Bosox Rookie Replacement Throws Shutout

The Boston Red Sox have two shutouts this season. One by Curt Schilling and one by his rookie replacement. <br/><br/>Kason Gabbard threw a three-hitter and the Red Sox scored all their runs on three homers

Tuesday, July 17th 2007, 7:45 am

By: News On 6

The Boston Red Sox have two shutouts this season. One by Curt Schilling and one by his rookie replacement.

Kason Gabbard threw a three-hitter and the Red Sox scored all their runs on three homers in a 4-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night.

Making his fourth start in place of the injured Schilling, Gabbard (3-0) threw the first complete game of his career.

Gabbard struck out Mark Grudzielanek and Mark Teahen for the final two outs. After fanning Teahen, he pumped his left fist and the crowd at Fenway Park was standing and cheering.

``Your adrenalin takes over, but you have to kind of settle yourself down,'' Gabbard said.

Those were his first strikeouts since the fifth inning.

``He looked very excited to work a complete game,'' Boston catcher Jason Varitek said. ``That's what pitchers go out there to do.''

In other AL games on Monday, it was: New York 6, Toronto 4; Chicago 11, Cleveland 10; Texas 4, Oakland 1; and Seattle 4, Baltimore 2.

Schilling's shutout was a 1-0 win at Oakland on June 7 when Shannon Stewart got the Athletics' only hit, a single with two outs in the ninth.

Schilling went on the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis on June 22, and Gabbard was called up from Triple-A Pawtucket four days later.

Before Monday's game, Schilling threw 31 pitches to Red Sox hitters in a simulated game and said he felt good. He is scheduled to make at least two rehabilitation starts with Pawtucket, starting Saturday night.

He could bump Gabbard from the rotation.

``I'm going to do what they tell me to,'' Gabbard said. ``I'm not worried about it.''

Emil Brown had two hits, a groundball single to right in the fifth and an infield single to third in the seventh, and Reggie Sanders singled in the eighth. That was it for Kansas City's offense.

``Pretty good,'' Royals manager Buddy Bell said. ``We've never seen him before.''

Boston got solo homers from Dustin Pedroia, his fourth, and Manny Ramirez, his 13th, in the fourth and a two-run shot from David Ortiz, his 16th, in the sixth, all off Brian Bannister (5-6).

``I can count on one hand every single bad pitch I made,'' Bannister said, ``and they got every one of them.''

Yankees 6, Blue Jays 4

Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui and Robinson Cano homered off Josh Towers (4-6) for the Yankees, who have won nine of 12 overall and four of five since the All-Star break. Andy Phillips' two-run single in the sixth gave New York a 6-4 lead. Mariano Rivera earned his third save in three days.

Troy Glaus homered twice and Alex Rios also went deep for Toronto, which stranded 12 runners.

White Sox 11, Indians 10

Paul Konerko hit a three-run homer to highlight Chicago's nine-run sixth inning, but Cleveland wiped out all but one run of an 11-2 deficit before Bobby Jenks earned his 25th save.

Konerko's 19th homer, off reliever Fernando Cabrera, was one of five extra base hits in the sixth for the White Sox.

Cleveland got a three-run homer from Franklin Gutierrez in the sixth, and then scored five times off four Chicago relievers in the eighth to climb within one.

Rangers 4, Athletics 1

Jerry Hairston and Marlon Byrd hit two-run doubles and Jamey Wright (3-2) pitched seven scoreless innings for Texas as Oakland lost its eighth straight. Sammy Sosa doubled and scored two runs for the Rangers, who won their second straight road game to move within 3 1/2 games of the third-place A's. Eric Gagne came in with two on and no outs in the ninth. He gave up an RBI single to Marco Scutaro and got his 14th save.

Dallas Braden (1-4), recalled from Triple-A Sacramento before the game, had seven strikeouts in six innings, but gave up eight hits.

Mariners 4, Orioles 2

Ichiro Suzuki, the designated hitter because of a bruised leg, had two hits and Horacio Ramirez (5-2) allowed five hits and two runs in seven innings in his first start since returning from a stint on the disabled list because of shoulder tendinitis.

Yuniesky Betancourt's two-run double in the sixth to gave the Mariners a 4-2 lead. J.J. Putz finished the ninth for his 27th save.

Ramon Hernandez homered and Nick Markakis had an RBI single for the Orioles. Brian Burres (4-4) allowed nine hits and four runs in six innings.