Red Sox Win Ugly Game in Gross Way: Walk-Off Error

You are excused if you either didn't watch the Red Sox-Orioles game tonight or at least changed it after Boston went down 5-0 in the sixth inning. Who could have predicted that Boston (9-10 overall, 4-5 home) would rally for a wild 6-5 win at Fenway Park over bumbling Baltimore (8-9 overall, 4-5 away)?

It was tied at five in the bottom of the ninth when Mike Carp lined out to left but David Lough made a terrible relay throw and third baseman Jonathan Schoop ran from the ball like it was a grenade. The bottom line was that Dustin Pedroia scored the winning run as Boston escaped with an improbable 6-5 victory. The best part for all involved (players, fans, media) is that it didn't go to extra innings since Marathon Monday is tomorrow with its customary 11 a.m. start time.

The Jake Peavy of late 2013 made the start and Baltimore scored three in the first inning on a homer by Nelson Cruz (his third of the season, all against Boston), Matt Wieters had an RBI single and J.J. Hardy added a run with a sacrifice fly. Things got worse as Lough had an RBI double in the fifth and Adam Jones (4 hits, double, run) made it 5-0 with a run-scoring single.

For a while, Ubaldo Jimenez looked pretty good but then he remembered how much he always struggles against the Red Sox. Jonny Gomes started the comeback with a three-run bomb in the sixth (his second of the season) and David Ortiz cut it to 5-4 with an RBI single in the seventh. The tying run scored on a fielder's choice by Mike Napoli. Speaking of Nap, he got drilled right on the kneecap in the ninth but somehow stayed in the game on a cold night. Props to him, that had to kill. Coupled with his mangled finger, this hasn't been the best week of his life by any means.

It was a tough night for Lough, he actually was unwittingly Baltimore's last out as he struck out against Edward Mujica (the only batter he faced). For those four pitches, Mujica picked up his first win as a Red Sox (1-1). Boston has won the last two games after dropping Friday's series opener; they'll go for the series win this afternoon as Clay Buchholz (0-1) looks for his first victory of the season against Wei-Yin Chen (2-1).

It should be an emotional day at Fenway with the Boston Marathon going on in the background. Patriot's Day is always a special time in Boston and this year in particular with last year's bombings fresh in our minds should be particularly meaningful. The Red Sox did a great job with a touching pregame ceremony before tonight's contest. Expect more stuff tomorrow dedicated to the victims, first responders and runners.

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Red Sox Take Opening Series With Orioles

After losing the season opener on Monday, the Red Sox bounced back to win on Wednesday and tonight 4-3 against the Orioles (a team that has owned them the last few years) at Camden Yards to take the series (2-1). Boston (2-1) showed that it can win a close game, on the road, versus a quality opponent.

This game shouldn't have been so close since once again the Red Sox struggled with runners in scoring position (2 for 10) and they left nine on base. However, they put up 14 hits as a team so they were able to do just enough to scratch out their second straight victory.

It was mostly about the youngsters as Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 4 with two runs, Will Middlebrooks was 2 for 4 with a double and run while Jackie Bradley Jr. was 2 for 4 with a run and RBI. Felix Doubront (1-0) wasn't great (5.1 innings, 3 earned runs, 6 hits, 4 strikeouts, 1 walk) but David Ortiz was (3 for 5 with RBI) like always. I would say the most impressive contribution was Koji Uehara's 1-2-3 ninth for his first of the season; he threw only seven pitches and that included a strikeout!

Boston spread its runs out into four different innings. Middlebrooks killed a possible big inning with a double play ball in the second but a run still scored. Ortiz had an RBI single in the third and David Ross added one in the fourth for a 3-0 Red Sox lead.

Matt Wieters (3 for 4 with run and RBI) gave Baltimore its first run with an RBI double in the fourth, Delmon Young knocked him in with a single. Bradley Jr.'s RBI single in the sixth turned out to be important since Chris Davis (2 for 4 with double, 2 runs) scored a run on Brandon Workman's wild pitch. Things settled down from there as Springfield MA native Chris Capuano had a 1-2-3 seventh with one strikeout in his Red Sox debut. Junichi Tazawa worked around two hits for a scoreless eighth.

