Red Sox Should Have Paid Jonathan Papelbon, End Of Discussion

Jonathan Papelbon is a supreme bozo but more importantly, he's durable, consistent and he can play in a tough market. Any smart Red Sox fan appreciates what he did when he was here and we can't begrudge him getting paid by the Phillies while Boston didn't want to commit long-term after his rookie deal ran out.

Tonight was a reminder of what the Red Sox (32-21 overall, 17-12 home) have been missing since Papelbon left two winters ago, namely a good reliable closer. The Phillies (25-27 overall, 14-15 away) beat Boston 3-1 at Fenway Park behind Cliff Lee's (6-2) lights out performance and a 1-2-3 ninth by Papelbon for his 10th save of the season (during his first appearance at Fenway in an opposing uniform).

Lee (8 innings, 1 earned run, 4 hits, 8 strikeouts, 0 walks) absolutely cruised, Dustin Pedroia's RBI single in the first inning was his only mistake of the night. David Ortiz and Stephen Drew both hit long fly balls to center but each were tracked down by Ben Revere (2 hits, stolen base) before they could do any damage. If the Phillies don't improve by the trade deadline, there could be quite a market for Lee. Who wouldn't want a lefty that throws strikes, works quickly and has long outings almost every time he gets the ball?

Ryan Dempster (2-6) had three crappy starts in a row so even though he was charged with the loss, tonight's performance was definitely something to build on. Granted Philadelphia's offense is rather putrid. Dempster went seven innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts and three walks.

Michael Young hit a solo homer in the first over the Monster. Erik Kratz had an RBI single in the seventh then Domonic Brown added an insurance run in the ninth with a solo shot to right center off Junichi Tazawa.

After the game, reports came out that the Red Sox will recall outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. tomorrow and send reliever Alex Wilson back to Pawtucket. With goofy National League rules in effect in Philadelphia, Boston needs as many outfielders as they can get for double switches and all that jazz. Plus they were basically carrying an extra reliever or as I like to say, "anyone's better than Jonny Gomes."

Boston heads to Philly for two games at Citizens Bank Park beginning tomorrow night (7:05 p.m., NESN) with John Lackey (3-4) taking on Kyle Kendrick (4-3)-destined to be an instant classic pitching matchup for the ages.

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To Nobody's Surprise, Daniel Bard Sure Is A Mediocre Starting Pitcher

When will the Red Sox give up on the Daniel Bard as a starter experiment? It has been clear since day one that he's nothing more than average in this new role and he's maddeningly inconsistent to top it all off.

Boston (18-21, 9-10 away) spotted Philadelphia (21-19, 10-9 home) a 4-0 lead in the first inning and with Cole Hamels (6-1) on the mound, it's no wonder that the Phillies held on for a 6-4 win in the series and interleague opener tonight at Citizens Bank Park.

It was the sixth straight win for the Phillies and Hamels as well who improved to 4-0 against the Red Sox in five career starts.

Hamels went seven innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits with nine strikeouts and a walk. Bard (3-5) lasted five innings, allowing five earned runs on three hits with three strikeouts and five walks.

The Red Sox hit three home runs but unfortunately they were all of the solo variety. The Phillies hit two homers but they also did a better job of hitting with guys on base.

Of course Jonathan Papelbon had to get the easiest save opportunity possible in his first game back against his former club. In pinning down his MLB-leading 12th save of the season, Papelbon faced the murderer's row of Kelly Shoppach, Daniel Nava, Marlon Byrd and Nick Punto. Shoppach singled but Papelbon retired Nava and Byrd before striking out the overmatched Punto (why is he here?) to end it.

There was some controversy in the ninth on Byrd's ground out which seemed to be a bang bang play at first base. He was called out and this caused Bobby Valentine to run out of the dugout and freak out (complete with hopping and the umpire accidentally spitting his gum at him). Bobby received the first ejection of his Red Sox career (that looks destined to be one year or less).

Bard's nightmare first inning included a two-run single by Carlos Ruiz (2 hits, run, stolen base), a sacrifice fly from Ty Wigginton and John Mayberry Jr's RBI double.

Boston chipped away at the 4-0 hole with a solo homer by Mike Aviles (6th of the season) in the third and Nava's sacrifice fly in the fourth.

Hunter Pence (10th of the season) hit a solo home run in the fifth for the Phillies but Cody Ross (2 hits, 2 runs) responded with his own solo blast in the sixth and Adrian Gonzalez broke his month-long homerless drought with a solo home run of his own in the eighth.

Citizens Bank Park is still a Little League Park, aka Wiliamsport, as evidenced by light-hitting Freddy Galvis's (2nd of the season) solo shot in the eighth against Franklin Morales that gave Philly an insurance run.

In addition to the loss, Boston suffered two freak injuries as Jarrod Saltalamacchia was cut on his ear by the baseball when it deflected off Ty Wiggington. Salty had to leave the game in the fifth inning and go to the hospital to check for a concussion. Ross fouled the ball off his foot in the eighth and he had to be replaced. Their status is up in the air for Saturday's game.

Speaking of that contest (7:15 p.m., FOX) Jon Lester (2-3) takes on Joe Blanton (4-3). This is the one pitching matchup in the three-game series that at least on paper favors the Red Sox so they need to find a way to beat Blanton and the Phils.

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Jonathan Papelbon Ships Off To The Philadelphia Phillies

It was common knowledge that Jonathan Papelbon would enter free agency after the 2011 season and see what the market dictated for the best closer in Boston Red Sox history.

Well the offseason has only just begun but Papelbon agreed to a four-year, $50 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. Including vesting options, it is the biggest contract ever bestowed on a reliever in MLB history.

I'm not delusional enough of a honk to say that he's the best closer in baseball, Mariano Rivera is still alive as far as I know, but you have to admit that Pap had an incredible seven-year run (six years as the closer) in Boston.

A 2003 Red Sox draft pick that went to Mississippi State and a four-time American League all-star (2006-09), Papelbon was the rare guy that didn't shy away from the big spot and most importantly, stepped up in the most important games. He had 35+ saves from 2006-10 and over 30 saves every season (2006-11) that he was the closer.

He leaves Boston with 219 saves, a 2.33 career ERA with 1.018 WHIP. He notched seven saves in the playoffs, including four during the 2007 World Series championship season. He wasn't the same guy after 2009 and suffered his worst season in 2010 (3.90 ERA, 1.269 WHIP). Credit to him though for bouncing back nicely in 2011 (2.90 ERA, 0.933 WHIP).

You can't blame him for wanting to cash in and see what a change of scenery brings. I respect that he went to the Phillies, the best team in MLB last season before they choked in the playoffs. It shows that he does truly care about winning too, not just grabbing every last cent.

