Chances aplenty

By Eric Wilbur

May 23, 2006

2 minutes to read

The Red Sox couldn’t break through against Jaret Wright, a guy they have historically owned, but who escaped a couple of sticky situations without any damage. However, they did get to the New York bullpen, to the tune of five runs over the final four innings. Silver linings and all.

“We kept at it and we made them use their bullpen,” Terry Francona said after his team fell to the Yankees, 7-5, in game two of this three-game series. “Who knows, maybe we win a game tomorrow because of that. I hope so.”

The Red Sox had their chances in this one. Plenty of them. But they batted just 3 for 15 with runners in scoring position, stranding runners on second and/or third in the first, second, fourth, sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. Did we mention Jaret Wright started this contest for the Bombers?

Tim Wakefield walked five batters on the night, but it was the two to Derek Jeter and Gary Sheffield that really hurt him in the seventh inning. Alex Rodriguez followed with a three-run bomb over the Monster that turned out to be the difference in the game.

“It was big at the time,” Yankees manager Joe Torre said. “You know this ballpark. You know, five, six runs you’re not comfortable with, but Alex’s home run was huge. I think it was huge for him.”

In Wakefield’s six losses this season, the Red Sox have scored four runs during his 40 innings of work, an average of one run every 10 innings.

Coco Crisp will work out once again with the Red Sox tomorrow afternoon at Fenway Park before heading to Florida, where he will begin a rehab assignment, Francona said after the game. He’ll play a pair of games at Fort Myers, with the plan to lead off every inning, hopefully getting him, 10-15 at-bats.

On Saturday, he’ll play at Pawtucket and be reevaluated there.

“The decision on Sunday is he’ll either play again Sunday or come back and work out with us and go with us,” Francona said. “That’s to be determined depending on the at-bats, how he feels, things like that.”

Francona said Crisp playing for Boston Sunday was not an option.

Manny Ramirez is heating up in a big way. He’s 5 for 8 with two homers in his last two games since a 4 for 27 slide in his previous eight games. Ramirez is hitting .455 in six games against the Yankees this season.