J D Drew

J.D. Drew had two hits, including an eighth-inning double that put David Ortiz in position to score the tiebreaking run, and the Boston Red Sox rallied from a pair of deficits to beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-5, on Friday night. Toronto led 3-0 and 5-3 on two more home runs against struggling Red Sox starter Josh Beckett, but twice Boston came back to tie it. Toronto shortstop Marco Scutaro left after being hit in the head by a pitch from Beckett in the fourth inning. The Blue Jays said Scutaro had no symptoms other than a bruise.

at Detroit 5, Chicago 3: Ryan Raburn had two homers, Magglio Ordonez went 4-for-4 and Justin Verlander pitched into the eighth inning. New York 10, at Tampa Bay 2: Alex Rodriguez hit a three-run home run and a grand slam in a 10-run sixth. at Boston 12, Cleveland 7: Jed Lowrie hit his first career grand slam. at Baltimore 5, Toronto 4: Michael Aubrey scored the winning run on a throwing error in the 11th inning. at Seattle 4, Texas 3: Felix Hernandez won his 19th game.

The U.S. Olympic baseball team was set when Coach Skip Bertman cut five players to get to the 20-man limit in Norfolk, Va. Bertman released Pepperdine pitcher Randy Wolf, Hawaii pitcher Mark Johnson and Mississippi State pitcher Eric DuBose along with Wichita State infielder Casey Blake and Florida State outfielder J.D. Drew, but designated each as alternates. The moves leave Bertman with a seven-man pitching staff, which includes Jim Parque of UCLA.

Chad Cooley, Justin Bowles and Mike Koerner homered Monday as Louisiana State defeated Florida, 9-4, in the College World Series at Omaha. The Tigers blew open a 4-4 game with Cooley's homer with one aboard in the seventh, and a solo shot by Bowles. Koerner's two-run homer came in the eighth. Florida State 8, Wichita State 4--The Seminoles battered reliever Braden Looper, one of the nation's top relief pitchers, for five runs over two innings to stay alive in an elimination game.

Dustin Nippert gave up one run and pitched into the sixth inning of a spot start for flu-ridden Vicente Padilla, and the Texas Rangers completed a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox, 3-1, on Wednesday night. David Murphy shook off flu-like symptoms with two hits and scored on a squeeze bunt by the Rangers, who swept a series against Boston for the first time since 2004. The Red Sox have lost a season-high five straight. Nippert (2-0) threw 94 pitches and was done after striking out J.D.

OK, after reading today's article about J.D. Drew, I couldn't be happier he is gone. He was going to make $33 million, but he was looking for job security for his family? What? Oh right, Scott Boras, the devil in disguise, is his agent. STEVE OWEN San Diego I had to laugh out loud when I read that sports agent Scott Boras advised J. D. Drew to consider having more job security since he had a young and growing family. That seemed to be the reason for leaving the Dodgers to join the Red Sox. Families of soldiers fighting and dying in Iraq are forced to exist on food stamps.

BOSTON -- Josh Beckett allowed one run in six strong innings and the Boston Red Sox won their 12th straight home game to take the AL East lead from Tampa Bay with a 5-1 victory over the Rays on Wednesday night. The scariest moment for Beckett came when his left foot appeared to slip as it landed on a pitch to Cliff Floyd in the sixth inning. Manager Terry Francona and assistant trainer Mike Reinold went to the mound to check on him. Beckett stayed in the game and struck out Floyd.

Shortstop Alex Gonzalez of the Toronto Blue Jays will be sidelined for the remainder of the season because of torn cartilage in his right shoulder. Dr. James Andrews performed season-ending surgery Thursday, the day after Gonzalez visited Andrews to have his sore shoulder reexamined. On the disabled list since May 24, Gonzalez was batting .292 with 13 doubles, two home runs and 12 runs batted in in 38 games this season.