Papelbon was one of the few players on the 2011 Red Sox that actually stood up and took his medicine while the September collapse went on. Unlike some who hid behind chicken and beer (Lackey, Beckett, Lester) or blamed God's will (Adrian Gonzalez), Papelbon said he was the only one to bash after he blew a key game to the Orioles at Fenway.

This leaves a huge hole in the back of the bullpen for the Red Sox. Daniel Bard proved last season that he's not ready to be an elite setup man let alone a closer. They'll have to look outside the orginazation and sign a free agent. It better be Heath Bell and not some scrub like Ryan Madson, Joe Nathan, Francisco Cordero, etc.

His Shipping Up to Boston entrance was certainly played out, despite what the pink hats will tell you. The stare into home plate was lame and when he tried to be too clever or funny during interviews, it never worked. At heart, Pap is just a simple country boy but most importantly, he is a damn good closer that got it done in one of baseball's toughest markets for years.

Good luck Papelbon, we know you'll do well in Philly.

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Ryan Lavarnway Saves The Red Sox' Season (For Real)

Where were you when Ryan Lavarnway blasted two home runs and drove in four RBIs to help the Boston Red Sox (90-71) hang on against the Baltimore Orioles (68-93), 8-7 tonight at Camden Yards?

The Yale product (Theo Epstein must be so proud) was called into duty as Boston's top two catchers-Jarrod Saltalamacchia (collarbone) and Jason Varitek (knee)-weren't able to play due to nagging injuries sustained the last few days.

Ironically, the rookie's bat made all the difference in a game that meant everything as the Red Sox had to keep pace with the Tampa Bay Rays who defeated the New York Yankees by a score of 5-3 and briefly led the AL Wild Card for about 30 minutes.

The regular season finale tomorrow night will be decided with Jon Lester and Alfredo Simon on the mound. In his career, Lester is unbeaten (14-0 in 17 starts) against Baltimore but he will be pitching on three days rest which he has only done once.

It wasn't pretty since of course Erik Bedard (3.1 innings, 3 earned runs, 5 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts) failed to get out of the fourth inning but when you get to Game No. 161, all that counts is the final result.

I've run out of superlatives for Alfredo Aceves (10-2), he's like the overachieving kid in high school that everybody despises. Pitching for the third night in a row (really), Aceves and his rubberized right arm went 3.2 innings, allowing one earned run on three hits with a strikeout.

Daniel Bard (1 inning, 2 earned runs, 3 hits) was up to his September tricks and Jonathan Papelbon (1 inning, 1 earned run, 2 hits) had to survive a 28-pitch ninth but he did it, getting Adam Jones (2 hits) to ground out to end it with the tying run on second.

Orioles youngster Zach Britton (11-11) is going to be good one day, well assuming he gets out of AL East hell but he couldn't get it done in the biggest start of his nascent career. He lasted 4.1 innings, allowing five earned runs on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

Vladimir Guerrero (3 hits), who has found the Fountain of Youth (which probably exists wink wink in the Dominican Republic), put the O's up 1-0 in the first with an RBI double.

As always this special season for him, Jacoby Ellsbury put Boston on his back with a two-run blast in the third (his 32nd of the season).

Lavarnway made it 5-1 with his first career homer, a three-run shot in the fourth.

Bedard being Bedard he immediately yielded a two-run homer to Matt Wieters (3 RBIs, 2 hits, 2 runs) in the fourth to cut it to 5-3 Red Sox.

Marco Scutaro's seventh homer of the season, a two-run poke that just got over the wall, put it back to a four-run advantage (7-3) in the sixth.

Jones had a solo shot in the sixth but Lavarnway matched him with his second of the night in the eighth to give Boston its third four-run lead of the game.

Chris Davis (2 hits) had an RBI single in the eighth and Nolan Reimold's RBI triple made it 8-6 Boston. J.J. Hardy scored in the ninth on Wieters' ground out but Papelbon shut the door for his most nerve-wracking but vital save.

New York figures to lay down to Tampa Bay one more time so Boston will need to put together its first win streak in a month if they want the season to continue. A one-game playoff for the AL Wild Card would take place on Thursday afternoon at the Trop. Ironically, the NL is in the same position with the Braves and Cardinals tied going into tomorrow's action.

Can Lester continue his dominance against Baltimore or will he get shelled yet again in September? Tune in tomorrow to find out.

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I Guess It Was Papelbon's Turn To Blow It

You know where this is all leading don't you? The Red Sox will back into a playoff spot say next week in Baltimore as the Tampa Bay Rays run out of gas and finally hand over the AL Wild Card to an undeserving Boston squad.

Tonight it was closer Jonathan Papelbon's turn to blow a game-giving up his first run in 21 games (July 16)-as the Orioles (64-90) won 7-5 over the Red Sox (88-67) at Fenway Park.

Terry Francona is scared to death of making Papelbon work more than an inning so this was only his fourth save opportunity of over one inning. Naturally, summoned with one out in the eighth Papelbon gave up a bases-loaded double to Robert Andino (3 hits, run), who is a shoe in for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

This result was dulled by the fact that a few minutes earlier in the Bronx, the Yankees blanked the Rays 5-0. As it stands, Boston leads Tampa Bay by two games (one in the loss column) with the regular season ending next Wednesday.

Erik Bedard returned from his fake injury (lat), not to be confused with my favorite solider Carl Crawford who bravely put his name in the lineup tonight after missing yesterday's doubleheader with a stiff neck, and as usual, Bedard worked slowly and ineffectively.

Bedard went 2.2 innings (really), allowing four runs (one earned) on five hits with two walks. For the second game in a row, Scott Atchison was great. This time he threw 2.1 scoreless innings and even Matt Albers pitched in a 1-2-3 sixth. Sadly, the usually reliable duo of Daniel Bard (2-9) and Papelbon didn't get it done. Bard was charged with two runs that crossed home against Pap.

Did I mention that a Dutch pitcher started for Baltimore? Yup, none other than Rick VandenHurk made the stoners in Amsterdam smile. He went three innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts.

Adrian Gonzalez's (3 hits, 3 RBIs) RBI double in the first got the Red Sox out to a good start, it felt like they hadn't scored a game's first run since August.

Luckily the Orioles piled on four runs in the third as Nick Markakis (3 hits) had an RBI double, Vlad Guerrero reached on Josh Reddick's error (scoring Markakis) and Mark Reynolds (2 hits) drove in two with an RBI single.

However, no lead is safe with Baltimore's Double A caliber rotation and bullpen. Gonzalez crushed his MLB-leading 12th opposite field homer of the season (27th overall), a two-run blast in the third. The Red Sox went ahead with a pair of runs in the fourth on Mike Aviles' (2 hits) RBI single and a fielding error by Reynolds (his 30th of the season; what a five-tool player).

