World Series: Sox Take 2-0 Lead with Clutch Pitching, Timely Hitting

Boston pitchers shut down the Colorado lineup for the second night in a row in Game Two of the World Series, leading the Red Sox to a 2-1 win.

Curt Schilling threw 5.1 innings of four-hit ball, followed by 2.1 perfect innings from Hideki Okajima—who slammed the door on a potential Rockies' rally in the sixth.

The Boston lineup did just enough to win. Jason Varitek tied the game in the fourth with a sacrifice fly, while Mike Lowell delivered a two-out RBI double to give his team the lead in the fifth.

Matt Holliday bounced back from a poor showing in Game One with four hits for Colorado. He was also picked off first by Jonathan Papelbon to end the eighth inning—and kill the Rockies' final rally.

Papelbon blew away the Rockies in the ninth to seal the win.

Schilling kept the Colorado hitters off-balance all night, effectively mixing his fastball and splitter. Okajima followed suit, striking out four of the seven batters he faced.

Brad Hawpe was the only man other than Holliday to get a hit for the Rockies—but still struck out twice, as did Kazuo Matsui. DH Ryan Spilborghs struck out three times, all looking.

On the bright side, Ubaldo Jimenez showed flashes of dominance with a high-90s fastball and a sharp curveball, giving up just three hits in 4.2 innings.

However, Jimenez's lapses in control led him to walk five batters, two of whom came around to score.

Willy Taveras tallied the only run for the Rockies, getting hit by a pitch to start the game and eventually scoring on a Todd Helton groundout.

The Red Sox had scored 10 or more runs in four straight games—but in Game Two, they showed they can win the close ones too.

Meanwhile, the Rockies' pitchers bounced back from Wednesday's debacle, with particularly solid work from the bullpen.

Their hitting, though, is still nowhere to be found—not once in the first two games have the Rockies strung together even two hits in a row.

As the World Series moves to Colorado, the Rockies will look to feed off the home crowd and put up some crooked numbers against Daisuke Matsuzaka in Game Three. 

The Red Sox aim to continue their dominant pitching while their lineup adjusts to losing a hitter, most likely DH David Ortiz.

Colorado must come out strong in Game Three or risk facing the near-impossible task of coming back from a 3-0 deficit.

The only team to ever climb out of that kind of hole isn't likely to give them any tips.