Drew Does It Again

J.D. Drew is starting to make people forget about David Ortiz. Last year's whipping boy - until the huge grand slam against Cleveland - is this year's stud.

Drew had 4 more hits Wednesday afternoon, including a 3-run bomb in the 1st to set the tone, as the Sox won the rubber game of the 3-game series in Philly and finished the brief road trip 4-2.

His hot streak has gotten ridiculous. Since Big Papi was injured on May 31, Drew is batting .441 (26-for-59) with nine homers and 21 RBIs in June. He's raised his average to .327, second in the AL, and his slugging percentage is a Barry Bonds-like .601. Those are MVP numbers.

BOX SCORE: Red Sox 7, Phillies 4

The most impressive thing about Drew's tear is that he's done it when the team needed it most with Ortiz out and Manny Ramirez missing a lot of time too. He's stepped into the No. 3 slot in the lineup and the offense hasn't missed a beat.

Mike Lowell, batting cleanup with Manny out, homered right after Drew to make it 4-0 and the Sox never looked back from there.

Dustin Pedroia continued to break out of his slump with three more hits and Sean Casey, filling in again for Kevin Youkilis, got his usual two hits. Casey is just a professional hitter, raising his average to .373.

Justin Masterson has been a huge boost to the rotation, picking up his fourth win in five decisions despite not having his best stuff.

Manny Delcarmen had a big role in the victory as well, coming on in the 7th when the Phillies had cut the lead to 7-4 and had a runner on base. Delcarmen shut the door with 2 scoreless innings setting up Jonathan Papelbon for his 21st save.

The Sox have always done well in Interleague play and this year is no exception as they are now 7-2.