For the second time in three games, the O's new closer Jim Johnson got a 1-2-3 ninth for his eighth save of the season.

Josh Beckett and Tommy Hunter square off tomorrow night in Boston's regular season home finale. It makes me sick to write it but the Red Sox need to win to earn the series split with the AL East's sisters of the poor. Tampa Bay and New York have a day-night doubleheader tomorrow. Fun times, baseball!

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Beckett Returns To Glory, Ditto For Bard As Red Sox Finally Beat The Rays

It seems silly to call a game for a team that leads the American League Wild Card by three games with 13 remaining a must-win but I think that's exactly how any objective Boston Red Sox fan viewed tonight's game vs. the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park.

Josh Beckett (13-5) returned after last pitching on September 5 and while he wasn't his usual lights out self against Tampa Bay (83-67), he still did enough to make sure the Red Sox (87-63) won 4-3 in a playoff-like atmosphere (cool temperatures and a crowd that for once was into it from the start).

This was seen as such an important game since the Rays had won six straight against Boston, plus if they swept this weekend series they would be tied with the Red Sox. This win for Boston means that at worst they'll say bye to their AL East foes with a two-game lead with 10 games left in the regular season.

Beckett lasted six innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits with a walk and seven strikeouts. It's hard to gauge which is more vital to the cause long-term but Daniel Bard also returned to his dominant self after a recent particularly rough stretch. He worked around a walk in the eighth and struck out the side with some overpowering fastballs and sliders (plus a changeup which he never throws).

Alfredo Aceves had been the bridge to Bard with a scoreless seventh (two walks, two strikeouts) and Jonathan Papelbon struck out the side in the ninth (12 of 13 pitches for strikes) as he picked up his 30th save of the season. It had almost been a month since his last save opportunity (August 18) and he made this one count as he became the first closer with 30+ saves in the first six seasons of his career.

James Shields (15-11) was off his game for the Rays. He went seven innings but he was tagged for four earned runs on seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts.

Evan Longoria (3 RBIs, 2 hits, 2 walks) hit a two-run homer in the top of the first to give Tampa Bay an early 2-0 advantage.

Boston responded immediately in the bottom of the first as Dustin Pedroia (2 hits, 2 runs, stolen base) knocked in Jacoby Ellsbury with an RBI single and David Ortiz (2 hits, 2 RBIs) likewise drove in Pedroia with an RBI single.

Longoria put the Rays ahead once again with an RBI single in the third, driving in Desmond Jennings (3 hits, 2 runs, 2 stolen bases, walk).

Ortiz tied it in the home half of the third with an RBI double that plated Pedroia.

The go-ahead run was provided by Mike Aviles, who drilled a solo homer (his sixth of the season; first with Boston) off the Sports Authority sign in the fourth.

Jon Lester opposes Jeff Niemann tomorrow afternoon in another juicy pitching matchup. For one night at least, the Red Sox' woes were forgotten as they gained ground on the Rays and the Yankees (3.5 games ahead in the AL East) who lost in Toronto. After completely failing at the Trop last weekend, expect Lester to bounce back and pitch much better this time around.

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Beckett Sprains Ankle, Lawrie Hits Walkoff Homer in 11th

All I can say is thank God I was at the beach for all of today's game.

Well, to be specific, I listened to the first 10+ innings of the Red Sox-Blue Jays game at the Rogers Centre on the radio and was walking back into our condo when Toronto (70-71) rookie Brett Lawrie (haha great picture by the way) hit a walk-off homer in the 11th against Dan Wheeler (2-2).

Why does that always seem to happen? You invest so much time into a baseball game and then it's over in one second when you're not paying attention.

The sting of a 1-0 loss in 11 innings for Boston (84-56) would have been much easier to take with the sun in the sky and the sand at my feet. Back home, the bleak reality set in. First, Red Sox starter Josh Beckett left in the fourth inning with a sprained ankle. He had been cruising, striking out six and only giving up three hits in 3.2 innings.

With Erik Bedard skipping a start due to his back and Beckett being sent back to Boston for a further examination, this is not the time for the Red Sox rotation to be falling apart.

Second, the Yankees beat the Orioles this afternoon meaning that New York is now 2.5 games ahead of Boston in the AL East.

As always, a rookie pitcher facing the Red Sox for the first time excelled. 21-year-old Henderson Alvarez went six innings for Toronto, scattering four hits with a walk and four strikeouts.

Charlie Villanueva (1 inning), Casey Janssen (1 inning), Frank Francisco (2 innings) all paved the way for Shawn Camp (3-3) who got a 1-2-3 top of the 11th.

Among other things, this loss wasted another outstanding effort by Alfredo Aceves. Summoned early, Boston's unsung hero went 3.2 innings, allowing only one hit with three walks and four strikeouts.

Daniel Bard got the last five outs in the eighth and ninth leading to Jonathan Papelbon who was sketchy (as always in a non-save situation) but was able to wiggle out of a bases-loaded jam in the 10th.

Josh Reddick and Marco Scutaro each had two hits in the loss.

Jon Lester and rookie Luis Perez will get the starts tomorrow night in the second of four in Toronto.

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Red Sox Split Day-Night Doubleheader With Rays, Record First Triple Play In 17 Years

They might not have the same talent level with Carlos Pena, Carl Crawford, Rafael Soriano, Grant Balfour, Joaquin Benoit, etc. all gone but the Tampa Bay Rays are still a tough matchup for the Boston Red Sox.

There are few if any teams in MLB that draft and develop players as well as the Rays so Crawford has already been replaced by Desmond Jennings. Most importantly, they have a deep and young pitching staff: James Shields, David Price, Jeff Niemann, Jeremy Hellickson and Wade Davis.

The Red Sox (74-46) were able to beat the Rays (64-56) 3-1 this afternoon in the first tidy game of a day-night doubleheader but Tampa Bay bounced back to take the nightcap 6-2 at Fenway Park. The Yankees beat the Royals tonight as well meaning New York takes a half game lead for first-place in the AL East.

Boston's win was the direct result of the brilliance of five players: Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester, Daniel Bard, Jonathan Papelbon and Dustin Pedroia. It's rare that a baseball game can be boiled down to that few elements but keep in mind, there were only six hits combined in that one and it only took two hours and 24 minutes.

Shields (11-10) went the distance in the loss, his MLB-best ninth complete game of the season. He allowed three earned runs on three hits with one walk and six strikeouts.

Lester (12-6) went one less inning but he was just a smidge more effective. The lefty went seven innings, allowing one earned run on three hits with a walk and eight strikeouts.

Tampa Bay took a 1-0 lead on the first as Jennings led off the game with a double, stole third and scored on Evan Longoria's ground out.

