G84: Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 4

Blue Jays - 000 200 101 - 4 11  1
Red Sox   - 030 010 001 - 5  9  0

Boston won its 50th game of the year when Shane Victorino's routine grounder to first was booted by Josh Thole and pinch-runner Jonathan Diaz raced home with the winning run.

Brandon Snyder, who doubled in two runs in the second inning, got the rally started with a one-out single. Jacoby Ellsbury followed with a single, and Diaz went in to run for Snyder as the Blue Jays brought in Casey Janssen to face Victorino.

Koji Uehara, who gave up a home run to Jose Bautista in the top of the ninth, blew the save, but vultured the win. The 38-year-old pitcher was working in his fourth game in five days.

Mark Buehrle / Ryan Dempster

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Gomes, LF
Napoli, DH
Nava, 1B
Lavarnway, C
Iglesias, SS
Snyder, 3B

Schadenfreude 160 (A Continuing Series)

George A. King III, Post:

"76."

As this Yankees season quickly evolves into an embarrassment, The Post is the first to present the Tragic Number.

Any combination of Red Sox wins and Yankees losses totaling 76 will eliminate the Dead Bat Society from the AL East race.

Mark Feinsand, Daily News:

Two fans sitting behind the plate Saturday night were wearing Steve Balboni and Butch Wynegar t-shirts, an homage to the last dark, postseason-less period of Yankees baseball.

Had Balboni and Wynegar actually been there themselves, the Yankees might have put them in the lineup. ...

Phelps had his worst outing of the season, giving up nine runs - all earned - on nine hits and two walks in 2.1 innings. ...

The Bombers have lost five of their last six, 12 of their last 17 and 20 of their last 32. They have scored three runs or fewer 19 times in that 32-game stretch.

Ken Davidoff, Post:

How low can they go?

Could the 2013 Yankees be an 80-win team? A 75-win team? Even worse?

Undoubtedly, they could be a last-place team. ...

This is a mediocre baseball team, now having lost four straight games and 20 of 32, that has overachieved thanks to a strong bullpen and good luck and is not well positioned to accomplish much of impact in the trade market.

And from Saturday morning:

Ken Davidoff, Post:

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign. In case you thought the Yankees could fake their way through more of their demanding schedule than they already have, we present [Friday] night at Camden Yards.

Their ace on the mound. A makeshift starting pitcher going for the other guys. An early lead and a no-hitter through five innings.

Nope, still not enough. In about two blinks, CC Sabathia's run at history turned into one of the worst losses of this fighting-for-its-life Yankees season. ...

One game, one more sign. This sign read: These guys simply aren't very good.

G83: Blue Jays 6, Red Sox 2

Blue Jays - 100 001 022 - 6 10  1
Red Sox   - 000 000 200 - 2 10  2

Esmil Rogers / Felix Doubront

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Nava, LF
Saltalamacchia, C
Iglesias, SS
Diaz, 3B

Jonathan Diaz (.242/.350/.341 in 55 games for Pawtucket) has been called up and will make his major league debut at third base today. He is 28 years old. Clay Mortensen was designated for assignment.

G82: Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 5

Blue Jays - 000 031 100 - 5  8  0
Red Sox   - 021 200 20x - 7 15  1

Josh Johnson / Allen Webster

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Nava, LF
Saltalamacchia, C
Drew, SS
Iglesias, 3B

G81: Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 4

Blue Jays - 000 020 020 - 4  5  0
Red Sox   - 070 000 00x - 7  9  0

Lester (7-5-4-3-5, 94) pitched seven strong innings before stumbling in the eighth inning and leaving with an apparent injury. Boston collected seven of its nine hits and all of its runs in one inning.

Wang (1.2-6-7-2-0, 45) retired the Red Sox in order in the first, but did not make it out of the second. Indeed, he threw 33 pitches in the second inning before recording an out. David Ortiz and Mike Carp both drew full-count walks. Daniel Nava singled off the Wall (1-0). Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled up the middle (2-0). Stephen Drew doubled to right on a fly ball that Jose Bautista ran too far back on and botched (3-0). Jose Iglesias beat out an infield hit to shortstop (4-0). Jacoby Ellsbury grounded a single into center (5-0). Shane Victorino grounded into a double play (boo). Dustin Pedoria socked a two-run home run to left (7-0). Reliever Aaron Loup came in and allowed a single to Ortiz before striking out Carp.

Toronto relievers then set down 15 straight Red Sox hitters until Victorino doubled with two outs in the eighth. Boston's other hit came in the eighth, when Salty doubled to left-center.

Lester did not allow a hit until the fifth inning - he walked two batters and was helped out by two double plays along the way, both hit by Edwin Encarnacion - when Melky Cabrera and Rajai Davis both singled and scored on Maicer Izturis's double.

In the top of the eighth, Lester allowed singles to the first two batters and had a 3-0 count on Emilio Bonifacio before he left the game. Junichi Tazawa retired the next three hitters, but allowed the two inherited runners to score. Koji Uehara recorded an easy save, getting a ground ball to first and striking out the final two batters.

At the halfway point in the season, the Red Sox have 48 wins, tops in the American League.

Chien-Ming Wang/ Jon Lester

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Carp, 1B
Nava, LF
Saltalamacchia, C
Drew, SS
Iglesias, 3B

The Red Sox lead the East by 3.5 games, their largest lead of the season. The last time they led the East by as many as 3.5 games? June 29, 2009.