The action packed week continues for the Red Sox as they host the Milwaukee Brewers (1-2) this weekend at Fenway Park, the start of a six-game homestand that also includes three vs. Texas (2-1). Tomorrow (2:05, NESN) is the 2014 home opener where Boston will get their World Series rings and celebrate that team one last time.

As for the games, Jake Peavy faces Marco Estrada tomorrow, Clay Buchholz takes on Wily Peralta Saturday night (7:10, NESN) and Jon Lester (0-1) meets Yovani Gallardo (1-0) Sunday afternoon (1:35, NESN) in a battle of aces that should be awesome.

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Red Sox Can't Clinch A Playoff Spot (again) but Indians lose, making Boston's Magic Number one

For the second night in a row, the Red Sox had a chance to clinch a playoff spot (somewhere they haven't been in the last four years) but they couldn't do it as the resilient Orioles (81-70 overall, 39-37 away) outscored Boston (92-61 overall, 50-27 home) 5-3 in 12 innings. Baltimore has won six of their last seven series at Fenway and they are 9-6 against the Red Sox this season, the only MLB team with a winning record against MLB's top squad. Boston lost consecutive games for the first time in over a month (August 15 & 16).

The Royals held up their end of the bargain as they beat the Indians 7-2. That leaves Cleveland half a game outside of the Wild Card race and Baltimore is only one game behind Texas (2nd Wild Card). Boston didn't deserve to win as they grounded into four double plays and left nine runners on base. Enough with this charade, I can't imagine how much champagne is sitting on ice in Boston's locker room.

The Red Sox handed Jake Peavy (7 IP, 3 ER, 6 hits, 8 Ks) a 2-0 lead in the first on David Ortiz's two-run homer, his 28th of the season, but he couldn't hold it. Matt Wieters (run, 2 doubles) and Brian Roberts (2 hits, walk run) each had RBI doubles in the fifth as the O's tied it at two. Wieters added a sacrifice fly in the sixth to give Baltimore a 3-2 lead. That turned out to be short-lived as Mr. September Mike Napoli crushed a solo homer to center, his 23rd of the season to knot it at three.

Baltimore used six pitchers because they need to win every game they can for the remainder of this season. Rookie Kevin Gausman (2 IP, 5 Ks) looks destined to be a star for the O's. Things got wacky (as they usually do) in extra innings: Boston put the lead runner on in the 10th and 11th but they couldn't score. Chris Davis came through with the game's biggest hit, a two-run single that squeaked through the middle of the infield in the twelfth.

Jim Johnson pitched for the second night in a row but that didn't seem to faze him as he had a scoreless 12th inning for his 47th save of the season. Will Middlebrooks was 3-for-6 with a walk, Shane Victorino was 3-for-5 with a run and Dustin Pedroia went 2 for 6 with a double.

The Orioles go for the sweep tomorrow night (7:10, NESN) with their ace Chris Tillman (16-6) opposing John Lackey (9-12).

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Red Sox Will Have To Wait Another Night To Clinch A Playoff Spot, Oh Well

Tonight, the Red Sox had a chance to clinch their first playoff spot since 2009 but they couldn't do it. Boston (92-60 overall, 50-26 home) lost 3-2 to Baltimore (80-70 overall, 38-37 away) at Fenway Park. It also turned out that they needed an Indians loss as well but they won 5-3 at the Royals so I guess it wasn't meant to be after all.

The Red Sox led 2-0 following Dustin Pedroia's lead off homer in the first then a sacrifice fly by Xander Bogaerts in the fourth inning. Orioles starter Scott Feldman was wild (6 walks) but he only allowed the two runs in five innings before giving way to five relievers who combined to put up four shutout innings. Former scrub Tommy Hunter (6-4) got the last two outs in the eighth to earn the win. Baltimore closer Jim Johnson has been very shaky at times this season but he struck out Bogaerts to end it (for his 46th save), stranding pinch-runner Quintin Berry at second base.

I pray that these are the final days of Ryan Dempster in Boston's rotation in 2013 so enjoy the mediocrity while it lasts. He actually pitched well, going six innings and allowing two earned runs on three hits with five strikeouts and four walks. Brian Roberts' grounder scored former Red Sox great Danny Valencia (two walks) in the fifth and Chris Davis tied it with his 51st homer of the season (a new Orioles record), a solo shot to center in the sixth.