Boston got all of its runs in the third as Ellsbury drilled a three-run bomb over the Rays bullpen, scoring Josh Reddick and Mike Aviles.

Daniel Bard got a 1-2-3 with two strikeouts for his 28th hold of the season while Jonathan Papelbon continued his incredible stretch of work with a clean ninth for his 28th save of the season.

Pedroia ended the game with authority by snagging a B.J. Upton liner up the middle that seemed destined to be a base hit.

Game two was not so kind to the home team as Niemann (8-4) had one of the most impressive starts by an opposing pitcher that Boston will see all season.

Like Shields, he also threw a complete game (nine innings), allowing two earned runs on three hits with a walk and 10 strikeouts. I don't usually give out Fantasy Baseball tips but pick this guy up, I'm pretty sure he'll be available on most waiver wires.

Erik Bedard (4-8) is still looking for his first win in a Red Sox uniform after three starts. He went six innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on seven hits with no walks and six strikeouts. Tampa Bay got to his pitch count early-in the second-by fouling off the most amount of pitches I can ever remember (29 in his outing) by one pitcher.

Luck was not on his side even though Boston turned its first triple play since 1994 (John Valentin!). The Rays scored twice in the second on a throwing error by Jed Lowrie and a ground out by Matt Joyce.

Jason Varitek's (his eighth of the season) in the third cut it to 2-1 and Sean Rodriguez was the poor sap who grounded into the triple play in the fourth (Lowrie to Pedroia to Gonzalez: 5-4-3). That was only the 30th triple play in franchise history.

You figure that momentum could carry over but Jennings (2 hits) hit a solo homer over the Monster in the fifth and Boston had to play catch up once again. Ellsbury hit another homer (his 22nd) in the sixth but the Rays pushed across three in the eighth against Matt Albers featuring some more sloppy defense by the Red Sox (even if they weren't called errors).

B.J. Upton (3 hits, 2 runs, stolen base) had an RBI single-his first clutch hit in years-while Ben Zobrist (3 hits, 2 runs, 2 stolen bases) "stole home" on another bad throw by Lowrie. Casey Kotchman (2 hits) added an RBI single for even more of a cushion.

David Ortiz missed both games and will reportedly be in a boot for the next few days, but not go on the disabled list with a bruised heel.

The rubber match is tomorrow afternoon, yes another day game (today was a rain makeup date). John Lackey goes against David Price. The Red Sox could benefit from the win since they would take the series from the Rays and more importantly, head out on the long road trip (eight games) with renewed confidence.

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Three Red Sox Homers Help Them Survive John Lackey's Usual Mediocrity

The Seattle Mariners might have the worst offense in the American League but don't tell that to John Lackey.

Nope, it took everything he had to hold off the M's (50-67) as the Red Sox (73-44) won 6-4 tonight at Safeco Field in the series opener in the Pacific Northwest.

It was Lackey's (11-8) sixth straight win in seven decisions which is probably the most misleading statistic in the history of sports. Every player in Boston's lineup had a hit as they continue to dominate the woeful Mariners.

In six plus innings, Lackey allowed four earned runs on 10 hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

Seattle rookie starter Blake Beaven (3-3) was shelled. In 6.1 innings, he allowed six earned runs on 11 hits with a walk and a strikeout.

Nine Mariners have made their MLB debuts this season, the highest total of any team, so clearly this is a team that's building for the future. With hitters like Dustin Ackley (2 hits, RBI, walk) and Mike Carp (3 hits, 3 RBIs), Seattle has two studs to build around. Justin Smoak will also probably be good but he caught a tough break-no pun intended-when Jarrod Saltalamacchia's (2 hits, run) grounder took a wicked hop and broke his nose in the second inning.

Carp gave the M's a 2-0 lead in the first with a two-run single which scored Ichiro and Franklin Gutierrez.

David Ortiz's 24th homer of the season cut it to 2-1 in the second and Mike Aviles tied it later in the frame with a sacrifice fly (scoring Carl Crawford).

Ackley put Seattle ahead again with an RBI single in the second and Carp increased it to 4-2 in the fourth with an RBI double.

Jed Lowrie's fourth homer of the season (his first left-handed and first since April 20) brought Boston within 4-3 in the fifth and Josh Reddick provided the night's biggest hit with a two-run bomb off a window in right during the sixth.

Ortiz added an insurance run with an RBI single in the seventh that plated Adrian Gonzalez (2 hits; MLB-leading 52nd multi-hit game).

As it became a battle of the bullpens, predictably the Red Sox held on as Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon both had solid outings. Bard got four outs including three strikeouts (his 27th hold of the season) while Papelbon recorded his 27th save.

The Muddy Chicken himself-Dustin Pedroia-had two hits and a stolen base in the win as well. Great story about him in this week's Sports Illustrated, haha it explains the hilarious origin of his latest nickname.

Josh Beckett faces Felix Herandez tomorrow night in what promises to be a low-scoring pitcher's duel, in other words the exact opposite of tonight's proceedings.

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Red Sox Win Fourth Straight, Send Twins To Sixth Consecutive Defeat

Neither impossibly small strike zones nor early 2-0 deficits could hinder the Boston Red Sox tonight as they rallied for their third straight come-from-behind victory.

They survived home plate umpire Tim McClelland's early squeezing of Erik Bedard and the Twins' two runs in the first inning to come out on top 4-3 at Target Field.

In his second start for the Red Sox (72-43), Bedard (5 innings, 2 earned runs, 3 hits, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts) was much more impressive as he got to throw 90 pitches. If not for Michael Cuddyer's sacrifice fly and a completely bullshit bases-loaded walk by Delmon Young (two strikes were called balls), the lefty wouldn't have given up any runs at all.

Minnesota (51-65) starter Francisco Liriano wasn't the victim of Mcclelland's insanity but he still managed to walk seven batters. In six innings, the erratic lefty allowed three earned runs on four hits with four strikeouts.

It was a strange one and the easiest way to prove that is to tell you how Boston got all their runs. Darnell McDonald tied it at two with a two-run homer (his fourth of the season) in the fifth inning. Jason Varitek put the Red Sox up 3-2 in the sixth with an RBI single. After a Ysuyoshi Nishioka RBI double off Matt Albers (4-3) in the sixth, David Ortiz had the winning RBI with a gift infield single in the seventh. His easy comebacker was stabbed by Twins reliever Phil Dumatrait who promptly slipped on the non-wet infield grass.

After Franklin Morales go the first two outs of the sixth, he handed the ball over to Daniel Bard who got four more outs. Finally, Jonathan Papelbon recorded a 1-2-3 ninth (in seven pitches!) to get his 26th save of the season.