Wang is a recent pickup of the Jays, and he comes into this game with a streak of 16.2 innings without allowing an earned run. In three June starts for the Jays, he has a 2.18 ERA. ... The Blue Jays have won 15 of their last 20 games, but they remain in last place, 6.5 GB the Red Sox.

Back on May 10, Lester pitched a complete game one-hitter against Toronto. ... However, over his last seven starts, Lester has a 7.30 ERA. In his last three starts, it's 9.98.

The rest of the series:

Fiday: Josh Johnson / Allen Webster, 7 PM
Saturday: Esmil Rogers / Felix Doubront, 4 PM
Sunday: Mark Buehrle / Ryan Dempster, 1:30 PM

Roster: Clayton Mortensen was activated and Pedro Beato was sent back to Pawtucket.

Schadenfreude 159 (A Continuing Series)

George A. King III, Post:

Alex Rodriguez informed Yankees officials in Tampa yesterday he isn't ready to begin a minor league rehab assignment because his surgically repaired hip isn't up to the task, a source told The Post last night.

This despite Rodriguez tweeting a day earlier that he had been cleared to play in games by Dr. Bryan Kelly, the surgeon who operated on him in January. ...

The source also said he has heard speculation Rodriguez could use the hip problem to retire. That would allow him to collect the $114 million owed to him.

Bill Madden and Teri Thompson, Daily News:

Alex Rodriguez has 114 million reasons for telling the world that he has the green light to play baseball games again.

According to sources close to the ongoing drama surrounding the star-crossed Yankee third baseman, Rodriguez and his advisers are so concerned that Major League Baseball's drug posse is quickly closing in on him that they have racheted up the timetable for him to return to game action.

Once he’s back playing in rehab games, the sources say, he could then claim he is physically unable to perform because of the serious hip injury he is recovering from, "retire" from the game, and still collect the full amount of his salary — $114 million over the next five years.

Joel Sherman, Post:

Alex Rodriguez hates the Yankees and the Yankees hate Alex Rodriguez. Nothing changed yesterday amid the calmed tones and spin doctoring. ...

And if A-Rod wants to play major league baseball — which he insists he does — than his choices are pretty much limited to the Yankees, because teams would not exactly line up for a soon-to-be-38-year-old with two surgically repaired hips, more baggage than Louis Vuitton and Bud Selig going all Javert on him.

In other words, besides adding another chapter to the ever-expanding soap opera that is Rodriguez's life, nothing much has changed today from the 10-year relationship of player and franchise — they hate each other, yet still need each other.

Dan Martin, Post:

Mark Teixeira's 2013 season is over almost before it began, with the first baseman set to go under the knife early next week to repair a torn tendon sheath in his right wrist.

John Harper, Daily News:

Brian Cashman's rather coarse words regarding Alex Rodriguez notwithstanding, is anyone really surprised the GM is a bit cranky these days?

His team continues to fall apart on him, mostly in terms of age and injuries, and Cashman is not only faced with potentially missing the playoffs for only the second time since the Yankees' postseason run began in 1995, but then what? ...

But beyond the doom and gloom is the bigger picture: suddenly you can't look at these Yanks without thinking Cashman has quite the daunting task ahead of him.

That is, finding a way to field a championship-caliber ballclub next season and beyond despite the likelihood of a reduced payroll and very little immediate help coming from the farm system.

The Yankees lost last night and are 3.5 GB the Red Sox in the AL East.

G80: Red Sox 5, Rockies 3

Rockies - 100 001 010 - 3  9  0
Red Sox - 302 000 00x - 5 10  0

Shane Victorino went 3-for-4 and scored two runs and John Lackey (7-8-2-0-12, 98) tied a career high with 12 strikeouts as the Red Sox swept the two-game series against Colorado.

After Lackey allowed a run in the first, Boston struck for three. Jacoby Ellsbury doubled and Victorino singled him home. Five pitches - and the game was tied. After Dustin Pedroia flew out, David Ortiz doubled in Victorino. Ortiz went to third on Mike Napoli's groundout and scored on Daniel Nava's single.

In the third, Victorino and Pedroia singled and Ortiz walked, loading the bases with none out. Runs scored on Napoli's single and Nava's sacrifice fly.

Lackey struck out the side in the first, second, and fourth innings. In the eighth, Junichi Tazawa allowed the second of Michael Cuddyer's two home runs. Koji Uehara had an uneventful ninth for the save, with two strikeouts and a ground ball to short.

The Red Sox and Blue Jays begin a four-game series at Fenway Park tomorrow.

Roy Oswalt / John Lackey

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Nava, LF
Saltalamacchia, C
Drew, SS
Iglesias, 3B

Note the afternoon starting time!

Fun tweet from Alex Speier: "Jose Iglesias would have to go 0-for-52 for his batting average to drop below .300."

Iglesias has 126 plate appearances and is hitting .434.

(Two weeks ago, I said there is no way he can keep this up. He has hit .410 since then (and has hit .440 over the last 28 days). ... I'll say it again: there no way Iglesias can keep his average over .400. His .490 BABIP is completely ridiculous and must come down. ... I'll be right eventually (won't I?), but this sure is fun.)

Schadenfreude 158 (A Continuing Series)

Mike Vaccaro, Post:

There are exactly 1,200 men who occupy slots on 40-man rosters across major league baseball. Many of them have spent time in their careers saddled on various disabled lists: the 15-day, the 60-day, the new 7-day concussion DL.