Craig Breslow did an incredible job to work out of a jam (runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs) in the eighth without allowing a run. You knew Koji Uehara's (4-1) mind-boggling stretch would end at some point and I'm happy that it occurred in September rather than October. Valencia led off the ninth with a triple against Uehara to end his streak of 37 straight batters retired. Matt Wieters' sacrifice fly meant Uehara allowed his first run since July 7 (30 2/3 innings and 27 scoreless outings ago) and he was charged with his first loss of the season.

Jake Peavy (11-5) and Wei-Yin Chen (7-7) get to do the honors tomorrow night (7:10, NESN). With tonight's victory, Baltimore pulled to within two games of Texas and Tampa Bay for the AL Wild Cards. In other words, this series means plenty to both teams hence why it felt like a playoff game in the opener.

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Out Of Nowhere, The Orioles Are Having Some Kind Of Insane Regular Season

Nobody and I mean nobody expected the Orioles to be .500 in 2012, let alone jockeying with the Yankees for first-place in the AL East and in firm control of a wild card spot. Somehow devoid of a superstar (Adam Jones and Matt Wieters are very good players but not really at that level) or ace pitcher, Baltimore finds itself on the cusp of its first playoff bid since 1997.

Obviously with a team that comes out of nowhere like this, they will possess many insane statistics but my favorite is this: the Orioles (87-64, 45-32 away) won their 16th straight extra innings game this afternoon with a 9-6 win in 12 innings over the Red Sox (68-85, 33-45 home) at Fenway Park.

Boston fell to 0-7 in extra innings games this season at home and 2-9 overall. Baltimore led 6-3 but Boston scored twice in the seventh on a pair of RBI ground outs then tied it on Scott Podsednik's (double, run) RBI double in the eighth.

Once it got to extra innings, you knew the Orioles had this one wrapped up. The only question was who would the heroes be? If you said Jim Thome (RBI double), Endy Chavez (RBI single) and Manny Machado (RBI single; 3 for 6, run) you truly have a special gift.

Baltimore closer Jim Johnson extended his franchise record by tossing a scoreless 12th for his 47th save of the season.

Consider me shocked that Randy Wolf (5 innings, 3 earned runs, 7 hits, 2 strikeouts, 2 walks) and Aaron Cook (5.1 innings, 5 earned runs, 9 hits, 1 strikeout, 2 walks) didn't have the instant classic pitcher's duel that wasn't predicted by anybody in the world.

Adam Jones (2 hits, double, 2 runs, 2 RBIs) had an RBI ground out in first which gave the O's a 1-0 lead. Ryan Lavarnway (2 RBIs) tied it with an RBI single in the home half of the frame. Baltimore tacked on a run in the second on Machado's RBI single then all or nothing slugger Mark Reynolds connected for a solo homer (his 22nd of the season) as Baltimore opened up a 3-1 lead in the fourth.

Danny Valencia tied it with a two-run bomb (his 3rd of the season) in the fourth. Portland Maine's Ryan Flaherty (2 for 4, double, 2 RBIs, 2 walks) had a two-run triple in the sixth and Jones cranked a solo shot in the seventh (his 31st of the season).

Alfredo Aceves (2-10) was charged with all three runs in the 12th so he received yet another loss in what has been a nightmare second half for the mercurial pitcher. I wouldn't put it past him to intentionally tank just to spite Bobby V. He's that batshit crazy.

Baltimore will look for a three-game sweep tomorrow afternoon (1:35 p.m., NESN) as Chris Tillman (8-2) faces Felix Doubront (11-9). On an NFL Sunday aka Red Zone to the face time, it would take a large sum of money for me to watch that game let alone take time out of my precious day to attend it.

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Jon Lester's Perfect Record Against The Orioles Had To End At Some Point

Until I was reminded of it earlier today, I had almost forgotten about Jon Lester's absurd career record against the Orioles: 14-0 in 20 starts.

It only made sense that in this abomination of a season that Baltimore (86-64, 44-32 away) would finally put an end to that with a 4-2 win against Boston (68-84, 33-44 home) at Fenway Park.