With the Yankees' loss to the Angels, Boston moved to 2.5 games ahead of New York in the AL East. They'll look to keep their winning streak (and Minnesota's losing streak) going tomorrow night as Jon Lester goes against Nick Blackburn in the series finale.

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Wakefield Remains Stuck On 199 Career Victories But Red Sox Still Rally For Another Win

Just like the 16-inning game in Tampa Bay three weeks ago didn't seem to affect the Boston Red Sox too much (as they pummeled the Orioles the next night), they pushed on through their fatigue again tonight with a 8-6 win at Target Field over the Minnesota Twins.

For the second game in a row, the Red Sox (71-43) rallied for a win. This one lacked the Hall of Fame closer (Mariano Rivera) but Boston trailed 5-1 before tying it in the sixth.

For the third straight time, Tim Wakefield sat on the brink of 200 career wins going into a start and he couldn't get it done. Terry Francona left Wake in as long as he could handle tonight, in an attempt to get that mark out of the way. He went seven innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on eight hits with no walks and four strikeouts.

Twins (51-64) starter Scott Baker's performance was about as uneven as his team's this entire season. For once, I think you can stick a fork in Minnesota in August. The injuries have been too much to overcome. Baker couldn't protect the 5-1 lead; in six innings, he allowed five earned runs on nine hits with no walks and five strikeouts.

David Ortiz and Jarrod Saltalamacchia-hitting fifth and sixth with Kevin Youkilis having the night off-provided the power with a combined four runs, six hits and five RBIs. Ortiz had four hits (a triple shy of the cycle), three runs and three RBIs. Saltalamacchia had two hits, two RBIs and a run.

Big Papi's three-run homer (22nd of the season) in the sixth cut it to 5-4 while Salty tied it up with a solo shot of his own (11th of the season).

Marco Scutaro put together probably the best two-game stretch of his life with three more hits and an RBI (after four hits on Sunday night). Scutaro's RBI single in the second scored Ortiz and gave Boston a 1-0 lead.

Minnesota put up three runs of their own in the second. Jason Kubel (3 hits, 2 runs, 2 RBIs) had an RBI single, Jim Thome had an RBI double and Thome came around on Salty's passed ball.

This one seemed to get away as Kubel hit a solo homer in the fourth and Joe Mauer made it 5-1 with an RBI double in the fifth.

Adrian Gonzalez (2 hits) got the Red Sox rally started in the sixth with a sacrifice fly which scored Carl Crawford-hitting second for one night.

Ortiz scored the go-ahead run in the eighth on an error by Mauer. The All-World catcher dropped a routine throw at the plate, Papi would have been out by a good distance.

Kubel took away the possibility of a win for Wakefield with another RBI single in the eighth off Alfredo Aceves (8-1) but Ortiz (RBI double) and Saltalamacchia (RBI single) got to Twins closer Joe Nathan in the ninth when he came on in a 6-6 game to start the frame.

Dustin Pedroia added two hits and two runs while Jed Lowrie had a hit in his return from the DL (shoulder injury). In total, the Red Sox pounded 17 hits and yet this game was exactly three hours long, go figure.

Trevor Plouffe had two hits and two runs for the Twins while Matt Tolbert notched two hits in the loss as well.

Aceves got out of the eighth allowing just the one run and he ended up snaking away another win (22-2 career record). Jonathan Papelbon got a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts for his 25th save of the season.

A pair of lefties go tomorrow night as Erik Bedard makes his second start for Boston against Minnesota's Francisco Liriano (who is either great or terrible, nothing in between).

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Josh Reddick's First Career Walk-Off Hit Sparks Red Sox' First Season Series Win Over Yankees Since 2004

Something about Sunday Night Baseball seems to bring out the drama for the Boston Red Sox.

While it's hard to top their 16-inning win over the Rays three weeks ago on July 17 (1-0 in Tampa Bay), tonight's 10-inning victory over the New York Yankees carried some extra significance for a couple reasons.

For starters, the 3-2 win at Fenway Park by the Red Sox (70-43) not only clinched the weekend series (2-1) and season series over New York (69-44)-it stands at 10-2 right now-but it put Boston back on top of the AL East by a game.

I'm not going to use the cliched term of magic but there was something in the foggy air as the Red Sox rallied for a run against the greatest closer in MLB history (Mariano Rivera) in the ninth to tie it 2-2 on Dustin Pedroia's sacrifice fly (scoring Marco Scutaro).

Then Josh Reddick picked a fine time for his first MLB walk-off hit as his RBI single drove in pinch runner Darnell McDonald in the tenth against Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes (2-4). David Ortiz (2 hits) had started the sequence with a ground-rule double to right, McDonald pinch ran for him and then Hughes intentionally walked Carl Crawford (3 hits) to get to Reddick.

The loss would have been particularly tough to take since Josh Beckett pitched well but Boston kept leaving runners on base (12) against Freddy Garcia and four other Yankees relievers before finally getting to Rivera and Hughes.

Beckett got a no-decision but it's safe to say that he still has New York locked down this season. As useless as CC Sabathia is against the Red Sox in 2011, Beckett is the opposite against the Yankees. Tonight, he went six innings, allowing one earned run on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

Similar to Bartolo Colon on Friday, New York manager Joe Girardi didn't hesitate to get his overachieving starter out at the first sign of trouble. That sketchy strategy worked the first time but not the second time. It's hard to see it being successful in the playoffs either as the Yankees presumably will be relying heavily on their bullpen since outside of Sabathia who can they count on to go 6+ innings?

Garcia went five innings, allowing one earned run on five hits with three walks and a strikeout.

Marco Scutaro (4 for 4) drove in Kevin Youkilis with an RBI single in the second, making it 1-0 Boston.

Beckett was dealing until Eduardo Nunez lost one just over the Monster in the fifth. Another very unlikely Yankee went deep as Brett Gardner (3 hits, 2 stolen bases) hit a solo homer off Matt Albers in the seventh.

That measly run figured to stand up as Rafael Soriano got a 1-2-3 seventh for New York and David Robertson likewise got a hold with a scoreless eighth.

Scutaro led off the ninth with a wall ball double that just miss being a homer to right against Rivera. Jacoby Ellsbury got him over to third despite a terrible bunt. Pedroia's sac fly tied it and the Red Sox were on their way.

After Albers and Franklin Morales (9 of his 12 pitches were balls; 2 walks but somehow no runs allowed) shaky relief, Dan Wheeler struck out the side in the seventh, Jonathan Papelbon pitched a scoreless ninth and Daniel Bard (2-5) got a 1-2-3 10th with two strikeouts for the eventual win.

There's only six more regular season games between these teams (3 in Boston Aug. 30-Sept. 1 and 3 in New York Sept. 23-25) but this latest marathon (4 hours, 15 minutes) proved that the Red Sox have the Yankees' number. As I alluded to in the headline, it's the first time since 2004 that Boston has won the season series against New York and who knows how long it's been since they clinched it so early on.