And every one of them, as the injury begins to heal, as the ache starts to fade, as the time draws near to play baseball again, feels a genuine sense of happiness and relief. Maybe they're disposed to share those feelings on Twitter, especially if they are new to the medium.

And there are 1,199 of them who would never find themselves embroiled in a controversy based on that relief. There is only one of them capable of doing that.

His name is Alex Rodriguez.

Roger Rubin, Daily News:

Apparently, A-Rod isn't the only four-letter word in the Bronx these days.

The controversial slugger ignited another Yankee firestorm Tuesday, firing off a tweet that resulted in GM Brian Cashman dropping an F-bomb on his highest-paid star.

"You know what? When the Yankees want to announce something, (we will)," Cashman told ESPN New York. "Alex should just shut the f--- up. That's it. I’m going to call Alex now."

Cashman was reacting to A-Rod proclaiming via Twitter that he had received medical clearance from his hip surgeon to play in rehab games. ...

There has been no end to the Rodriguez aggravation this year for the Yankees. He is the biggest name embroiled in Major League Baseball’s investigation of the now-shuttered Biogenesis anti-aging clinic in Miami, which is suspected of distributing performance-enhancing drugs to a number of players ...

Mark Feinsand, Daily News:

A-Rod tweeted a photo of himself from the weekend with Dr. Bryan Kelly, informing his adoring fans that he had been cleared to begin playing in rehab games.

"Visit from Dr. Kelly over the weekend, who gave me the best news the green light to play games again!" A-Rod tweeted. ...

Only Rodriguez could turn a positive story into a negative one this quickly.

Dan Martin, Post:

Even from Tampa, Alex Rodriguez has figured out a way to anger the Yankees. ...

Even before this flareup, team brass has grown increasingly irritated with Rodriguez, who followed a miserable postseason by having a second hip surgery and then found himself in the crosshairs of an MLB investigation into performance-enhancing drugs. ...

No matter what problems Cashman and the rest of the organization have with Rodriguez, he still has four years remaining on his contract and a divorce remains unlikely.

G79: Red Sox 11, Rockies 4

Rockies - 010 100 200 -  4 11  1
Red Sox - 232 100 21x - 11 20  3

Boston pounded out a season-high of 20 hits, as four players - Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Daniel Nava, and Jose Iglesias -  each had three hits. Every batter in the starting lineup had at least one hit (seven of the nine players had multi-hit games), and everyone either scored or knocked in a run.

Pedroia had four RBI; Ellsbury scored three times. Ryan Dempster (6-6-2-2-4, 106) pitched six strong innings against the top OPSing team in the NL.

Ellsbury started the first with a double. With one out, Pedroia singled (1-0), Ortiz and Napoli both walked, and Nava singled (2-0). Boston had the bases loaded and only one out, but Jarrod Saltalamacchia struck out and Stephen Drew fouled out.

With two outs in the second, Shane Victorino doubled, Pedroia doubled (3-1), Ortiz doubled (4-1), Napoli singled (5-1), and Nava singled. The first seven Red Sox hits were to the opposite field.

Four straight singles in the third - by Iglesias, Ellsbury, Victorino and Pedroia - brought in two more runs. Those hits ended the night for Nicasio (2.1-12-7-2-2, 79). Even with the seven runs in the first three innings, the Red Sox still stranded seven men on base.

In the fourth, Drew hit a two-out home run off the top of the wall in dead center field, but even after a lengthy review of the play, the three umpires still got it wrong, awarding Drew a triple. He was able to score a few minutes later, however, on Iglesias's double.

Both Baltimore and New York won, so Boston maintained its 2.5-game lead in the East.

Juan Nicasi / Ryan Dempster

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Nava, LF
Saltalamacchia, C
Drew, SS
Iglesias, 3B

The Red Sox have sent Will Middlebrooks to Pawtucket and called up infielder Brandon Snyder.

The last game the Red Sox and Rockies played against each other was a bit of a wild affair.

G78: Tigers 7, Red Sox 5

Red Sox - 021 100 001 - 5 12  3
Tigers  - 210 000 13x - 7  8  0

Felix Doubront / Justin Verlander

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Gomes, LF
Drew, SS
Lavarnway, C
Iglesias, 3B

G77: Tigers 10, Red Sox 3

Red Sox - 200 000 001 -  3 10  0
Tigers  - 400 120 21x - 10 15  1

Allen Webster / Max Scherzer

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Carp, 1B
Nava, LF
Saltalamacchia, C
Drew, SS
Iglesias, 3B

G76: Red Sox 10, Tigers 6

Red Sox - 101 401 021 - 10 17  0
Tigers  - 010 040 001 -  6 11  1

Shane Victorino went 4-for-5, with 5 RBI.

Stephen Drew and Jose Iglesias each had three hits. Drew scored three runs.

Jon Lester / Doug Fister

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Nava, LF
Saltalamacchia, C
Drew, SS
Iglesias, 3B

G75: Tigers 4, Red Sox 3

Red Sox - 000 110 010 - 3  7  0
Tigers  - 000 020 002 - 4  8  0

Andrew Bailey's problems continue. The Red Sox closer imploded once again, walking Victor Martinez and serving up a game-winning, two-run homer to Jhonny Peralta. It was Bailey's fourth blown save of the season, equaling his career high for a season, set in his rookie year of 2009.

