Originally published Monday, April 7, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Game of the Day | Red Sox dead tired, dead last
The Boston Red Sox headed home at last in an unusual position — last place. Frank Thomas hit his 11th career grand slam, Vernon Wells...
TORONTO — The Boston Red Sox headed home at last in an unusual position — last place.
Frank Thomas hit his 11th career grand slam, Vernon Wells added a two-run homer and Toronto beat the Red Sox 7-4 Sunday to complete a three-game sweep of the World Series champions.
Boston failed to get a boost from Josh Beckett's first start of the season and went 3-4 on its opening three-nation trip, a journey of nearly 16,000 miles. The Red Sox are in the AL East cellar for the first time since April 10, 2005, when they were 2-4.
"It's probably the best thing for us right now," Boston's Kevin Youkilis said. "A lot of us are tired. We're ready to go home. All these different countries, different currencies, I'm kind of sick of it."
The Red Sox split two games against the Athletics in Tokyo and swept two in Oakland before arriving in Canada.
They open the home portion of their schedule Tuesday at Fenway Park against the struggling Detroit Tigers.
Outfielder J.D. Drew said his Boston teammates were feeling lifeless and beaten down.
"That's kind of to be expected with the toll the trip takes," Drew said. "We're finally at the end of it, so it's back on track when we get to Boston."
Out since mid-March because of a strained lower back, Beckett (0-1) was activated from the disabled list to face Roy Halladay (1-1). Beckett gave up five runs, three hits and four walks in 4-2/3 innings, striking out six. He reached 96 mph and threw 59 of 92 pitches for strikes.
"Obviously, it's not the result you want, but health-wise, I felt good," Beckett said.
With the score 2-2 in the fifth, Aaron Hill singled for Toronto with two outs and Beckett walked Alex Rios and Wells. Thomas sent reliever Manny Delcarmen's first pitch into the left-field stands for his second homer of the season and second in as many days.
The crowd of 30,114 called Thomas out of the dugout for a curtain call after his slam, the 515th homer of his career. Thomas also had a two-run double off Delcarmen in Toronto's 6-3 victory on Friday. Thomas, who turns 40 next month, went 4 for 12 and drove in eight runs in the series.
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"He's had my number the last two times I've thrown," Delcarmen said.
Wells brought Rios home with a two-run drive in the fourth, his fifth career homer against Beckett. He improved to 9 for 27 in his career against Beckett.
Boston has lost seven straight in Toronto dating to last year.
"They played better than us here, that's for sure," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "They did pretty much everything better than us, and I include myself in that group. We certainly need to do better here."
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
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