Boston heads out for three games in Minnesota followed by three in Seattle. They return for only two against Tampa Bay then hit the road again for four in Kansas City and four in Texas. Without a doubt, this is the toughest stretch of the season travel-wise for the Red Sox.

Tim Wakefield gets his third crack at 200 wins as he opposes Scott Baker of the Twins tomorrow night at Target Field. It's Boston's only visit to Minnesota this season, the Red Sox won three of four against the Twins on May 6-9 at Fenway.

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Yawn, Another Walk-Off Hit For Jacoby Ellsbury Vs. Cleveland

For a player that had never felt the joy of a walk-off hit in the majors, Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury is sure getting used to the feeling as he had his second in a row against the Cleveland Indians tonight at Fenway Park.

Whereas last night's single won it in the ninth, Ellsbury ratcheted up the excitement this evening with a solo homer (his 18th of the season) with two outs in the ninth against Cleveland (54-54) reliever Joe Smith (2-2).

As a fun footnote, the ball landed in the first row of the center field bleachers about 10 rows in front of where I was sitting with my girlfriend and other friends from college. That makes it 2-for-2 for my girlfriend and I this season in terms of Red Sox (68-41) wins of the walk-off variety in both games we've attended (also Carl Crawford's single vs. Seattle on May 1).

For the second straight outing, Tim Wakefield pitched well enough to notch his 200th career win on most nights but he got a no-decision after 6.2 innings of work. He allowed three earned runs on five hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Hey, what's another few days to MLB's oldest player (he just turned 45 yesterday)?

Indians starter Carlos Carrasco also got a no-decision. He went seven innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on nine hits with three walks and five strikeouts.

Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Reddick all had two hits as Boston outhit Cleveland by a 2-to-1 margin (10-5) overall.

David Ortiz gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead in the first with a two-run single which scored Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis.

Jason Kipnis put a run up for the Tribe with a solo homer (second night in a row he's done that) in the fourth followed later by an RBI double by Travis Hafner in the same frame that tied it at two.

Ortiz scored on Marco Scutaro's fielder's choice in the fourth.

Ezequiel Carrera's ground-rule double to right scored Lonnie Chisenhall in the seventh but Ellsbury sent everyone home happy with his blast in the ninth.

Like Ellsbury, Jonathan Papelbon (4-0) had another notable performance as he picked up his second win in as many nights with a 1-2-3 ninth complete with a strikeout. The unsung hero (and who thought I'd ever say this in my life) was Randy Williams. Yes, that one. He served as the bridge between Wakefield and Papelbon, getting four very important outs including no hits and two strikeouts.

Tomorrow night's series finale is an intriguing one as Erik Bedard makes his Red Sox debut against former Boston hurler Justin Masterson (who consistently pitches well against his old team). The Red Sox will look to win the series 3-1 and gain some steam going into a huge weekend meeting with the Yankees, who sit only one game back in the AL East.

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Ellsbury's First Career Walk-Off Hit Propels Red Sox To Win

A day that started out with promising news-Clay Buchholz won't need surgery on his back and could return late in the season-ended on a high note as well with Jacoby Ellsbury knocking in Jarrod Saltalamacchia with a walk-off single in the ninth for a 3-2 Red Sox win over the Indians at Fenway Park tonight.

It was the first career walk-off hit of Ellsbury's career and six overall for Boston (67-41) this season. The start of the game was delayed an hour and 45 minutes by rain; I can't ever remember this many rain delays in one season, it's getting absurd.

Cleveland (54-53) starter David Huff pitched well but the Red Sox got his pitch count over 100 in the fifth inning to ensure it would be a short outing. In five full innings (102 pitches), he allowed one unearned run on three hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Josh Beckett lasted a little longer but he was done after six innings (85 pitches) since Terry Francona didn't feel like risking him after he had warmed up twice (during the rain delays). He gave up two earned runs on six hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.

The two runs for the Indians were provided by a pair of rookies that truthfully, I'd never even heard of before. The latter day Mantle and Maris, Jason Kipnis (first inning) and Lonnie Chisenhall (fourth inning) both had solo home runs.

David Ortiz scored in the second on a wild pitch before Kevin Youkilis tied it up with a blast, his 16th of the season off the Sports Authority sign over the Monster in the sixth.

After Jason Varitek singled with one out in the ninth against Vinnie Pestano (1-1) and Josh Reddick's bloop single fell in for a hit, Ellsbury smoked a single up the middle. There was a play at the plate with Saltalamacchia pinch running for Varitek but a nice headfirst slide helped him avoid Cleveland catcher Carlos Santana's tag.

Franklin Morales had the best outing of his short Red Sox career by pitching a scoreless seventh and eighth. He allowed one hit and struck out three. Jonathan Papelbon (3-0) looked dominant in the ninth as he got a 1-2-3 inning punctuated by a strikeout which led to Ellsbury's heroics.

The win was especially vital since the Yankees shut out the White Sox to remain only one game behind the Red Sox for first-place in the AL East.

History will be on the line tomorrow night as I will be in the ballpark and Tim Wakefield goes for his 200th win against Carlos Carrasco.

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Terry Francona Records His 1000th Win As The Seattle Mariners Continue To Lose Like It's Their Job

Two milestones occurred last night at Fenway Park as the Boston Red Sox beat the Seattle Mariners 3-1 in another hot game in Boston.

Red Sox (61-37) manager Terry Francona notched his 1000th career win (715 with Boston) while the Mariners (43-57) tied a franchise record with their 14th straight loss.

If you were lucky enough to be in Vegas or some underground gambling ring, having Josh Beckett (9-3) face MLB's worst lineup was one of the biggest layups of the season. The big Texan delivered of course, going seven innings and allowing one earned run on seven hits with a walk and seven strikeouts. He lowered his ERA to a sick 2.07.

Seattle rookie pitcher Blake Beaven gave his team a chance to win (6.2 innings, 3 earned runs, 9 hits, 0 walks, 4 strikeouts) but what can you expect from a batting order that has Brendan Ryan hitting second and Adam Kennedy in the five spot?

It was scoreless until the seventh when Mariners left fielder Mike Carp hit a homer (this time a solo shot) for a 1-0 Seattle lead.

The Red Sox quickly responded in the home half of the frame as Jacoby Ellsbury (2 hits) hit a two-run single and then later scored on a wild pitch by Aaron Laffey.

Daniel Bard loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth but then he remembered who he was facing and he wiggled out of it without allowing a run. It was his 24th hold of the season and extended his scoreless streak to two months (last time he gave up an earned run was May 23-the night Tim Thomas robbed Tampa Bay's Steve Downie with the paddle of his stick).