With the Yankees win against the A's, the Orioles kept pace at only one game behind New York for first-place in the AL East.

Miguel Gonzalez (7-4) did the honors as he went 6.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and a walk. Reliever Darren O'Day pitched 1.2 clean innings and closer Jim Johnson set a new team record with a scoreless ninth for his 46th save of the season.

Lester's (9-13) terrible campaign is almost over. He went seven innings but allowed four earned runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and three walks.

Matt Wieters (2 for 4, double, 3 RBIs, run), Adam Jones (2 for 3, double, 2 runs), Mark Reynolds (2 for 4, RBI) and Robert Andino (2 for 2, walk) all had multiple hits for the O's.

Pedro Ciriaco (2 for 4, double, run, RBI), Daniel Nava (2 for 4, double, run) and Scott Podsednik (2 for 4) had two hits apiece for the Red Sox.

Ciriaco's RBI double in third gave Boston a 1-0 lead. Wieters temporarily put Baltimore ahead with a two-run single in the fourth. Dustin Pedroia tied it at two with an RBI single in the fifth. Wieters' RBI double and Reynolds' RBI single in the sixth gave the Orioles the 4-2 advantage that would stick.

I'm pretty sure it is still 2012 but tomorrow afternoon's (1:10 p.m., NESN) pitching matchup is straight out of the National League in like 2006: Aaron Cook (4-10) vs. Randy Wolf (5-10). Be sure not to watch a second of that wretched contest. The weather is supposed to be nice and it's a college football Saturday, what more do you want?

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Red Sox Piss Another Season Down The Drain, Misery Continues In Baltimore

Aaron Cook had a no-hitter entering the sixth inning and the Red Sox led the Orioles 2-0. As quick as you could say, no October baseball at Fenway, Baltimore scored five runs en route to a 5-3 win tonight at Camden Yards.

Boston (57-61, 28-27 away) latest slide all but guarantees that September will be completely meaningless. There is no chance this team will push for a playoff spot, at this point they are going to struggle to finish over .500 and in front of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Baltimore (64-53, 32-28 home) only had six hits but they made them count by going 4 for 13 with runners in scoring position. The Red Sox were 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position while they both left six men on base.

The uniquely terrible aspects to this loss for Boston included a throwing error by Cook that led to three runs plus the ejections of Adrian Gonzalez and Bobby Valentine. After Pedro Strop quick pitched Gonzo in the eighth then got him to ground out, the normally church mouse quiet first baseman sort of showed some emotion. Valentine came out to defend him/fire up his worthless team but you can see from the final score how that went.

Cook (3-6) went 5.1 innings, allowing five runs (two earned) on three hits with one strikeout and three walks.

Orioles starter Miguel Gonzalez (5-2) went six innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Baltimore's bullpen locked it down, especially Strop who had a 1-2-3 eighth with two strikeouts for his 20th hold and closer Jim Johnson who notched his 35th save with a clean ninth including a strikeout.

Jacoby Ellsbury's (2 hits) RBI double and Carl Crawford's sacrifice fly scored Nick Punto (2 runs) staked the Red Sox to a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning.

The Orioles sixth included an RBI single by Nate McLouth, Adam Jones grounded into a fielder's choice and Cook threw the ball away which allowed J.J. Hardy to score, Matt Wieters had an RBI double and Mark Reyonlds ended it with a two-run double.

All Boston could muster after Baltimore's big sixth inning was an RBI ground out by Crawford in the seventh.

Clay Buchholz (10-3) is all that stands in the way of a three-game sweep by the Orioles tomorrow night (7:05 p.m., NESN) as he takes on Chris Tillman (5-2). The only question is how will the Red Sox find a new and different way to lose?

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Red Sox Waste Salty's Clutch Homer, Fall 8-6 To Orioles In 10 Innings

To state the obvious: for the Boston Red Sox to go anywhere this season (which I am certainly not counting on), they desperately need Jon Lester to be much more than he's shown so far in 2012.

The Red Sox (28-27, 13-15 home) wasted a clutch, two-out two-run homer by Jarrod Saltalamacchia (3 hits) in the ninth as they fell 8-6 in 10 innings to the Baltimore Orioles (31-24, 17-11 away) tonight at chilly Fenway Park in the series opener.