Boston had a 2-0 lead in the fifth. David Ortiz homered on the first pitch of the fourth. In the fifth, Jose Iglesias tripled to right field and scored on Jacoby Ellsbury's single to center.

The Tigers tied it up against Lackey (7-7-2-1-5, 98) in the bottom of the fifth. After a one-out walk to Andy Dirks, Lackey recorded the second out, but then gave up three consecutive singles, including a bloop to shallow right by Torii Hunter that scored two runs.

Boston re-took the lead when Shane Victorino and Dustin Pedroia each drew four-pitch walks off Phil Coke, and Ortiz lined a single through the shift to score Victorino.

Koji Uehara had an easy eighth, retiring Hunter on a ground ball to short, striking out Miguel Cabrera and retiring Prince Fielder on a long drive to deep right-center that Ellsbury ran down at the base of the wall. It was arguably a tougher inning, more deserving of a save, perhaps, had the Red Sox won, than what Bailey was due to face in the ninth.

It was noteworthy that as Bailey was pitching to his first batter, Andrew Miller was warming up in the pen behind him. John Farrell apparently had a short leash for Bailey tonight, but the game was lost quickly, as Peralta lined a 1-2 cutter over the left field fence.

John Lackey / Jose Alvarez

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Gomes, LF
Lavarnway, C
Middlebrooks, 3B
Iglesias, SS

Lackey has a 2.39 ERA over his last six starts. Earned runs allowed in those outings: 0, 0, 3, 1, 4, 2. ... He has allowed more than three earned runs in only two of his 11 starts this season (both times facing the Rays).

Alvarez is making his second major league start. In his debut, on June 9, he took a no-hitter against Cleveland into the fifth inning. His pitching line: 6-3-1-1-7, 93.

The rest of the series:

Friday: Jon Lester / Doug Fister
Saturday: TBA* / Max Scherzer
Sunday: Felix Doubront / Justin Verlander

MLB.com lists Allen Webster as Saturday's starter.

In other news, we need robots. NOW!

G74: Rays 6, Red Sox 2

Rays    - 200 010 300 - 6 15  0
Red Sox - 010 100 000 - 2  7  1

Jeremy Hellickson / Ryan Dempster

Ellsbury, CF
Nava, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Saltalamacchia, C
Gomes, LF
Drew, SS
Iglesias, 3B

G73: Red Sox 3, Rays 1

Rays    - 000 000 001 - 1  4  0
Red Sox - 010 000 002 - 3  7  0

Jonny Gomes's two-run homer into the Monster seats gave the Red Sox a win and a sweep of their day-night doubleheader against Tampa Bay.

Gomes also prevented (for a time, anyway) a procession of irate fans with torches and pitchforks descending upon Andrew Bailey's locker. After Felix Doubront turned in his finest start of the season (8-3-0-0-6, 93) - he pitched eight innings for the first time in his career and retired his final 17 batters - John Farrell summoned Bailey for the ninth. Asked to hold a 1-0 lead, Bailey flushed it in only two pitches, as Kelly Johnson went deep.

In the home half of the ninth, Joel Peralta walked Daniel Nava on five pitches. Then Gomes nailed Peralta's first offering for his fifth homer of the year.

Daniel Nava hit a solo shot in the second inning. ... David Ortiz had two hits, including a double. ... Jose Iglesias extended his hitting streak to 18 games.

Jake Odorizzi / Felix Doubront

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Nava, 1B
Gomes, LF
Saltalamacchia, C
Drew, SS
Iglesias, 3B

Second game of a day/night doubleheader.

G72: Red Sox 5, Rays 1

Rays    - 010 000 000 - 1  6  1
Red Sox - 102 011 00x - 5  8  0

David Ortiz (2-for-3) knocked in three runs. ... Jacoby Ellsbury had three hits and scored three runs. Shane Victorino had two hits and scored two runs. He and Ellsbury hit back-to-back triples in the sixth inning. ... Alfredo Aceves (5-3-1-3-2, 75) was solid but had his day cut short by a three-hour rain delay in the bottom of the fifth.

Chris Archer / Alfredo Aceves

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Nava, LF
Saltalamacchia, C
Middlebrooks, 3B
Drew, SS

First game of a day/night doubleheader. This game is a make-up of the April 12 postponement.

Mike Napoli and Mike Carp may be available. ... The Rays have called up top prospect Wil Myers and he will make his major league debut in the afternoon game.

The Red Sox (42-29) lead the AL East, with the Orioles (2 GB), Yankees (3 GB) and Rays (5 GB), and Blue Jays (8 GB) following. Baltimore is in Detroit and New York hosts the Dodgers.

2004 ALCS 5: Red Sox 5, Yankees 4 (14)

If you have a spare five hours today, you might enjoy watching this:



(This is the international feed, a broadcast you likely have not seen. Instead of Buck/McCarver, you get Dave O'Brien and Rick Sutcliffe.)

Added Bonus:
2004 World Series 4
2007 World Series 4
1999 ALDS 5

G71: Orioles 6, Red Sox 3

Red Sox - 000 000 300 - 3  6  1
Orioles - 003 020 10x - 6 14  1

Lester (5-9-5-0-8, 106) struggled yet again. In his last six starts, dating back to May 20, Lester has allowed 47 hits and 18 walks in 35 innings, and has a 7.20 ERA.

