Another comeback?

Curt Schilling and J.D. Drew key a romp as the Red Sox erase their 3-1 series deficit.

By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer
Published October 21, 2007

BOSTON -- The Red Sox battled the last two games just to get back to even.

And now they're playing to get to the World Series.

With another stellar big-game performance from Curt Schilling and a loud offense led by the quiet J.D. Drew, the Sox blasted the Indians 12-2 Saturday to force a seventh and deciding game tonight in the American League Championship Series.

"We're not comfortable, we're confident," David Ortiz said. "This is it, this is where you want to be."

The Sox have been here before, and it shows. Three years ago, they made an unprecedented comeback from a 3-0 deficit against the Yankees, then beat the Cardinals for their first championship since 1918.

This series has not been as dramatic as they recovered from a 3-1 deficit, in part because the Indians are making it easy on them by letting their inexperience show.

Fausto Carmona, one of their supposed aces, struggled again Saturday, getting just six outs. And their top slugger, Travis Hafner, has been brutally bad, striking out eight times in his Past 12 at-bats and going 15 consecutive plate appearances without hitting a ball out of the infield.

But as much as the Indians did wrong Saturday, the Red Sox did right, much to the delight of the Fenway Park faithful.

The leader of the band was Schilling, who showed once again that he besides talking a good game, he pitches one, too. Saturday, that meant seven strong innings, allowing only two runs while scattering six hits, striking out five and walking none.

Schilling has a tremendous postseason record of 10-2, 2.25, but his work in potential elimination games has been even more remarkable. Pitching for the Phillies in Game 5 of the 1993 World Series, for the D'backs in Game 6 of the 2001 Division Series and Game 7 of the World Series, and for the Sox in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS and again Saturday, he is 4-0 with a 1.37 ERA.

"It's five trips I would have taken earlier going home," Schilling said in unusual understated fashion. "I mean, it's nice."

The Indians were hoping for better things from Carmona, but it didn't take long to find out otherwise and that things weren't going to go their way. The Sox loaded the bases on a pair of infield singles and a walk to Ortiz. Though Carmona struck out Manny Ramirez, getting his first out on his 22nd pitch, then got Mike Lowell on a flyout, he quickly fell behind Drew.

The enigmatic outfielder, whose struggles during his first season in Boston have made an a large target of critics, came up huge, driving a 3-and-1 pitch over the centerfield wall for a grand slam. Next thing he knew, he was getting a curtain call.

"It was great," he said. "It's been a tough year."

As if the four-run first weren't enough, the Sox added six in the third and that was enough to ensure they'd get to play again another day, and try to complete their comeback with a third straight win.

The Indians have to figure out how to stop them.

"It has to stop, and it has to stop tonight," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "They need to go to bed tonight with clear heads and think good thoughts."

Marc Topkin can be reached at topkin@sptimes.com.

MLB playoffs:Up next ALCS, Game 7: Indians at Red Sox, 8 tonight,Fenway Park, BostonTV/radio: Ch. 13; 1470-AMSeries tied at 3.

[Last modified October 21, 2007, 01:47:22]