Orioles Rally For 6-4 Win
BOSTON (AP) -- Take that big payroll, Red Sox.
For the second straight night, the last-place Baltimore Orioles rallied for a comeback win over the wild-card leading Red Sox, posting a 6-4 victory on Wednesday night.
Vladimir Guerrero had a tie-breaking two-run single to lift the Orioles to their third win in the four-game series, sending Boston to its 16th loss in 21 games this month.
During spring training, Baltimore manager Buck Showalter was critical in a magazine article of Red Sox GM Theo Epstein's ability to use a large payroll.
On Wednesday, Baltimore's clubhouse was filled with music and happiness after beating the Red Sox again, but the players and Showalter wouldn't say that it was special to beat Boston.
"Just personally for us," Showalter said when asked if it meant more to do it against the Red Sox. "It doesn't matter with anybody else. I'm real proud of the guys."
Tommy Hunter pitched effectively into the seventh inning and Mark Reynolds belted his 35th and 36th homers, the second tying the game at 4 in the seventh.
"We know the end is near and we're fighting right to the end," Orioles center fielder Adam Jones said. "I think we like to be in this situation. Everybody the last month has been working their tails off."
Baltimore's strong play has affected the wild-card chase the past 10 games. The Orioles took two of three from both Tampa Bay and Los Angeles at home before coming to Boston. The Red Sox and Orioles meet for the final three games of the regular season in Camden Yards next week.
"This is a good baseball team. The guys are playing hard everyday," said Hunter, who also wouldn't say if it meant more to beat the Red Sox when asked. "We're playing good baseball. It's going to be fun, especially if we finish the year like this. It's going to be fun next year."
Boston's wild-card lead is 2 1/2 games over both the Rays and Angels. Tampa Bay was swept in a doubleheader in New York against the Yankees on Wednesday, and Los Angeles beat Toronto, 7-2.
Hunter pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing nine hits, four runs, walking one and striking out four before leaving with a strained groin.
Ace Josh Beckett took the mound, hoping to put some distance between Boston and the Rays. Beckett (13-6) allowed just one hit through five innings as the Red Sox built a 4-1 lead.
But Beckett allowed a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh on Reynolds' second homer that tied the game.
In the eighth, Beckett gave up a single to J.J. Hardy and a double by Nick Markakis. Alfredo Aceves relieved with runners at second and third, then gave up Guerrero's hard, two-run single to center field.
One night before Boston's best starter faltered, star closer Jonathan Papelbon blew a save chance for only the second time this season when he gave up a three-run double to Robert Andino in the eighth that gave Baltimore a 7-5 win.
The Boston collapse has come after it led Tampa Bay by nine games on Sept. 3.
The Red Sox have six games left, all on the road -- three at Yankee Stadium and three at Baltimore. Tampa Bay has seven remaining -- four against the Yankees and three against Toronto.
Clay Rapada (2-0) got the win and Jim Johnson earned his ninth save in 14 chances -- his third in as many days against Boston. He pitched a perfect ninth and, after Jed Lowrie made the final out on a soft grounder to Johnson, the fans booed.
Carl Crawford had a single, double and triple for Boston and drove in two runs.
Reynolds hit a solo homer in the second before Boston tied the game in the third on a triple by Crawford and an RBI groundout by Jason Varitek.
Crawford gave the Red Sox a 3-1 lead in the fourth with a two-run double after a single by Adrian Gonzalez and a double by Dustin Pedroia. Consecutive singles by Mike Aviles, Gonzalez and David Ortiz made it 4-1 in the fifth against Hunter.
The Orioles added a run in the sixth when Andino singled, stole second and scored on a single by Hardy. They tied it in the seventh when Matt Wieters singled and was forced out at second on a grounder by Adam Jones before Reynolds hit his 36th homer of the season -- his second of the game over the Green Monster in left field.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