Will Middlebrooks hit a three-run homer. . . . Jose Igesias extended his hitting streak to 17 games. ... Mike Carp came out of the game with right hamstring tightness.

Roster Move Du Jour: Pedro Beato was added to the 40-man roster and called up from Pawtucket. Rubby De La Rosa was sent down. Beato pitched the sixth inning today, retiring the side on nine pitches.

Jon Lester / Miguel Gonzalez

G70: Red Sox 5, Orioles 4

Red Sox - 000 311 000 - 5  9  1
Orioles - 200 000 002 - 4 10  0

John Lackey / Freddy Garcia

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Carp, 1B
Gomes, LF
Saltalamacchia, C
Drew, SS
Iglesias, 3B

Gordon Edes, ESPNBoston:

Since scoring 10 runs in a 14-inning win in the first game of this trip [on Monday night], the Sox have scored a total of nine runs in their last 40 innings, resulting in three losses in their last four games. ...

The Orioles have won four of five from the Sox this season, went 13-5 against the Sox last season and have won five straight series and eight of their last nine. The Orioles have not lost consecutive games against the Sox in their last 32 meetings.

G69: Orioles 2, Red Sox 0

Red Sox - 000 000 000 - 0  3  0
Orioles - 011 000 00x - 2  5  0

Ryan Dempster / Chris Tillman

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Carp, 1B
Nava, LF
Iglesias, SS
Middlebrooks, 3B
Ross, C

Roster: Rubby De La Rosa was called up, with Alex Wilson going back to Pawtucket. ... Pedro Ciriaco was traded to the Padres for a player to be named later.

G68: Orioles 5, Red Sox 4 (13)

Red Sox - 000 200 200 000 0 - 4  9  2
Orioles - 003 010 000 000 1 - 5 12  1

In 13 innings, the Red Sox had 45 at-bats and zero walks. According to Gordon Edes, it is only the fifth Red Sox game since 1916 in which the team has had at least 45 AB without drawing a single walk. Here is a list of the four previous games (1927, 1970, 1992, 1998).

Felix Doubront / Kevin Gausman

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Nava, LF
Saltalamacchia, C
Middlebrooks, 3B
Drew, SS

Jacoby Ellsbury has an 11-game hitting streak (22-for-50; .440/.509/.640). In his last five games, he has stolen eight bases. ... Dustin Pedroia has reached base safely in 62 of the 67 games this season, including the last 21 games.

Gausman has made four starts this year. Over 19.1 innings, he has a 8.84 ERA.

Alfredo Aceves was optioned to Pawtucket and Alex Wilson was called up.

Xander Bogaerts was promoted to Pawtucket.

Ellsbury Ties Red Sox Record For Stolen Bases in Consecutive Games (Update: No, He Didn't)

Update: Ellsbury stole second base in the 10th inning - his 30th of the year - to set a new Red Sox record! Tris Speaker stole a base in eight straight games in 1913 - which I believe is the Red Sox team record - so Ellsbury has a few games to go.

Most Consecutive Games With At Least One Stolen Base By Red Sox Player (1916-2013)

Harry Hooper     5 games   May 30-June 4, 1918    5 SB   x CS
Nemo Leibold     5 games   August 4-9, 1921       5 SB   0 CS
Ben Chapman      5 games   June 17-20, 1937       5 SB   1 CS
Tommy Harper     5 games   June 1-8, 1974         5 SB   0 CS
Jacoby Ellsbury  5 games   June 13-18, 2009       6 SB   0 CS
Jacoby Ellsbury  5 games   June 8-12, 2013        8 SB   0 CS

Ellsbury will have a chance to set a new franchise record tonight in Baltimore.

G67: Red Sox 2, Rays 1

Red Sox - 002 000 000 - 2  5  0
Rays    - 000 001 000 - 1  6  1

Alfredo Aceves (6-4-1-4-3, 84) pitched six strong innings and Daniel Nava capped a 10-pitch at-bat in the third inning by jacking a two-run dong, his ninth home run of the season.

Aceves's one bad inning was the second, in which he walked the bases loaded, but escaped unscathed. He allowed a walk and single to start the third, but struck out Kelly Johnson and got Evan Longoria to ground into a double play. Longoria tagged him in his next at-bat, however, driving a pitch over the wall in center, giving him a home run in each game of the three-game series.

With two outs in the top of the third, Jacoby Ellsbury singled to left. Rays starter Chris Archer (4-4-2-4-7, 103) fell behind Nava 3-0 - and Ellsbury stole second base on ball 3. Archer battled back to a full count and Nava then fouled off five pitches before tattooing a two-run bomb to right. Dustin Pedroia followed with a single and David Ortiz walked, but Mike Napoli struck out to end the inning.

Tampa Bay made some threatening noises in the final two innings. After Johnson doubled off Craig Breslow with two down in the eighth, Koji Uehara came in and fanned Longoria on three splitters (looking, looking, and swinging).

Andrew Bailey surrendered a line drive single off the right field wall to James Loney to begin the bottom of the ninth; Sam Fuld pinch-ran. Bailey threw four balls to Desmond Jennings, but the fourth one was called a strike, a gift that allowed Bailey to retire Jennings on a fly to center on the next pitch. (I still want robots, but thank you, Ron Kulpa.) Bailey then struck out Luke Scott and, after Fuld stole second, Jose Lobaton to end the game.

