Varitek's clutch hit helps Boston to win in Game 2

The Red Sox struck in the first inning again scoring twice.
BOSTON (AP) -- The St. Louis Cardinals didn't want to get beaten by Manny Ramirez or David Ortiz.
A lot of good that did them.
Boston catcher Jason Varitek tripled home the team's two MVP candidates to give the Red Sox another early lead in their victory Sunday night.
Boston's sixth consecutive playoff victory gave it a 2-0 lead with a chance to close out its first title since 1918.
"Jason's had some clutch hits for us. Everybody knows that," reliever Alan Embree said. "There's no letdown in this lineup. You can't go through the lineup and go, 'Phew! I got past Manny,' because you've got Jason coming up."
Early rally again
It was the second night in a row the Red Sox pounced on the Cardinals' starter in the first inning, scoring four in the first off Woody Williams and taking a 7-2 lead in Game 1. Williams and Game 2 starter Matt Morris have allowed 11 earned runs in 62/3 innings, an ERA of 8.15.
On Sunday, Morris pitched around Ramirez and Ortiz in the first, walking them both with two outs. That made sense: Ortiz was the MVP of the AL championship series and hit a first-inning homer off Williams in Game 1; Ramirez, who might win the regular season MVP, had three hits Saturday night.
"We try to make sure that they have to pitch to those two guys," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona, who put Varitek fifth in the order, behind Ortiz. Varitek didn't start Game 1 so Doug Mirabelli could catch knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.
"The way they are approaching David Ortiz, I don't blame them," Francona said. "They don't want him to beat them, and with Varitek swinging the bat like that gives us an added dimension, another weapon in the middle of that order."
Two out triple
With Boston's two sluggers on base, Varitek made the Cardinals pay. He hit a 1-2 pitch off the bullpen fence to the right of the 420-foot sign in Fenway's quirky triangle and kept running, pumping his fist when he popped up at third.
"You've got to set the table for the big guys," Ramirez said. "Anybody on this team can be a hero on any day."
It was the ninth triple of Varitek's career, and the first for the Red Sox in the postseason since Jim Rice hit one in Game 5 against the New York Mets in 1986. It was the first World Series triple for a catcher since the Yankees' Joe Girardi hit one in Game 6 of 1996.
Keeps staff together
But Varitek's biggest contribution could be in the way he brings stability to the pitching staff.
"He's been every bit the leader he was all season," starter Curt Schilling said. "Jason is a guy that I feed off him when I'm out there. I know he's putting down the fingers he believes in. I know he's got an idea, every time, every pitch, every at-bat.
"He's absolutely as much a part of everything that I've done this year as anybody on this team."
The Red Sox made it 4-1 in the fourth when Kevin Millar was hit by a pitch and -- again with two outs -- Bill Mueller and Mark Bellhorn hit consecutive doubles. Morris got Johnny Damon on a groundout to end the inning but left after getting one out in the fifth.
With two outs in the sixth, Orlando Cabrera singled in two more runs to make it 6-1.
"He gives up four runs on two swings with two outs," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said of Morris. "He walked the third- and fourth-place hitters, both guys are dangerous [but he] just barely walked him."