ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Boston outfielder J.D. Drew was out of the lineup Saturday night for Game 2 of the AL championship series, though manager Terry Francona said the move was not injury-related.

Drew was hit in the right shoulder by a pitch from hard-throwing Tampa Bay reliever Grant Balfour in the eighth inning of Game 1.

With left-hander Scott Kazmir pitching Game 2 for the Rays, Red Sox manager Terry Francona decided to insert Coco Crisp into the lineup in center field and move Jacoby Ellsbury from center to Drew's spot in right.

“He's not in the lineup, and that's not because he got hit. We're putting Coco in center more because of Kazmir. We want Ellsbury to stay in the leadoff spot,” Francona said before the game.

“He got whacked pretty good in the shoulder. But saying that, from where I was sitting, I thought he got hit in the face. So there was a sigh of relief because it looked worse when it happened. I'm sure he's a little sore today. But again, I'm glad it was not the face or the neck.”

AMAZIN': Tampa Bay's improbable season has some people comparing the AL East champions to the 1969 World Series champion New York Mets.

Rays manager Joe Maddon was a 15-year old growing up in Hazleton, Pa., at the time and watched the ascension of the “Miracle Mets.”

“I followed it very closely,” Maddon said. “The pitching staff was incredible. They had all those power arms and they had the great bullpen. The biggest thing, obviously, was that they kept beating the odds and that they continued to move forward from the meager past that they had.”

The Mets, a doormat since joining the NL in 1962, overcame a double-digit deficit to pull ahead of the Chicago Cubs for the first-ever NL East title.

Tampa Bay outplayed Boston and the New York Yankees to win its first division title only a year after finishing with the worst record in the majors.

“I remember primarily the fact that they played with a lot of heart,” Maddon said. “They always seemed to rise to an occasion, and comeback and win big games. Different guys, just like us, would play a big role. I remember it very well.”

KEEP IT SIMPLE: Red Sox infielder Kevin Youkilis has a simple approach to postseason play. Do the little things right.

“You don't have to hit a grand slam, a home run every at-bat,” Youkilis said after going 3-for-4 and driving in one run in Boston's 2-0 win in Game 1 of the ALCS.

“You can't put yourself above the team. You've got to move the runners over. Sometimes you have to be a little bit more aggressive if there's a base open or something and they're trying to pitch you well. ... I think that's the biggest thing that you can do to help your team win in these series.”

BIG BELIEVER: Tampa Bay All-star lefty Scott Kazmir thought the Rays were headed for big things when he signed a three-year contract extension worth $28.5 million in May. Even so, he's a little surprised by how much the team has accomplished this season.

“I didn't think we were going to be as good as we were,” Kazmir said. “But I thought we were going to be a lot better than we have been in the past. So I knew we were looking forward and the future was very bright for us.”

Kazmir's contract runs through 2011 and includes a club option for 2012 that could bring the total deal to $39.5 million.

“Just seeing the guys, seeing how everything was coming into place, and who we had in the minor leagues to help us out, I really felt confident and comfortable about what we had,” Kazmir said.

ANOTHER KIND OF BALL: Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp walked into the clubhouse Saturday wearing an Oscar the Grouch T-shirt that read “I (heart) haters.”

Clearly, Kemp had dressed for the occasion, knowing his home state No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners had been upset by fifth-ranked Texas 45-35 earlier in the day.

“Is that your loser outfit?” teased Delwyn Young, who circled around Kemp with his fingers forming Texas' “Hook 'em Horns” sign.

“The referees were terrible,” Kemp said, barely getting the words out before Young started in again.

“I knew it was going to be tough for you today,” a smiling Andre Ethier called to Kemp.