Lester went six innings but he allowed four runs (two earned) on eight hits with five strikeouts and a walk. By his recently low standards, that was a great outing. It's tough to pin the loss on him, especially since it went into extra innings but it's about time that we started to expect better from the guy that has to be the staff ace.

Orioles starter Jason Hammel only lasted five innings because his pitch count ballooned to 107. He allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits with seven strikeouts and three walks.

It came down to a battle of the bullpens, specifically the closers. Both Jim Johnson (1-0; 1st blown save in 25 chances dating back to last season) and Alfredo Aceves (0-3) worked two innings and allowed a pair of runs but Baltimore had a 6-4 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth so they had more room for error.

Befitting a game that few watched once the Celtics-Heat started, there were many peculiar elements. First of all, there were 14 runs scored combined but Salty's bomb was the only extra-base hit that produced a run. Everything else was the product of singles and sacrifice flies.

The Orioles cashed in big time with runners on base (8 for 17) while the Red Sox (1 for 8) did not. Out of 26 total hits for both teams, only four were for extra-bases (two doubles, a triple, the home run).

Baltimore had 15 hits led by Endy Chavez (3 hits, 2 runs, RBI). Robert Andino (2 hits, 2 runs), J.J. Hardy (2 hits, RBI), Matt Wieters (2 hits, run, RBI, walk) and Mark Reynolds (2 hits, 2 walks, run, RBI) all had multiple hits in the win.

For Boston, Salty and Mike Aviles (3 hits, run, RBI) helped them to 11 hits. Scott Podsednik (2 hits, RBI, walk) and Daniel Nava (2 runs, 2 hits) also continued to get on base, something which nobody expected consistently from them (especially when they were pressed into the lineup every day).

Baltimore scored first with two runs in the third on RBI singles by Adam Jones and Wieters. Boston tied it in the fifth on an Orioles error and Dustin Pedroia's (first game since last Monday) sacrifice fly.

Steve Pearce (who I've never heard of before now) put the O's back on top with a sacrifice fly in the sixth but the Red Sox responded again with an RBI single by Aviles and Podsednik's sacrifice fly in the sixth to take a 4-3 lead.

Baltimore went ahead with three in the seventh: Hardy, Reynolds and Pearce all had RBI singles. The last two runs were charged to Scott Atchison, who entered on a streak of no earned runs in his last 19 2/3 innings.

Ronny Paulino and Chavez had RBI singles in the 10th against Aceves. Johnson retired Boston 1-2-3 in the 10th.

If we accept all the signs that point to this being a rebuilding year for the Red Sox, the biggest news of the day was that Daniel Bard was sent down to Pawtucket to get his mind and right arm in a better place. Darnell McDonald was called up to take his spot on the roster and it looks like Daisuke Matsuzaka will inherit Bard's spot in the rotation for the time being (beginning with a start Saturday against Washington).

It's all the Red Sox' front office's fault that Bard is a mess that can't throw strikes or get anybody out. Bobby Valentine knew right away in Spring Training that Bard should stay in the bullpen but since he was a new manager, he didn't feel comfortable questioning the move. How'd that work out? Let's all hope that Bard can relax with the PawSox and get back to the player that was a top setup man for three seasons.

Josh Beckett (4-5) opposes Wei-Yin Chen (4-2) tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN) in the middle game of a three game set.

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Orioles Beat Red Sox 6-4 In 13 Miserable Innings

I don't know what else to say other than the Boston Red Sox are once again playing terrible baseball. They lost for the eighth time in their last nine games at Fenway Park as they dropped the series opener 6-4 to the Baltimore Orioles tonight in 13 innings.

Chris Davis (2 hits) had an RBI single and Mark Reynolds pushed another run across in the 13th with a sacrifice fly. Orioles closer Jim Johnson got a 1-2-3 13th for his eighth save of the season.

Boston (11-14, 4-8 home) has lost three straight and it's impossible to have much faith in this group. Conversely, Buck Showalter and Baltimore (17-9, 9-5 away) might finally be onto something. Maybe the Orioles won't finish in fifth place in the AL East this season.

Jon Lester was decent. He lasted six innings, allowing three runs (all earned) on five hits with two strikeouts and three walks. The Red Sox got their first look at Orioles starting pitcher Wei-Yin Chen. He went five innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits with four strikeouts and three walks.

