D-Backs fall to Red Sox in 10th inning, 4-3

For the second consecutive night, the older of the Drew brothers struck again.

One night after driving in a career-high seven runs, J.D. Drew had three hits and scored twice as the Red Sox assured themselves a winning series with a 4-3, 10-inning victory Saturday against the Diamondbacks before a sold-out crowd of 49,826 at Chase Field.

It was the D-Backs’ 18th loss in the past 24 interleague games dating back to 2005.

“We should have won that game,” said a noticeably agitated D-Backs manager Bob Melvin.

A walk by David Ortiz and singles by Kevin Youkilis and Drew loaded the bases to open the 10th off D-Backs reliever Juan Cruz.

Cruz (2-1) struck out Jason Varitek for the first out, but Mike Lowell hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Ortiz.

Then Cruz struck out Joey Cora to escape with only one run allowed.

Jonathon Papelbon allowed a hit batsman and infield single but escaped a scoreless 10th inning for his 14th save of the season.

The seeds for this Diamondbacks defeat were sewn in the latter innings.

Stephen Drew hit a two-run home run over older brother J.D. in right field to give the D-Backs a 3-0 lead in the fourth.

“They’re too good a lineup to sit back and say, ‘OK (bullpen) go finish it,’” Melvin said. “We needed to add on. We have to try to put the pressure on and scrap out another run.”

They didn’t, and it was all quiet on the Chase Field front for the home team. The D-Backs went hitless in four-plus innings, between infield singles by Orlando Hudson (fifth) and Conor Jackson (10th).

For a while it looked like enough. The Red Sox threatened in nearly every inning against starter Micah Owings, but the rookie right-hander wiggled his way out of trouble until the sixth, when Varitek launched a two-run blast to right to pull Boston within 3-2.

Owings allowed seven hits and two runs in six innings.

“We’ll continue to fight,” Owings said.

Arizona pitched out of trouble in the seventh inning when Doug Slaten got Ortiz to ground out with the tying run on second, but Varitek’s double off Brandon Lyon in the eighth scored the elder Drew and tied the score at 3-3.

“He was a thorn in our side,” Melvin said of Varitek.

Stephen Drew’s hustle set up the first run of the game when his slide into second forced Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo into a high throw trying to double up Carlos Quentin. Miguel Montero followed with a double into the right-field corner to score Quentin on a hit-and-run.

“It’s a tough pill to swallow right now, giving up the lead like that,” third baseman Mark Reynolds said. “It happens. There’s always tomorrow.”

Jonathan Papelbon, making his first appearance in a week, allowed two baserunners in the 10th before finishing for his 14th save in 15 attempts.

Youkilis walked to lead off the eighth against Brandon Lyon and was forced at second on J.D. Drew's grounder to first. Varitek followed with a double to the wall in left-center, scoring Drew to tie it at 3.

Varitek's sixth-inning homer, his seventh, had pulled Boston within 3-2 after Arizona opened a 3-0 lead after four innings.

Stephen Drew homered for the Diamondbacks, who lost their third straight and remained a game behind San Diego in the NL West.

Mark Reynolds led off the fourth with a double down the left-field line off Julian Tavarez (3-5) and Drew followed with a line-drive homer just over brother J.D.'s head and the right-field fence to give the Diamondbacks a 3-0 lead.

Micah Owings pitched out of trouble for much of the night and allowed two runs and seven hits over six innings.

Stephen Drew's hard slide at second after a leadoff single broke up a possible double play and allowed Quentin to reach on a fielder's choice. Miguel Montero doubled just inside the right-field line as Quentin broke for second, and the right fielder scored easily for a 1-0 lead.

Tavarez allowed three runs on six hits with a walk and five strikeouts.

Notes:@ Boston LF Manny Ramirez, who was hit on the wrist Friday by a pitch from Arizona's Doug Davis, did not take batting practice and was scratched in favor of Eric Hinske. ... The previous largest crowd in Phoenix was 49,707 for Game 6 of the 2001 World Series on November 3, 2001. The Diamondbacks' largest regular-season crowd was 49,548 on April 9 against Cincinnati, Arizona's home opener. ... Tavarez entered the game 0-1 with a 14.46 ERA over 10 appearances in Phoenix. ... Arizona LF Eric Byrnes went 0-for-5, ending his streak of consecutive games reaching base at 31.