Mike Carp went 2-for-4. Ellsbury singled, walked twice, and stole two bases.

Alfredo Aceves / Chris Archer

Ellsbury, CF
Nava, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Carp, LF
Saltalamacchia, C
Middlebrooks, 3B
Drew, SS

As expected, Alfredo "Eyes of Satan" Aceves has been recalled from Pawtucket to start tonight. Jose De La Torre, who pitched 3.1 innings in relief of Jon Lester last night, was optioned back to AAA.

Aceves last pitched for the Red Sox on May 27, when he allowed one run in six innings in a spot start against the Phillies. ... He has made five starts this season for the PawSox and as a 3.52 ERA.

G66: Rays 8, Red Sox 3

Red Sox - 102 000 000 - 3  8  1
Rays    - 112 130 00x - 8 10  1

On a night when the Red Sox needed their starting pitcher to go deep into the game, Lester (4.2-8-7-7-3, 98) failed utterly. He needed 70 pitches to get through three innings, and his seven walks tied a career high. All seven runs he allowed scored with two outs.

In his last five starts (30 innings), Lester has allowed 38 hits and 18 walks (6.90 ERA).

Jose De La Torre, called up from Pawtucket as a fresh arm in a tattered bullpen, took the ball the rest of the way, throwing 3.1 innings.

Boston actually held the lead twice, at 1-0 and 3-2, but Lester's inability to maintain control of the strike zone gave Tampa Bay ample opportunities to come back. Lester and De La Torre walked a total of 10 opposing batters, a season-high (and/or -worst) for the Red Sox staff.

Jacoby Ellsbury singled and stole second (#27) without a throw to start the game. He went to third on Shane Victorino's single and scored on Dustin Pedroia's foul fly to right field. In the third, Jose Iglesias and Ellsbury scored on Mike Napoli's bloop single to center.

Lester's night began horribly and never improved. He walked four batters in the first inning, the last free pass bringing in a run. Desmond Jennings homered in the second. In the third, Ryan Roberts and Jose Molina had run-scoring singles. Lester's night finally came to an end when he surrendered a long, two-run home run to Matt Joyce.

De La Torre came in and gave up another bomb to Jennings, but kept Tampa off the scoreboard for the next three innings.

Tampa Bay hit four home runs last night and hit four more taters tonight. It's the first time in franchise history they have hit at least four home runs in consecutive games.

Hernandez (7-7-3-2-7, 122) drilled Pedroia in the left arm to start the eighth inning, a move that was likely retaliation for John Lackey hitting Joyce last night. I question whether Rays manager Joe Maddon will fulminate as vociferously over Hernandez's "mistake" as he did over Lackey's.

Jon Lester / Roberto Hernandez

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Nava, LF
Drew, SS
Ross, C
Iglesias, 3B

Having used seven relievers, including Wednesday's scheduled starter, Franklin Morales, in last night's 14-inning victory, the Red Sox will likely make some roster moves today. Peter Abraham goes over a few possibilities, noting that right-hander Jose De La Torre will likely be in the bullpen tonight. Alfredo Aceves could be recalled to start tomorrow night.

G65: Red Sox 10, Rays 8 (14)

Red Sox - 600 000 000 200 02 - 10 15  0
Rays    - 201 100 110 200 00 -  8 17  1

Game stories: ESPNBoston, WEEI, MLB.com, Globe, Herald, ProJo, AP.

Joe Maddon is convinced John Lackey drilled Matt Joyce in the sixth inning on purpose.

John Lackey / Alex Cobb

Will Middlebrooks has been recalled from Pawtucket and activated from the disabled list. He will start at third base tonight. Pedro Ciriaco was designated for assignment.

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Nava, LF
Carp, 1B
Saltalamacchia, C
Middlebrooks, 3B
Drew, SS

G64: Red Sox 10, Angels 5

Angels  - 100 110 020 -  5  9  2
Red Sox - 004 012 30x - 10 11  0

David Ortiz clubbed a three-run homer in the third inning to put the Red Sox on the path to an easy victory.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit two home runs and drove in four runs; he and Mike Carp went back-to-back in the sixth. ... Flo, Salty, and Jose Iglesias (.446) each had two hits.

Dempster: 6-6-3-2-6, 110.

The Red Sox travel to Tampa, where they begin a three-game series against the Rays tomorrow night.

Joe Blanton / Ryan Dempster

Ellsbury, CF
Nava, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Saltalamacchia, C
Carp, LF
Drew, SS
Iglesias, 3B

G63: Red Sox 7, Angels 2

Angels  - 001 001 000 - 2  7  3
Red Sox - 210 013 00x - 7 13  0

C.J. WIlson had thrown only eight pitches and the Red Sox were already up 2-0. Shane Victorino, fresh off the disabled list, singled and raced all the way around the bases to score on Jonny Gomes's double. Gomes then came home on Dustin Pedroia's two-bagger.

Boston sent eight men to the plate in the first inning, and left the bases loaded. But that missed opportunity at a big inning did not haunt them. With two outs in the second, Gomes (single) and Pedroia (walk) set the table for David Ortiz, who lined an opposite field double to make it 3-0.

David Ross had a run-scoring single in the fifth. ... In the seventh, Pedroia singled in a run and Ortiz unleashed a two-run bomb to right. ... Gomes, Pedroia, Ortiz, and Jose Iglesias (.443) each had two hits.

