MLB

IGAWA GETS SOX OFF GUARD

The Red Sox can blame Julio Lugo. What was he thinking smashing that shot off Jeff Karstens’ right leg in the first inning that maybe changed the direction of yesterday’s game at Yankee Stadium?

Of course, how it would have transpired had Karstens pitched to more than two batters, with Kei Igawa remaining in the bullpen, is a mystery, but for the Red Sox it couldn’t have gone any worse.

Igawa, the Japanese lefty, frustrated the opposition, allowing two hits over six shutout innings. It represented the best job by a Yankees pitcher in five games against the Red Sox this season. Even if at least one member of the Red Sox didn’t seem overly impressed.

“He was all right, nothing special,” David Ortiz said of Igawa after the Yankees beat the Red Sox 3-1. “He was throwing a lot of hittable pitches, we just were not hitting it.”

Igawa’s first act upon replacing Karstens, who left with a fractured fibula six pitches into the game, was getting Ortiz to hit into a double play. Mike Lowell’s two-out double in the fourth was Boston’s first threat against Igawa, but the rookie then got Coco Crisp to pop up.

In the seventh, Crisp singled after Lowell had reached on an error to begin the inning, ending Igawa’s day. With the help of three scoreless innings from the bullpen, Igawa got his second victory.

“[Igawa] came in right off the bat in a difficult situation, made a good pitch on [Ortiz] and got out of the first inning,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “I’m sure that added to his confidence. We had read and heard and watched, he was having command issues. And as he kept getting us out, I’m sure his confidence was getting better and better.”

Karstens struggled a week earlier at Fenway Park, allowing seven earned runs over 41/3 innings in his return from the disabled list, but Igawa was an unknown quantity to the Red Sox. Francona dismissed the idea that perhaps his team was thrown off balance by the abrupt change in pitchers yesterday.

“[Igawa] came in the game in a tough situation and did a great job,” Doug Mirabelli said.

“He didn’t miss location very much today. It seemed when he threw the ball, he threw it where he wanted it. He was just tough, we never really got anything going on him.”

mpuma@nypost.com