G118: Mariners 5, Red Sox 4

Red Sox  - 000 004 000 - 4 10  0
Mariners - 500 000 00x - 5  9  1

In his first 22 starts this year, Josh Beckett had allowed a total of five first inning runs. Tonight, it took him six batters to give up five runs.

Ichiro Suzuki lined Beckett's first pitch to right field for a home run. Franklin Gutierrez singled and Dustin Ackley doubled, and Mike Carp singled them both in. After Wily Mo Pena flied to center, Casper Wells homered to left-center. Afterwards, Beckett (5-8-5-1-6, 99) pitched well, although he left the bases loaded in the fifth.

Boston scored four times off Felix Hernandez (7-9-4-2-2, 107) in the sixth. Marco Scutaro tripled and Jacoby Ellsbury homered (#20). With one out, Adrian Gonzalez bunted for a hit and Dustin Pedroia homered (#16) to right-center. David Ortiz and Mike Aviles singled, but Jason Varitek stranded them with a line out to second.

The Red Sox had a run taken off the board when a call at the plate in the fourth was reversed. With Ellsbury on third and Carl Crawford on second, Pedroia flew to right for the second out of the inning. Ichiro fired a strong throw home and catcher Josh Bard had time to tag Ellsbury, who barreled into him and knocked him flat on his back (Ellsbury's left knee drilled Bard in the chin). Home plate umpire Mark Ripperger appeared to think Bard dropped the ball for a split-second onto his chest protector before grabbing it again, and he called Ellsbury safe. Even if Bard had fully dropped the ball, he appeared to have possession long enough for the tag. After a discussion among the umpires, the call was reversed, and the play stood as an inning-ending DP. Terry Francona came out, argued, and was ejected.

Josh Beckett / Felix Hernandez

David Ortiz is raking once again. After going 7-for-11 with two home runs in Minnesota, he clocked a two-run dong last night. In his last five games, Flo is 11-for-20 (.550/.609/1.100/1.709).

                       GMS   AVG   OBP   SLG   OPS
June 21 to July 17      20  .161  .288  .339  .627
July 22 to August 12    21  .317  .404  .573  .977

Gordon Edes notes that, despite the claims of some media, Ortiz has actually "resisted the urge to make his future a focal point of this Red Sox summer". And when he has made "an occasional muttered aside", it has been "leavened with humor instead of anger".

Red Sox Records:

Lead after 6: 51-3
Lead after 7: 61-2
Lead after 8: 62-0

Tied after 6: 16-9
Tied after 7: 10-3
Tied after 8:  9-1

Trailing after 6: 6-32
Trailing after 7: 2-39
Trailing after 8: 2-42

W-L Has Its Flaws, But ...: On Monday, Alfredo Aceves improved his lifetime record to 22-2. He is the first pitcher in baseball history to win 22 of his first 24 decisions. Among pitchers with at least 14 decisions, Aceves's winning percentage of .917 is the best in baseball history (since 1876).

MFY (2.0 GB): Rays/Yankees at 4 PM.