Buchholz (6.2-6-2-1-4, 104) left the game in the seventh with neck tightness. This outing raised his ERA to 1.71, which is still the best in MLB.

Boston's lead in the AL East is 1.5 games.

C.J. Wilson / Clay Buchholz

Victorino, CF
Gomes, LF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Nava, RF
Ross, C
Drew, SS
Iglesias, 3B

G62: Angels 9, Red Sox 5

Angels  - 012 000 402 - 9 12  2
Red Sox - 000 200 003 - 5 14  1

Franklin Morales issued two bases-loaded walks in the seventh inning as Los Angeles put the game out of reach. Morales handed out four walks, one intentional, to the eight batters he faced.

Boston made some noise with two outs in the ninth, collecting five consecutive hits and scoring three times, but the ditch was too deep to climb out of.

Daniel Nava and Mike Carp each had three hits. Carp homered, and he and Stephen Drew each had 2 RBI. Doubront (6-6-3-2-4, 97) left trailing 3-2.

Tommy Hanson / Felix Doubront

Ellsbury, CF
Nava, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Saltalamacchia, C
Carp, LF
Drew, SS
Iglesias, 3B

It's a Saturday day/night doubleheader!

G62: Angels at Red Sox, PPD

Angels  -
Red Sox - 

Tonight's game has been postponed by rain.

The Angels and Red Sox will play a day/night doubleheader on Saturday (1 PM and 7 PM), with Felix Doubront and Clay Buchholz getting the starts.

Tommy Hanson / Felix Doubront

G61: Red Sox 6, Rangers 3

Rangers - 021 000 000 - 3 10  0
Red Sox - 002 000 103 - 6 13  0

Texas manager Ron Washington made two big mistakes in the ninth inning. One, even though he had closer Joe Nathan warmed up, he brought in Michael "6.89 ERA" Kirkman. Two, after Jonny Gomes led off with a first-pitch double, he called for an intentional walk to Dustin Pedroia, so Kirkman could face David Ortiz.

Yes, Ortiz came into the game batting only .250 against left-handers and, yes, he had grounded out in his previous three at-bats. But choosing to face Ortiz with the game on the line? That is madness.

After a pep talk from pitching coach Mike Maddux, Kirkman threw Ortiz a slider that broke inside and low. Ortiz swung and hit a screaming line drive that just cleared the short wall of the visitors' bullpen. And just like that, the Red Sox had a win and Kirkman's ERA ballooned to 8.18!

It was the 11th walk-off home run of Ortiz's career (10th with the Red Sox) and his first since August 26, 2009. Ortiz now has 19 career walk-off hits, 16 with Boston.

It was also a sweet ending to what had been a frustrating night, as Lester (6-7-3-3-4, 108) had a rocky outing and his teammates squandered numerous opportunities to score, stranding 11 men in the first eight innings.

Jacoby Ellsbury, back in the lineup after missing five games, went 4-for-5, with two doubles. Gomes was also 4-for-5. Dustin Pedroia slugged a two-run double in the third. Jose Iglesias singled and walked three times.

Derek Holland / Jon Lester

Ellsbury, CF
Gomes, LF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Nava, RF
Ross, C
Iglesias, SS
Ciriaco, 3B

Lester has allowed at least four runs in each of his last three starts.

Linescore of the Month, from last night:

White Sox - 000 000 000 000 050 2 - 7 17  0
Mariners  - 000 000 000 000 050 0 - 5 16  2

G60: Rangers 3, Red Sox 2

Rangers - 000 100 200 - 3  7  0
Red Sox - 000 001 010 - 2  5  0

Elvis Andrus's two-run double off Koji Uehara snapped a 1-1 tie, and relievers Tanner Scheppers and Joe Nathan held the line.

It was, for me, an extremely infuriating game, marked by one obvious blown call at second base that aborted a Boston rally before it could truly begin, and numerous missed pitches by home plate umpire Rob Drake. Red Sox batters also failed to capitalize with runners at second and/or third.

Stephen Drew opened the third with a shot into the gap in left-center and slid safely into second with a double, but he was called out by Sam Holbrook. It was questionable whether Texas second baseman Jurickson Profar even tagged Drew at all, let alone before drew got his hand on the bag.

In the fourth, the Red Sox had runners at first and second with one out, and second and third with two outs, and could not score, as David Ortiz and Mike Napoli both struck out. After Dustin Pedroia hit a solo home run in the sixth, Ortiz and Napoli walked, but Jarrod Saltalamacchia whiffed to end the inning. In the seventh, Drew walked and Jose Iglesias singled - but the next three batters were quickly retired.

With two down in the eighth, Napoli walked and Salty doubled him home. With the potential tying run at second, Drew grounded to second. Nathan retired the side in order in the ninth on six pitches.

A blown call by 1B umpire Joe West helped the Rangers snap a 1-1 tie in the seventh. Mitch Moreland hurt himself running to second on a leadoff double off Craig Breslow and was replaced by Jeff Baker. Profar laid down a bunt, but Baker (for some unknown reason) did not run to third! Pinch-hitter Craig Gentry tried checking his swing on an 0-2 pitch. He clearly went around, but West said there was no swing. Gentry eventually walked - ending Breslow's evening - and Andrus promptly hit his two-run double on Uehara's first pitch.

Lackey (6-5-1-0-5, 108) pitched well, retiring 11 of his first 12 batters and giving up only a solo shot to dead center to Adrian Beltre.

