by By SEAN McADAM , The Boston Herald

The Sox scored early and often and built a 9-1 lead through 4 1/2 innings, more support than John Smoltz, searching for his first American League victory, could have reasonably expected.

But just as the Sox finished chasing Hill with a five-run fifth, rain came and time was called before the Orioles could come to bat in the bottom of the inning and make it an official game. The grounds crew scampered to cover the infield, and fans dashed for cover as the rain quickly intensified.

Smoltz, who yielded four first-inning runs in his Sox debut last week in Washington, took the mound with a 2-0 lead last night and looked sharp, collecting two strikeouts in the first.

A two-out walk in the second proved harmless. In the third, the Orioles nicked him for a run, but by then, Smoltz had plenty of support, with more on the way.

The Sox broke the game wide open when they sent 11 men to the plate in the top of the fifth. Jacoby Ellsbury began the inning by cranking a ball 410 feet into the right-center bleacher section for his fourth homer of the season and first since June 17.

Jeff Bailey, promoted from Pawtucket earlier in the day to take Mike Lowell's spot on the roster, beat out a slow roller to third, and one out later advanced to second when Melvin Mora fumbled a Dustin Pedroia chopper.

Kevin Youkilis ripped a double to left, plating Bailey and sending Pedroia to second, and when Jason Bay drew a walk, the Sox had the bases loaded. David Ortiz sliced a line-drive single to left, scoring Pedroia and keeping the bases jammed.

Hill left in favor of reliever Matt Albers, but the Sox weren't done. Albers came in too close on Jason Varitek, brushing his arm and forcing in another run. Rocco Baldelli took a called third strike, but Ellsbury, batting for the second time in the inning, served a single to right as Bay scored.

A one-out walk to Bailey, the No. 9 hitter, got things going in the second. Bailey took second on Julio Lugo's second hit of the night - a single to center - and both rode home when Pedroia drilled a double to the gap in left-center.

As was the case in the series opener, the Sox pounced quickly in the top of the first.

Lugo, getting his first start at short in more than two weeks, drilled a leadoff single to left and trotted home when Youkilis drilled a home run to straightaway center. Monday night, Baltimore center fielder Adam Jones had leaped above the wall in center to take a homer away from Youkilis, and he nearly did it again last night.

Jones reached up with his glove and seemed poised to rob Youkilis, but this time, when Jones banged into the wall, the glove - with the ball in it - landed beyond the wall as Jones fell to the ground and Youkilis circled the bases with his 13th homer.

- smcadam@bostonherald.com

Copyright 2009 Boston Herald Inc.
	Terms & Conditions     Privacy Copyright © 2009 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.