The Red Sox couldn't hold leads of 3-1 and 4-3 as their bullpen, which has actually been excellent recently, faltered. Vicente Padilla allowed the run that tied it at four and then Franklin Morales (0-1) coughed up two more in the 13th for the loss.

Baltimore won because its bullpen threw a ridiculous eight scoreless innings. Matt Lindstrom (1 inning), Pedro Strop (2 innings), Luis Ayala (2 innings), Troy Patton (2 innings; 1-0) and Johnson were mighty impressive.

Cody Ross scored on a passed ball to give Boston a 1-0 lead in the second but Reynolds (1st of the season) crushed a meatball right down the middle from Lester in the third over The Monster. David Ortiz's ground out scored Adrian Gonzalez (3 hits) in the third and Ross drove in Dustin Pedroia with a sacrifice fly.

Matt Wieters (2 hits, 2 runs) is not known for his speed but Ross misplayed a ball in the right field corner and Baltimore's catcher ended up with an RBI triple in the fourth. Wilson Betemit knocked him in with an RBI single, tying the game at three in the fourth.

Pedroia put Boston ahead one last time in the fifth with an RBI single that scored Will Middlebrooks (double). The O's tied it in the seventh as a run scored even though J.J. Hardy grounded into a double play.

Aaron Cook makes his Red Sox debut tomorrow afternoon (1:10 p.m., NESN) as the veteran sinkerballer looks to get his new team out of their latest fog. Jason Hammel (3-1) goes for the Orioles, who have the AL's worst defense but somehow they've made up for it with the top ERA in the AL.

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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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Just Calmly Admit To Yourself That It's Over And Life Will Be So Much Easier

There are two games left in the 2011 MLB regular season with the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays tied for the AL Wild Card.

Those are the facts but I'm here to tell you that's it over for the Red Sox (89-71) after tonight's 6-3 loss at Camden Yards to the Baltimore Orioles (68-92) which frittered away the last game of Boston's lead. Tampa Bay beat the Yankees 5-2.

I've never found myself basically rooting against one of the four Boston pro sports teams but that's what is has come to with this miserable operation. I want their season to be over so we can just get away from this team and hopefully make some big changes in the offseason (dumping John Lackey, Carl Crawford, etc.). They're mostly unlikable, they have no pulse and now, they're about to pull off one of the great September choke jobs in MLB history.

For the second time in less than a week, Josh Beckett (13-7) was not up to the task of beating the O's. The fraudulent Texas toughguy went six innings but he allowed six earned runs on seven hits with four walks and five strikeouts.

Boston staked Beckett to a 2-1 lead in the fourth, following Jacoby Ellsbury's RBI double in the second and Jed Lowrie's solo homer in the fourth (his sixth of the season).

Chris Davis (2 hits, 2 RBIs) tied it with an RBI single in the fifth and put his team ahead for good with an RBI double in the sixth. The biggest blow was an inside-the-park three-run homer by Robert Andino. For a team that has found new and different ways to lose since the calendar changed to September, this was a unique one even for them.

Jacoby Ellsbury had the ball in his glove in center field but it popped out as he ran basically full speed into the wall. That's the play all the old-timers will be talking about for years to come, that is assuming they are still watching this bunch of losers.

Dustin Pedroia (2 hits, walk) had an RBI single in the ninth as the Red Sox tried to rally but Adrian Gonzalez flew out for the second out and Lowrie struck out to end it when he represented the tying run with two runners on base.

David Ortiz and J.D. Drew each had two meaningless hits in the latest disastrous setback.

Matt Wieters tied it in the second for the Orioles with a solo homer. Tommy Hunter outdueled Beckett once again, proving that Beckett's big-game reputation doesn't really fit anymore. Hunter went five innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on seven hits with three walks and two strikeouts.

Troy Patton (2-1) got five outs for the win and four other Baltimore relievers followed him.

I would say this was a soul-crushing defeat for the Red Sox but that would be incorrectly assuming this team had one to begin with. They're an overpaid, underachieving bunch that should rightfully be taken apart this winter. Good riddance.

