G132: Orioles 5, Red Sox 2

Red Sox - 000 020 000 - 2  8  1
Orioles - 102 000 02x - 5  9  0

Beckett (7-7-3-1-5, 106) had two rough innings -- three straight hits in the first and two singles, a walk, a wild pitch, and an infield error in the third -- but was enough for the Orioles to top the Sox.

Down 3-0, Mike Lowell singled to begin the fifth and Jed Lowrie hit a one-out home run to left. In the sixth, Boston loaded the bases with two outs, but Lowell struck out looking. In the seventh, the Sox had runners at second and third with only one out, but Marco Scutaro grounded to third and Daniel Nava struck out.

Felix Doubront was tagged for two solo dongs in the eighth, but it didn't much matter. Even as the Rays were being trounced by Toronto, the Sox went meekly in the ninth.

The Rays lost to the Blue Jays 13-5 (Toronto erupted for a 10-run sixth) and the Yankees beat the A's 9-3. Boston stayed 7 GB Tampa Bay in the WC and fell 8 GB New York in the East.

Josh Beckett / Brian Matusz

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

Former pitcher Mitch Williams believes the Red Sox will win the wild card and the Yankees will be sitting at home in October. His reasoning? Josh Beckett is "back now", "Boston and Tampa Bay have better bullpens than the Yankees, and the Yankees "lack depth in the starting rotation". ... And who are we to argue with the Wild Thing's logic?

Gary Marbry's Nuggetpalooza (WEEI):

On Sunday night, the Red Sox lost for the 57th time this season. In those 57 games, they've averaged 1.07 RBI after the 5th inning and had none after the 5th in 25 of those losses (44%). To my eyes, that seemed like a very low average and a high percentage. Until I looked at the last two seasons.

     AVG RBI/G AFTER 5TH   % OF LOSSES WITH NO RBI
       INNING IN LOSSES        AFTER 5TH INNING
2010        1.07                     44%
2009        0.85                     48%
2008        0.84                     54%

In March, outfield prospect Ryan Westmoreland underwent surgery to remove a cavernous malformation from his brain stem. This week, he'll work out with the Lowell Spinners and Greenville Drive (both A) to continue his rehab, though he will not play in any of the games.

AL East, 7 PM:

A's/Yankees
Blue Jays/Rays

August 31:

1918 - The Red Sox clinch the AL pennant, beating the A's 6-1 in the first game of a doubleheader, as Babe Ruth wins his ninth game in his last 11 starts.

1957 - Eighteen-year-old fireballer Steve Dalkowski (Kingsport, Appalachian League) strikes out 24, walks 18, hits four batters, and throws six wild pitches in a row -- and loses 9-8. (You must read this.)

1999 - Trailing 12-4, Cleveland scores 10 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning and defeats the Angels 14-12. It's the 3rd time in 1999 that Cleveland rallied from eight runs down to win -- May 7 against Tampa Bay and July 3 against Kansas City were the others -- and it sets a major league record.