Youkilis, Lowell hit 3-run shots as Red Sox avoid first home sweep of season

BOSTON -- Kevin Youkilis completed his home run trot around the bases a little later than he wanted.

Youkilis hit a three-run homer two innings after his long foul ball was upheld by a replay review, helping the Boston Red Sox avoid being swept at home for the first time this season by beating the New York Mets 12-5 on Sunday.

Youkilis, who hit a high flyball near the left-field foul pole in the fifth inning, waited near second base as the umpiring crew headed toward the tunnel in the Boston's dugout to review their on-field call that the ball was foul.

After a brief delay, third base umpire and crew chief Joe West, who made the initial call, climbed back up the steps from the dugout and waved that it was foul.

"I thought it was a fair ball," Youkilis said. "He called it a foul ball and I guess there was no camera angle."

Replays shown in the press box were from the side of the pole or behind home plate.

"I thought it was close, real close," said Boston manager Terry Francona, who went onto the field to argue. "[West] said, 'I've got a better view than you.' I said, 'I know. I just want you to check.'"

The next time there was no doubt, as Youkilis' drive off Brian Stokes went into the Green Monster seats in left-center and capped a four-run seventh.

Mike Lowell also hit a three-run homer, J.D. Drew went 4 for 5 and Nick Green had a tiebreaking two-run single as the Red Sox rebounded from a rough loss Saturday night when Omir Santos' replay-reversed homer against closer Jonathan Papelbon gave the Mets a 3-2 win.

"To win two out of three I think was huge for us here in this ballpark," New York manager Jerry Manuel said. "That's a big boost for us in the situation we're in right now."

David Ortiz, who changed to a lighter colored bat from usual black one his third time up, went 0 for 5 and stranded eight runners, dropping his average to .195. He was 0 for 12 in the three-game series.

"No more breaks," he said when asked if maybe it was time for more time off like last weekend when he didn't play in Seattle. "A lot of at-bats from now on."

On Saturday night, Santos' long fly that hit off a table in the first row of the Green Monster seats and bounced back onto the field -- initially ruled a double -- but ended up being called a homer when the umpires used the first replay review in Fenway Park's history.

Boston rallied with three runs to take a 6-5 edge against starter Tim Redding (0-1) in the fifth. George Kottaras' RBI double chased Redding before Green singled home two runs on the first pitch from reliever Sean Green.

"I was trying to overthrow at times. I tricked them for a while there, got a couple of big outs after the Lowell home run," Redding said. "But these guys, even with Ortiz not swinging the bat as hot as he's capable of, these guys still take a lot of pitches and they still make you throw strikes and if you're inconsistent in the zone, you're going to pay for it, especially in this ball park."

Jason Bay had an RBI single before Drew added a run-scoring double in the sixth.

Tim Wakefield (6-2), the club's most consistent starter so far this season, gave up five runs and seven hits in six innings for his fourth win in five starts.

Trailing 3-1, the Mets scored three in the third. David Wright and Jeremy Reed had consecutive RBI singles after Carlos Beltran's run-scoring ground out.

Gary Sheffield's RBI single made it 5-3 in the fifth.

Jacoby Ellsbury extended his career-high hitting streak to 19 games.

Lowell's three-run homer gave Boston a 3-1 lead in the second after Ramon Castro homered off the left-field pole foul for the Mets.

A thunderstorm in the bottom of the first inning forced a 36-minute delay.

Game notes
Mets manager Jerry Manuel expects SS Jose Reyes, sidelined since Wednesday with tendinitis behind his right calf, to play Monday when they host Washington. He also said OF Beltran, who was the DH this weekend because of a bruised right knee, could play Monday if he feels the same. ... Francona played SS Green for the second straight game after saying before Saturday's contest that Julio Lugo would play one and Green the other. Boston improved to 18-6 when Green starts. ... Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez, who was hospitalized after Saturday's game with back spasms, jogged out to the bullpen Sunday.