On the bright side, Erik Bedard faces Zach Britton tomorrow night as Boston tries to stave off all the negative momentum you could ever possibly imagine one team facing in the regular season.

Who knows who will be catching Bedard since Jason Varitek was a late scratch last night with a bruised knee (he was hit by a pitch on Sunday in New York) and Jarrod Saltalmacchia had to leave in the eighth inning after taking a foul ball off his collarbone.

Keep in mind that no MLB team has ever blown a nine-game lead (what Boston had) in September but then again, this squad hasn't won two games in a row since a day-night doubleheader vs. Oakland on August 27.

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Time Stands Still As The Orioles Beat The Red Sox

In MLB, you play teams in your division approximately a million times each season so it was only a matter of time before the Baltimore Orioles found a way to knock off the Boston Red Sox.

The O's (39-55) snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Red Sox (58-37) with a 6-2 win last night at Camden Yards.

Rookie Kyle Weiland (0-1) made his second start for Boston (both have been against the Orioles) and while he had better results this time, the former Notre Dame closer still didn't come out on top. In his MLB debut, he was lit up and ejected after hitting Vlad Guerriero but the Red Sox rallied to win. This time around, he went six innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts.

Normally reliable Alfredo Aceves was also touched up for three earned runs in two innings, including back-to-back homers by Derrek Lee (two-run) and Mark Reynolds (3 hits) in the eighth that extended Baltimore's lead from a measly 3-2 to an insurmountable 6-2.

Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie (4-13), who entered with the most losses in MLB, had one of his better outings of a terrible season. He went seven innings, allowing two earned runs on eight hits with a walk and four strikeouts.

Jim Johnson went the last two innings, picking up the save (his first of the season) by not allowing any hits or runs.

Reynolds gave the O's a 1-0 lead in the second with an RBI double which scored Adam Jones (2 hits). Nolan Reimold's ground out brought home Matt Wieters (2 runs, 2 hits) to make it 2-0 Baltimore in the second.

Wieters upped the margin to 3-0 with an RBI single in the third which scored Nick Markakis.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia provided the Red Sox' only runs with a two-run bomb (his second in as many games) in the fifth. The eighth of the season, it scored Josh Reddick (3 hits), who continues to tear the cover off the ball.

Boston's six-game road trip wraps up this afternoon as Andrew Miller takes on Jake Arrieta. The Red Sox are currently 3-2 on the trip and 1.5 games up on the Yankees in the AL East so one more win would be nice. 4-2 looks a lot better than 3-3 plus you can't lose two out of three to the Orioles, ever.

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Orioles young stud snaps Red Sox' five-game win streak

Strangely enough, Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz is the only member of the rotation not to spin a gem thus far this season.

With his talent and track record last season, Buchholz will turn it around eventually. However, at the moment he is spinning his wheels and Boston is paying the price.

The Red Sox (10-12) started a three-game set at Camden Yards last night and lost 4-1 to the Orioles (9-12). The loss snapped Boston's five-game win streak.

Buchholz (1-3) gave his team innings (6.2) but they weren't exactly quality as he allowed a career-high 12 hits, four earned runs, two walks and five strikeouts.

Orioles rookie Zach Britton (4-1) was much more impressive. In six innings, he allowed five hits, one earned run, two walks and two strikeouts.

Vladimir Guerrero led Baltimore with three hits while Derrek Lee, Matt Wieters and crazy Luke Scott all had two hits apiece.

Boston was limited to six hits in the game with no player notching over one.

The Orioles went ahead 1-0 in the second on a fluky infield single by Wieters that hit the first base bag (Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez waited for it to go foul which is never did) and scored Scott.

Adam Jones' sacrifice fly in the third scored Lee and gave Baltimore a 2-0 lead.

The Red Sox' lone run was produced in the fourth as Kevin Youkilis' sacrifice fly drove in Dustin Pedroia.

Jones added another sacrifice fly (this is putting me to sleep just writing it) that scored Lee.

Finally, Mark Reynolds drove in Guerrero with one more sacrifice fly in the seventh.

Orioles reliever Jim Johnson threw a scoreless seventh and eighth (with two strikeouts) before Kevin Gregg recorded his third save of the season with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Josh Beckett takes on Jeremy Guthrie tonight.