G73: Rockies 8, Red Sox 6

Red Sox - 000 204 000 - 6 12  0
Rockies - 022 100 003 - 8 13  0

It took only eight pitches for Jonathan Papelbon to give up the lead and the game, allowing a solo shot to Ian Stewart to start the bottom of the ninth and then a single and a one-out, game-winning, pinch-hit, two-run home run to Jason Giambi. It was Colorado's first win this season in a game in which they trailed after seven innings.

Lackey (6.2-10-5-0-7, 110) put Boston in a 4-0 hole, but he helped the comeback against Jimenez (5.2-10-6-0-7, 106; ERA now 1.60) with his stick. Daniel Nava had doubled home two runs in the fourth and he doubled again in the sixth, scoring Adrian Beltre. Then, with two outs, Darnell McDonald belted a two-run, game-tying dong to left-center. Lackey followed that with a double to deep center field and he scored the go-ahead run on Marco Scutaro's single to right. (Lackey came into the game with a career batting line of 1-for-31; he went 2-for-3!)

It was Papelbon's second blown save of the season, and his fourth loss, but it was especially painful because the Red Sox had managed to score six runs against Jimenez, who had allowed only three runs in April and four in May. In 13 of his 14 starts this year, he had allowed 0, 1 or 2 runs.

The Yankees beat the Diamondbacks 6-5 in 10 innings and the Rays lost to the Padres 5-4.

John Lackey / Ubaldo Jimenez

Scutaro, SS
Pedroia, 2B
Martinez, C
Ortiz, 1B
Beltre, 3B
Nava, LF
Reddick, RF
McDonald, CF
Lackey, P

Adrian Beltre has an 11-game hitting streak (and has hit safely in 16 of his last 17 games). ... Daniel Nava has reached base in all nine of his major league games.

Also:

Padres/Rays, 7 PM
Yankees/Diamondbacks, 9:30 PM

Lots of good stuff happened on June 23:

1910 - Three members of the New York Giants are jailed for attacking a fan who had been heckling them during a game in Brooklyn.

1946 - Eddie Waitkus and Marv Rickert of the Cubs hit back-to-back, inside-the-park home runs in the fourth inning, but Chicago loses 15-10 to the Giants at the Polo Grounds.

1963 - Mets outfielder Jimmy Piersall hits his 100th career home run and celebrates by running around the bases backward.

1981 - Pawtucket and Rochester resume and finish what is the longest game in professional baseball history. The game had been suspended on April 18-19 after 32 innings. The teams play only one inning, as Pawtucket scores a run for a 3-2 win in 33 innings. The time of the game was 8:05. There were 882 pitches thrown. Rochester's Tom Eaton, Cal Ripken Jr., and Dallas Williams each have a record 15 plate appearances.

Rochester - 000 000 100 000 000 000 001 000 000 000 000 - 2 18  3
Pawtucket - 000 000 001 000 000 000 001 000 000 000 001 - 3 21  1