G127: Red Sox 5, Mariners 3

Mariners - 000 000 300 - 3  4  0
Red Sox  - 000 004 01x - 5  7  0

Josh Beckett allowed a single to Ichiro Suzuki to start the game -- it did not get past the mound -- then retired the next 16 batters. Through 6.1 innings, he had allowed only two base runners: that infield single and a two-out walk in the sixth. And Boston had a 4-0 lead, having finally solved Pauley (5.2-6-4-2-1, 90).

But the Red Sox rally, a Seattle pitching change, and some grounds crew work on the mound took nearly a half-hour, and perhaps Beckett had cooled off. Or the increased rain affected his grip, as it might have done to Pauley, who had been pounding the strike zone, but lost command in the sixth.

Beckett gave up a home run to Russell Branyan, then a single to Jose Lopez and a two-run dong to Casey Kotchman. And it was suddenly 4-3. Daniel Bard relieved Beckett (6.1-4-3-1-7, 101) and also pitched out of a small jam in the eighth, after a walk and an HBP. Jonathan Papelbon got the side in order in the ninth, although Kotchman battled him for 12 pitches before grounding out to third.

Pauley retired the first nine Sox hitters and 13 of the first 14. In the sixth, Marco Scutaro reached on an infield single and after J.D. Drew lined out to left, Victor Martinez singled and David Ortiz walked, loading the bases. Adrian Beltre's liner caromed off Pauley and rolled to a stop near the third base line (1-0), Mike Lowell lofted a sac fly to right (2-0), and Daniel Nava lined a single to right (4-0). Darnell McDonald, who had pinch-run for Nava in the sixth, had an RBI single in the eighth.

David Pauley / Josh Beckett

Scutaro, SS
Drew, RF
Martinez, C
Ortiz, DH
Beltre, 3B
Lowell, 1B
Nava, LF
Hall, 2B
Kalish, CF

The weather is not great, but Game One is expected to start on time, so ...

Let's do this again! Note to Beckett: Seattle is not a good baseball team. They average 3.29 runs per game. Even you ought to be able to tame them, despite opponents having a robust 1.100 OPS (.373/.420/.680) in your last three starts.

Kevin Cash (and his 9 OPS+*) was activated and Dusty Brown was optioned to Pawtucket. ... Hideki Okajima will make at least one more appearance for the PawSox.

* Hey, it's better than Gustavo Molina's -24!

AL East:

Rays/Angels, 3:30 PM
Yankees/Blue Jays, 7 PM

August 25:

1902 - AL president Ban Johnson announces that, after two seasons in Baltimore, the franchise will be moved to New York for 1903. Thus, the Yankees are not an original AL team.

1922 - The Cubs lead the Phillies 25-6 after four innings and hold on for a 26-23 win, as the Phillies leave the bases loaded in the top of the ninth. The 49 runs is a record for most total runs in a game. Philadelphia uses only two pitchers.

1978 - MLB umpires stage a one-day strike and semipro and amateur umps are pressed into service. In Toronto, Blue Jays coach Don Leppert and Twins coach Jerry Zimmerman are asked to umpire. It's the first time since 1941 that active players or coaches have umpired.