While Manny Ramirez won the game last night with a 2-run homer, the 493rd of his career, in the top of the 9th, it was Julian Tavarez who was the real hero for the Sox as he came in for Jon Lester and helped the Boston Red Sox escape a bases loaded jam with one out in the 5th inning by getting two strikeouts.

“He did a great job,” manager Terry Francona said. “If he stumbles anywhere there they spread it out. We’re at the point in the game where we have to protect our bullpen, looking at the innings. He pounded the strike zone, the ball had movement and life through the zone. He gave us a chance.”

Don’t forget with the Bruins taking on the Canadiens tonight in Game 4 of their NHL playoff tilt, the Red Sox will once again be relegated to the NESN Plus channel. Click here to find the NESN Plus channel on your cable or satellite provider.

Indians closer Joe Borowski said “he had nothing” on his fastball and could be heading to the disabled list.

Manny Ramirez is swinging a hot bat for the Red Sox right now. Here is his blast.

David Ortiz made his return to the Red Sox lineup and did so after a rather funny exchange with the skipper in the morning.

Francona talked to Ortiz last night on the plane, and told him to call in the morning. The manager said that he would be OK with Ortiz missing a second game, but wanted to see how Ortiz felt in the morning.

So Francona received a text this morning, but thought it was from his daughter.

Not quite. He texted back asking which number she was texting from.

The response? “It’s mine, [expletive].”

“Now I’m getting [mad],” Francona said, laughing. “So I call and it’s David. I was all mixed up. Cause the last one said, ‘Put me in, [expletive],’ and I can’t figure it out. I was actually kind of relieved. [Heck], if David gets hits or not, at least I don’t have a 14-year-old talking like that to her Dad. Anyway, the good news is my daughter seems to be not speaking like that and David wants to play. So we’re OK.”

Whatever the cuss word was, it got Big Papi back in the lineup tonight. Also before the game, the Red Sox players held an “exorcism” with Big Papi to help get him out of his funk. It worked as Big Papi got a hit in his first at-bat and finished with two hits on the night.

After the game, Manny Ramirez reiterated his desire to remain with the Red Sox for another six years just as he did during spring training.

“Why isn’t it going to work out? Of course it’s going to work out. I don’t need a list of teams,” Ramirez said before playing ninth-inning hero in last night’s 6-4, come-from-behind Red Sox win against the Cleveland Indians. “Everybody knows it’s going to work out. A list (of alternative teams)? For what?

“I’m just going to play and have fun. At the end of the year it’s going to be (the Red Sox) who will make the decision not me. Why would I want to talk to them now? It’s the same situation as (catcher Jason Varitek), because he’s a free agent. Just play the game and whatever happens will happen.”

It’s still early in the season for the Red Sox to decide on Manny’s future but if he continues like this all season, it will be a no-brainer for the Red Sox to pickup his 2009 option.

For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Hartford Courant and Providence Journal websites.

And if you must see what the enemy papers are saying, you can check out The Plain Dealer and Akron Beacon Journal websites.