Hardball Heaven

Is this guy a freak of nature or what? Big Papi again delivered in the clutch last night, smashing a three-run homer in the bottom of the 9th to beat the Indians 9-6. Absolutely incredible. He also hit another home run early in the game, and now has a major league-leading 37 to go along with 105 RBI's.

Papi's blast rescued David Wells, who for all intents and purposes made his rehab start last night against major league hitters. Wells has always been reluctant to do his rehab work in the minors, and last night's lucky winner was Indians OF Casey Blake, who hit two homers off Wells. Boomer's final line: 4 2/3, 8 hits, 8 runs. Manny and Wily Mo also went deep, and Kyle Snyder pitched quite effectively in middle relief. Allow me to give myself a little pat on the back, as I wrote these words a couple days ago: "Snyder has started out well in each of his starts, and then he usually blows up in the 4th or 5th inning. Put 'em in there for a few innings if a starter has a short outing." I know, I'm just plain brilliant.

The dramatic win came with a cost, however, and today we'll know how high that cost is. Jason Varitek pulled up lame after rounding second base, and left the game with what was called a knee sprain. He'll undergo a battery of tests today to see what's wrong. Fingers crossed for the Captain.

The other big news yesterday was the Sox ultimately not making a big move at the trading deadline. Today's Globe reports that they were very close to acquiring a Houston fireballer (no, not that one.)

Tonight's game has C.C. Sabathia going for the Tribe against (gulp) Jason Johnson, who was called up to pitch in place of Snyder. The Yanks and Jays start their series in the Bronx. A.J. Burnett vs. Jaret Wright. The lead is 1. (Boston.com photo)