G83: Yankees 10, Red Sox 8

Yankees - 510 000 400 - 10 14  1
Red Sox - 510 010 100 -  8 14  1

Mark Teixeira's two-run triple off Vicente Padilla gave New York a 8-7 lead in the seventh inning, and hits from Raul Ibanez and Eric Chavez increased that lead to 10-7. The Yankee bullpen made that lead stand up, something Hiroki Kuroda (5.2-10-7-1-3, 112) could not do earlier in the evening with 5-0 and 6-5 advantages.

After the Yankees slapped Beckett (5-8-6-2-5, 90) around in the top of the first - nothing was going right as the first five batters reached base and scored - the Red Sox (improbably) tied the game against Kuroda. Daniel Nava doubled, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Ryan Kalish's fly ball to right. David Ortiz (3-for-4, BB) singled and Cody Ross reached on an error. Adrian Gonzalez doubled home Ortiz, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia clubbed a three-run home run to right.

When New York went up 6-5 in the second - Curtis Granderson tripled and scored on a groundout - Boston tied it once again. Nava was hit by a pitch, and singles from Kalish and Ortiz brought him around. Boston took its first lead of the night in the fifth on Mauro Gomez's RBI single that scored Gonzalez (3-for-5, 2 runs scored).

Andrew Miller began the fateful seventh by walking Granderson. He gave up a single to Alex Rodriguez before striking out Robinson Cano. Padilla came in, having allowed only one of 19 inherited runners to score this season. That's now three of 21 runners, as Teixeira's triple scored two runs. After Nick Swisher struck out, Ibanez doubled in Teixeria. Chavez then singled off of Scott Atchison to make it 10-7.

Ross homered over everything in left to start the home half of the seventh. Gonzalez and Gomez singled, putting the potential tying runs on base, but Mike Aviles hit into a fielder's choice and Nick Punto struck out.

Boston stranded two more runners in the eighth, after Ortiz singled and Ross walked with two outs. Rafael Soriano came in and got Gonzalez on a grounder to first. Soriano then retired the Red Sox in order in the ninth, collecting two strikeouts

Boston (42-41) is now a season-high 8.5 games out of first place.

Hiroki Kuroda / Josh Beckett

Nava, LF
Kalish, CF
Ortiz, DH
Ross, RF
Gonzalez, 1B
Saltalamacchia, C
Gomez, 3B
Aviles, SS
Punto, 2B

UPDATE:

The Globe reports that Pedro Ciriaco (.301/.318/.406 in 64 games at AAA) will be called up today to replace Dustin Pedroia (right thumb, DL) on the roster. The Red Sox will have to make a move to put Ciriaco on the 40-man roster. Moving Rich Hill to the 60-day DL is a decent possibility.

Also, Scott Podsednik is set to rejoin the team, so there may be another roster move (like sending Ryan Kalish (.231/.259/.269) to Pawtucket). And Will Middlebrooks may play this weekend. [More injury updates.]

Kuroda has a 1.65 ERA in his last seven starts and he has pitched at least seven innings in six of them.

In his last seven starts - since the infamous golfing incident - Beckett has a 2.72 ERA. The Red Sox have scored only 10 runs in Beckett's last five starts: 3, 3, 1, 1, 2.

The rest of the series:

Saturday, 12:30 PM - Phil Hughes / Franklin Morales
Saturday, 7 PM - Freddy Garcia / Felix Doubront
Sunday, 8 PM - Ivan Nova / Jon Lester

(Saturday's day game is a makeup of an April 22 postponement.)