Jonathan Papelbon gave up a hit but also got a strikeout in the ninth for his 23rd save in 24 chances.

Tim Wakefield faces Mariners star rookie Michael Pineda this afternoon as Boston looks to keep the good times rolling (up 3 games now on the Yankees in the AL East) and also kick Seattle out of town with an unsightly 15-game losing streak.

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The AL West Is And Has Always Been A Complete Joke, Just Ask John Lackey

I think I solved a riddle last night: how John Lackey was a successful MLB pitcher before coming to the Boston Red Sox last season.

Answer: he played in the AL West with the likes of the A's, the Mariners and the Rangers (before they were good). With only four teams, the AL West is the worst division in baseball without question. If you needed more empirical evidence, Lackey (8-8) got back to the .500 mark last night as the Red Sox (60-37) beat the Mariners (43-56) 7-4 at the sauna known as Fenway Park.

Last night was the start of a long homestand: 14 of Boston's next 17 games are at home and almost all of them are against bad teams so it's an opportune time for them to create some more distance between themselves, the Yankees and the Rays.

Seattle crawled into town on a 12-game losing streak and now they're just one loss away from tying the franchise mark for futility.

Lackey went seven solid innings, allowing one earned run on eight hits with no walks and four strikeouts. As I always say with a good start from Lackey, let's see him do it consistently and against good teams before I start buying stock in him.

Poor Felix Hernandez (8-9) must hate his life in Seattle. You know the world isn't fair when you're one of the best pitchers in MLB-albeit having a down year-and Lackey has a better record than you.

Sporting a Fe-Hawk (haha the Mariners official Twitter told me that last night after I made a remark about it; guess they have some time on their hands), King Felix was roughed up in 6.1 innings to the tune of six earned runs on 11 hits with four walks and two strikeouts.

The Mariners actually grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the first as Ichiro (2 hits) singled on the first pitch, then stole second and third base before rookie stud Dustin Ackley drove him in with a single.

Kevin Youkilis tied it in the bottom of the first as his RBI single scored Dustin Pedroia (who extended his hit streak to 19 games). Youkilis had two hits, two RBIs and a walk before leaving in the seventh with a right hand injury (not serious). Pedroia was 3 for 3 with two runs, a walk and a stolen base (his 19th!).

Jacoby Ellsbury (2 hits, 2 runs) gave Boston a lead it wouldn't give back with his 16th homer of the season, a solo shot in the third to right field.

The Red Sox poured it on with five runs in the seventh. Adrian Gonzalez had a two-run single, Youk had a two-run double and David Ortiz made an impact in his first game back from his three-game suspension with an RBI single.

Seattle made it sort of interesting as Mike Carp hit a three-run bomb off Franklin Morales in the eighth but Daniel Bard got the last out in the eighth and Jonathan Papelbon recorded his 22nd save with a 1-2-3 ninth (including a strikeout).

Miguel Olivo and Jack Cust each had two hits in the loss for the Mariners.

M's rookie Blake Beaven has the unenviable task of taking on Red Sox ace Josh Beckett tonight at Fenway and trying to snap Seattle's lengthy losing streak. Good luck guy.

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Red Sox Beat Rays 1-0 In Epic 16 Inning Affair

It's rare that a mid-season baseball game earns the instant classic label but last night's Sunday Night Baseball contest between the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays immediately joined that elite status (even while it was still going on into the wee hours of the morning).

After 480 combined pitches over five hours and 44 minutes, the Red Sox (57-36) ended up winning 1-0 in 16 innings at Tropicana Field. In the process, Boston took two of three from Tampa Bay (50-43) which put them seven games ahead of the Rays in the AL East and dealt them some psychological damage by taking the longest game in Tampa Bay franchise history.

In a ridiculous performance that featured once-in-a-lifetime stat lines (Jacoby Ellsbury 0-for-8, Adrian Gonzalez 1-for-7, BJ Upton 0-for-6, etc), Dustin Pedroia (3 for 7 with a walk, stolen base) was the only hitter for either team to notch more than one hit.

Pedroia's RBI single through the hole between first and second base scored Josh Reddick in the 16th gave the Red Sox the only run they would need. Pedroia also had two great plays in the field to get close outs at first while Reddick sent the game to the 11th with a remarkable leaping catch at the left field wall.

Tampa Bay's Adam Russell (1-2) was the hard-luck loser in a game that featured nine pitchers for the Rays and six for the Red Sox.

Josh Beckett and Jeff Niemann each went eight scoreless innings as neither offense could get anything going. The Red Sox left 17 men on base and they didn't score in the ninth or 11th after loading the bases. The Rays only left six men on base, showing how much they struggle offensively when Evan Longoria is hitting .233 and Casey Kotchman is batting fifth in their lineup.

Coming off his shutout against his one-hit shutout against the Rays on the night the Bruins won the Stanley Cup, Beckett picked up where he left off. He allowed one hit with no walks and six strikeouts.

Niemann gave up just two hits with two walks and 10 strikeouts.

Alfredo Aceves (5-1) earned the win with three perfect innings, including two strikeouts. Jonathan Papelbon put the exclamation point on the win with a 1-2-3 inning (with a strikeout) in the 16th for his 21st save.

With Daniel Bard (1 inning), Matt Albers (1.2 innings), Franklin Morales (1.1 innings), Aceves and Papelbon all pitching last night, expect Tim Wakefield to be pushed more than usual to go deep into tonight's game in Baltimore. The Red Sox open a three-game series at Camden Yards with Carl Crawford expected back in the lineup this evening. In addition, David Ortiz and Orioles closer Kevin Gregg will reportedly begin serving their suspensions tonight. Baltimore's Brad Bergesen gets the nod in the series opener.

Normally I would be worried about the fatigue factor after a game like last night but luckily for the Red Sox, they're playing the Sisters of the Poor of the AL East. The Orioles are a complete joke and they'll probably get swept again, just like they were before the All-Star break at Fenway.

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Red Sox Sweep Orioles, Head Into All-Star Break Up 1 Game On New York

After one more win (8-6) over the Baltimore Orioles (36-52), completing a four-game sweep at Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox (55-35) head into the All-Star break on a real high.

The Red Sox have won 10 of their last 11 games, including six straight, and they hold a one-game lead in the AL East over the New York Yankees. Most importantly as they sit a season-high 20 games over .500, they've made the 0-6 and 2-10 starts to the season a distant memory that's pretty much laughable now.

Boston is the powerhouse that we all knew they would be. They lead the AL in most offensive categories: batting average, runs, hits, total bases, doubles, doubles, RBIs, slugging percentage and OBP. This is the sixth time in the last seven seasons that they've led the AL East at the All-Star break (showing how irrelevant that stat can be).

