G117: Red Sox 6, Mariners 4

Red Sox  - 020 012 100 - 6 13  0
Mariners - 210 100 000 - 4 12  1

Josh Reddick's two-run bomb gave the Red Sox a 5-4 lead in the sixth, and Franklin Morales and Daniel Bard worked out of a sticky jam (2nd/3rd, 1 out) in the bottom of the seventh.

Lackey (6-10-4-2-3, 108) was as frustrating as ever, allowing six hits and two walks to the first 12 Seattle batters before settling down. The Mariners scored three runs in the first two innings, but they also left five men on base in those innings.

Lackey allowed a single to Dustin Ackley to start the seventh and was pulled. Morales gave up a single to Mike Carp, and Kyle Seager bunted the runners over to second and third. Several of Morales's pitches were in the dirt and Jarrod Saltalamacchia did a great job of keeping the ball from getting behind him (though Boston did have three wild pitches). Adam Kennedy swung and missed on a couple of curves before Morales caught him looking at a fastball. Bard struck out Miguel Olivo to end the inning.

Every Boston player had at least one hit, and David Ortiz and Jed Lowrie also hit dongs. Bard doused the fire in the seventh and stranded a man at third base in the eighth. He had a hellacious slider tonight; it seemed as hard to catch as a knuckleball.

The Yankees lost to the Rays 5-1 -- CC Sabathia allowed five solo home runs -- and dropped back to 2 GB.

John Lackey / Blake Beavan

The Red Sox take their AL-best road record of 35-22 to Psycho Field, home of the greatest grilled salmon sandwich (Ivar's, I believe) in North America!

Michael Silverman, Herald:

In his last six starts, [Lackey] has a 3.58 ERA, and struck out 31 batters while walking just five in his 37.2 innings. Batters have been hitting him at a healthy .293 clip, but he has not been giving up as many big hits. The dropoff in walks has helped, and opponents have been slugging him at just .439 -- 70 points lower than his slugging-against in his first seven starts of the season. The way he outpitched CC Sabathia and held back the Yankees at Fenway last Saturday (six innings, three runs) really deserved more credit than it got.

Tonight's start against the Mariners is lined up to be a big Lackey night.

Beavan pitched against the Red Sox at Fenway on July 23 (6.2-9-3-0-4, 104); Josh Beckett and the Sox won 3-1.

David Ortiz, after an official appeal by the Red Sox, was awarded both RBIs on his first-inning single back on August 3 (and an error was taken away from Cleveland outfielder Austin Kearns). Although this incident began because Ortiz fell for a joke played by Dustin Pedroia, he was portrayed in the media as petty and selfish -- as though wanting proper credit for your work is a character flaw. Flo alluded to that when he announced: "I got my RBI. I'm a selfish player."

Jonathan Papelbon has been motivated this season by all of the doubts this spring surrounding his effectiveness.

Cinco Ocho loves haters. He loves to drink the Haterade, man. That's what Cinco Ocho fuels his engine with -- Haterade. ... Some people in this clubhouse need to be told how great they are to go out there and succeed. I like to be told I can't do something. Cinco Ocho needs to be told he stinks ...That's how he works, man.

Other stuff: Giants manager Bruce Bochy talks about how hypnosis helped him kick his chewing tobacco addiction.

MFY (1.0 GB): Rays/Yankees at 7 PM.