POWER PAIR LEADS BOSTON TWO HOMERS IN 14TH BEAT ANGELS BOSTON 6, ANGELS 4.

Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - It was difficult to determine what excited fans near the Boston Red Sox dugout more during Sunday night's game against the Angels. Was it Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez or movie stars Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez?

Except for one unruly fan who had to be forcibly removed after getting too close to the Hollywood couple, the Red Sox fans sitting in the box seats gave the nod, ever so slightly, to Martinez.

Unfortunately for them, Affleck and Lopez stuck around longer than he did.

With Martinez out of the game after seven innings, the Angels scored single runs in the eighth and ninth to tie the game. But David Ortiz and Jason Varitek hit back-to-back homers in the top of the 14th inning off Mickey Callaway to give Boston a 6-4 victory in front of what was left of a sellout crowd of 43,690, including Affleck and Lopez, who stayed until the end.

``I can't say the game slipped away,'' Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. ``When those guys (Red Sox relievers) had to execute pitches, they did their job. Both bullpens were excellent. But they got to us in the last inning.''

Martinez gave up solo homers to Jeff DaVanon and Scott Spiezio but nothing else in seven innings. Angels starter John Lackey kept the game close enough for the Angels to rally once Martinez was through.

In the eighth, Garret Anderson missed a two-run homer by inches, the ball bouncing off the top of the fence in right-center for an RBI double off Brandon Lyon that cut the lead to 4-3.

In the ninth, the Angels got to Chad Fox, who walked Spiezio to start the inning. Eric Owens ran for Spiezio and took second on DaVanon's sacrifice bunt. Gary Johnson followed with a chopper to first that Kevin Millar booted for an error, allowing Owens to take third.

Bengie Molina then tied the game with an RBI single to right field before reliever Mike Timlin ended the rally by forcing David Eckstein to hit into an inning-ending double play.

Timlin went 2 2/3 scoreless innings and was followed by Ramiro Mendoza, who threw two scoreless innings. Jason Shiell pitched the 14th, and the Red Sox left town having taken two of three.

Lackey went seven innings for the first time this season and looked more like the pitcher who won so many big games last season, including Game 7 of the World Series.

``Once he settled down he got stronger as he went,'' Scioscia said. ``More important was how he did it, because he felt more comfortable the last four or five innings.''

Lackey retired the first two batters of the game but pitched carefully to Nomar Garciaparra and walked him. Up next was Manny Ramirez, who turned on a 90-mph fastball and hit a line drive into the Angels' bullpen beyond the left-field fence for a 2-0 lead.

The Angels got one run back in the second inning when DaVanon homered off Martinez.

``I really wasn't thinking,'' DaVanon said of his homer. ``I used the `See the ball, hit the ball' approach. It was my first time facing him. I just happened to run into one.''

Scoring opportunities, however, would be few for the Angels against Martinez. In the seventh, Spiezio homered and DaVanon doubled with one out, but Martinez retired the next two hitters to end the threat.

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Photo:

The Angels' Gary Johnson (46) is forced out at second base by Boston shortstop Nomar Garciaparra at Edison Field.

Chris Carlson/Associated Press