Carl Everett
finished the early barrage against Harper with a three-run homer
that made it 7-0.
Right-hander Tomo Ohka (2-0) sailed from there, allowing seven
hits in seven innings. He struck out three and walked none as the
Red Sox, coming off a successful weekend in which they took three
of four from the New York Yankees, won for the ninth time in 11
games.
Reliever Rich Garces pitched two perfect innings, striking out
three, to finish the shutout before a crowd of 19,433.
"We know how tough Tampa Bay has been on us," said Boston
manager Jimy Williams, whose team is 4-0 against the Devil Rays
after going 6-6 against them last season. "With that
understanding, you know you're going to have to go out and play
well to win a game."
Troy O'Leary drove in Boston's sixth unearned run of the game
with a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
The Devil Rays, playing at home for the first time in 12 days,
were shut out for the third time and have been outscored 21-0 in
their last two games at Tropicana Field.
Tampa Bay lost seven of 10 games on a tumultuous 11-day road
trip in which one starter (second baseman Bobby Smith) was
designated for assignment, another (third baseman Vinny Castilla)
was benched and asked to be traded or released and a third (center
fielder Gerald Williams) was sat down for two days after a
confrontation with manager Larry Rothschild.
Returning home, where the team looked bad in dropping two of
three games in its season-opening series against Toronto, didn't
help.
Ramirez hit his first homer off the base of a metal post that
helps supports the roof of the domed stadium about 100 feet above
the playing surface.
The Red Sox added five unearned runs in the second after left
fielder Greg Vaughn dropped Daubach's routine fly ball in foul
territory for an error and the Boston first baseman hit his two-run
homer off Harper two pitches later.
"I blew it. I should have caught it. It would have made it a
lot easier for Harp," said Vaughn, adding that he didn't see the
ball until the last moment because he lost it in the lights.
"It was my fault. ... I'll take blame for today. If I catch that
ball, who knows how it would have turned out."
Harper walked Trot Nixon and gave up a double to Jose Offerman
before Everett's three-run homer made it 7-0.
Ohka, who started but did not get the decision in Boston's 10-4
victory over Tampa Bay at Fenway Park on April 6, limited the Devil
Rays to Steve Cox's double and Felix Martinez's infield hit through
four innings. Martinez and Russ Johnson singled in the fifth, but
Ohka got Williams to ground into a double play to end the threat.
Game notes
Harper has given up five homers in seven innings ... The
Devil Rays have allowed 24 unearned runs in 14 games, putting them
on pace to allow 277 in a 162-game season. The AL record is 123 by
Detroit in 1975. All but two of the unearned runs Tampa Bay has
allowed have come in their 10 losses ... Ramirez has nine homers
and 34 RBI in 120 career at-bats against the Devil Rays ... Ten of
Daubach's 12 hits this seasons have been for extra bases.
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RECAPS
Cleveland 8
Baltimore 1
Detroit 7
Chi. White Sox 4
Toronto 6
NY Yankees 5
Boston 10
Tampa Bay 0
Minnesota 6
Kansas City 5
Oakland 5
Anaheim 1
Seattle 6
Texas 4
Philadelphia 6
Chicago Cubs 3
Cincinnati 3
Milwaukee 2
Houston 0
Pittsburgh 0
NY Mets 4
Montreal 0
Florida 3
Atlanta 2
Arizona 17
St. Louis 4
Colorado 9
San Diego 5
San Francisco 3
Los Angeles 2
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