They're sending six players (Adrian Gonzalez, David Ortiz, Jacoby Ellsbury, Kevin Youkilis, Josh Beckett and Jon Lester) to represent the team in the All-Star Game in Arizona.

Kyle Weiland made his MLB debut yesterday afternoon for Boston and it was memorable, albeit not for positive reasons on a personal level. In four innings, he gave up six earned runs on eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts. He was ejected in the fifth after hitting Vlad Guerrero with an errant pitch. Terry Francona was also tossed since both managers had been warned.

Later, Orioles manager Buck Showalter and reliever Mike Gonzalez were thrown out in the sixth after Gonzalez threw behind Ortiz.

Baltimore jumped out to a 6-2 lead on Weiland with six runs in the second but predictably, they couldn't hold on as Mitch Atkins was gone after 1.2 innings and Jeremy Guthrie (3-12) took the loss.

Boston went up 2-0 in the first on an RBI single by Ortiz and a sacrifice fly by Josh Reddick.

The Orioles put up six thanks to a two-run bomb by Derrek Lee and four RBI singles (three of the infield variety).

The Red Sox immediately tied it up at six in the second as Marco Scutaro (fourth), Dustin Pedroia (11th; 3 runs, 2 hits) and Youkilis (13th, two-run) all went deep.

Ortiz walked with the bases loaded in the fourth and Ellsbury (2 hits) produced an RBI single in the seventh for an insurance run.

As he's been most of the first half, Red Sox jack of all trades pitcher Alfredo Aceves (4-1) was the unsung hero. He pitched three scoreless innings with no hits allowed and four strikeouts.

Daniel Bard got his AL-leading 21st hold in the eighth, extending his career-long scoreless streak to 19 1/3 innings, before Jonathan Papelbon recorded his 20th save (out of 21 chances) with a walk and two strikeouts in the ninth.

The best team in the American League earned its four days off while everyone scatters to different parts of the country. If possible, enjoy Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game. The Red Sox get back to work on Friday with three games in Tampa Bay (who are six games behind Boston) then three in Baltimore.

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Tim Wakefield As Your Number 2 Starter in 2011? So Far, So Good

With a season-ending injury to Daisuke Matsuzaka and trips to the disabled list for Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield (the oldest man in MLB) has gone from forgotten spare part to a key component of the starting rotation.

That's not an ideal situation but the Red Sox are riding this string of bad luck with injuries into the All-Star break so that they can regroup and hopefully get more healthy.

Last night, Wakefield (5-3) struck out a season-high seven as Boston (51-35) took two out of three from Toronto (42-46) with a 6-4 win at Fenway Park.

Wakefield lasted seven innings, allowing three earned runs on nine hits with a walk.

Daniel Bard got two outs in the eighth before there was a 28-minute rain delay. Dan Wheeler got the final out of the frame after the tarp was pulled off the field. For the second night in a row, Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon had a shaky outing (giving up a run) but he still managed to strike out the side for his 19th save of the season.

Blue Jays starter Ricky Romero (7-8) continued to mystify as he's a quality MLB pitcher against virtually every other team except the Red Sox. He went 4.1 innings, allowing six earned runs on nine hits with three walks and two strikeouts.

Jacoby Ellsbury (3 RBIs, run, stolen base) and Kevin Youkilis (run, RBI) both smacked three hits for Boston's offense.

Yunel Escobar went 4-for-5 for Toronto while Jose Bautista (2 RBIs) and Travis Snider added two hits apiece for the Blue Jays.

Bautista gave Toronto a 1-0 lead in the first as his single drove in Escobar.

Ellsbury quickly tied it up with a leadoff homer, his 10th bomb (a career-high) of the season.

Youkilis followed with his 12th homer of the season in the second inning for a 2-1 Boston lead.

The Blue Jays took one more lead in the third as Bautista drove in Rajai Davis with a sacrifice fly and Adam Lind plated Escobar with an RBI single, 3-2 Toronto.

The Red Sox put up a crooked number in the fourth with four runs. Darnell McDonald tied it with an RBI single, Yamaico Navarro had an RBI double and Ellsbury (who's had a great season thus far) knocked in two with a double of his own.

Escobar got the last Toronto run in the ninth as he hit an RBI single off Papelbon.

The Baltimore Orioles come to Fenway for the last series of the unofficial first half of the 2011 season. The four-game set starts tonight with Andrew Miller taking on O's youngster Jake Arrieta.

Baltimore is still one of the worst teams in the American League and baseball so three out of four isn't too much to ask despite John Lackey and Alfredo Aceves (not to mention Miller) all slated to start in this series.

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Red Sox Beat Blue Jays On Walk-Off Play At The Plate That Goes Their Way

One of the great things about baseball (and why people will put up with such long seasons) is that no matter how many games you watch it at any level, you always have the chance to see something for the first time.

Last night was one of those special moments as the Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 at Fenway Park.

After Blue Jays (42-45) infielder John McDonald (2 hits) hit a two-out single to left field off Red Sox (50-35) closer Jonathan Papelbon, Edwin Encarnacion rounded third with the possible tying run.

However, Boston left fielder Darnell McDonald threw a strike to catcher Jason Varitek, who blocked the plate, and the captain was able to put a tag on Encarnacion before he scored. It was an extremely close play (replays showed that he might have swiped the plate) but he was called out and that's all that matters. A walk-off outfield assist. Crazy.

The bigger news of the contest was that Red Sox starter Jon Lester left after four no-hit innings with a left lat injury. He was placed on the DL today and won't be able to return until at least July 22.

Alfredo Aceves will get Lester's scheduled start on Sunday vs. the Orioles, the last game before the All-Star break.

Called to duty earlier than usual, Matt Albers (3-3) threw two scoreless innings with two strikeouts for the win. Franklin Morales (seventh) and Daniel Bard (eighth) added scoreless frames before Papelbon did his best to blow it when he was handed a 3-0 lead in the ninth.

He allowed four hits, including a two-run bomb (a rainbow over the Monster) by Blue Jays uber slugger Jose Bautista (his 28th of the season) but was bailed out by McDonald and Varitek to get his 18th save of the season.

Brett Cecil (1-4) went the whole way (eight innings) for Toronto. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Boston pushed across two in the second on Varitek's RBI double which plated David Ortiz and J.D. Drew's RBI single which scored Varitek.

Batting in the cleanup spot-with Kevin Youkilis sitting-Dustin Pedroia hit his eighth homer of the season, a solo laser show in the third. You know that awesome phrase has jumped the shark when not only does NESN use it for his home run calls but also Sportscenter.

Adrian Gonzalez is out of the lineup tonight for the first time this season as Tim Wakefield takes on Ricky Romero who is a very good lefty that seems to always get knocked around by the Red Sox.

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