Alexi Ogando / John Lackey

Nava, RF
Carp, LF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Saltalamacchia, C
Drew, SS
Iglesias, 3B
Bradley, CF

G59: Red Sox 17, Rangers 5

Rangers - 000 201 020 -  5  9  2
Red Sox - 261 114 20x - 17 19  0

The Red Sox narrowly missed becoming only the seventh* team in American League history to score in all eight innings of a home game. They failed to score in the eighth inning against left fielder David Murphy, who allowed a leadoff double to Daniel Nava, and then retired the next three hitters. (No AL team has ever scored in all nine innings of a game.)

*: Boston did score in all eight innings on September 16, 1903. That was part of a streak of scoring in 17 consecutive innings!

In the words of NESN's Dennis Eckersley (when the game was over, thinking his mic was off): "We gotta recap this shit?"

The highlights: Jackie Bradley hit his first major league home run in the second inning. David Ortiz doubled and tripled in his first two at-bats. Daniel Nava had three hits and scored four runs. Stephen Drew had four hits and scored three runs. The Red Sox led off three consecutive innings with a home run: Drew in the fourth, Mike Carp in the fifth, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia in the sixth. Ryan Dempster (7-5-3-1-6, 107) turned in his second straight solid start. Red Sox batters saw 190 pitches in eight innings!

Justin Grimm / Ryan Dempster

Nava, RF
Carp, LF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Saltalamacchia, C
Drew, SS
Iglesias, 3B
Bradley, CF

The Rangers (35-21) have the best record in the American League. The Red Sox (35-23) are second-best; they lead the Orioles and Yankees by 2.5 games.

Grimm (3.93 ERA in nine starts) is excited to be pitching in Boston:

It's going to be pretty cool to pitch at Fenway. I'm expecting a good crowd. I'm expecting to show up ready to go, ready to compete and be aggressive with them, and go after it. If I do that, it's going to be a good game.

The Rangers lead the AL with a 3.38 team ERA. Boston is tied for second with the Tigers at 3.72.

Gabe Kapler: MLB Must Embrace Widespread Instant Replay (Including Balls And Strikes)

Gabe Kapler for Commissioner!:

Every day in Major League Baseball, calls are blown by MLB umpires. We laugh as the faces of managers get redder and redder; expletives get louder and more venomous. The postgame press conferences make for great TV and fodder for comical chats at the water cooler. ...

This discussion, just like the game itself, is not about the umpires. The fact that it's indeed time to implement widespread instant reply has little to do with the competency of the guys who enforce the rulebook and has everything to do with what's good for the game and its overall health going forward. ...

I'm in love with the tradition of baseball. I have the highest level of respect for our game's history. However, I can't stand that things are done just because, well, that's the way they have always been done. And we are getting to that point without significant instant replay.

We can't do this halfway or little by little. I'm all for correcting calls on the bases and everywhere for that matter. ...

Traditionalists, brace yourselves: When the technology is ready — and it soon will be — we need to let computers call balls and strikes with the game on the line. And we should be using the resources we have now and at every turn to make the game faster and better. ...

It's time to let go of the notion that human error is somehow part of the beauty of the game when it is, in fact, a correctable blight. I for one am ready for MLB to rip off the Band-Aid and get this very important call right.

MLB is seriously discussing introducing a wide array of instant replay for 2014 - "all calls other than balls and strikes", in fact. Having current (or future) technology used to call every pitch is the ultimate taboo in baseball. It seems that most people who are pro-replay draw the line there, insisting that balls and strikes continue to be called by humans. This is unfortunate, as I believe getting those calls right is far more important than reviewing batted balls down the foul lines or controversial home runs.

Ortiz's Epic Bat Flip

I could watch this all day.

Thanks to Dr. Jeff for finding it here and sending it along.

Update: I found a second gif:

Schadenfreude 157 (A Continuing Series)

George A. King III, Post:

The biggest reason has been a lack of runs. In the past eight games, the Yankees have scored 15 runs. Four times they have been limited to a run, and last night they didn't score in five innings.

Kevin Kernan, Post:

The numbers are so cold and so revealing.

The Yankees have gone from Bronx Bombers to Bronx Bummers on offense. The difference between the Red Sox and Yankees is painfully obvious. ...

The Red Sox are first in baseball with 289 runs scored.

The Yankees are 20th with 223. That puts them 12th in the American League. To fully understand what that means, consider the lowly Astros, who basically are rebuilding from the ground up, have scored more runs than the Yankees with 227. ...

These are much different days in The Bronx. The explosive offense is history.

John Harper, Daily News:

Remember the good old days of, say, last year, when people worried about the Yankees hitting too many home runs and not enough singles?

Yeah, this team should have such problems.

Simply put, scoring runs hasn't been such an issue in the Bronx since the bad old days of the early '90s ...

Suffice to say the warm and fuzzy feeling everyone had for these gutty, gritty, replacement Yankees is wearing off fast. Actually, the fans never seemed to buy in anyway, judging by a signicant decline in TV ratings, so maybe they were ahead of the curve on this. ...

On this pace the Yankees would score fewer than 670 runs, a stunningly low total ...

In fact, the lowest total the Yankees scored in the last 18 years was 789 in 2008 ... You have to go back to 1992, when the Yankees scored 674 runs in [Buck] Showalter's first year as manager, to find a team that compared to this one.