G56: Athletics 5, Red Sox 4 (11)

Eric Chavez's home run off Kyle Snyder with one out in the bottom of the 11th ended a wild one at 1:55 AM.

It's a little weird to feel so unperturbed by two straight losses, but both this game and Sunday's game against New York were addictive, nail-biting baseball, and perhaps living in these post-2004 times -- and holding a 10+ game lead, of course -- lets me handle a few losses.

Oakland's Mark Ellis hit for the cycle, needing a 10th-inning single to do it. The Red Sox have now lost their only two extra-inning games this season, both to Oakland and both by a score of 5-4 (May 1 was the other game).

David Ortiz and Wily Mo Pena both his solo home runs and Pena's RBI single in the 9th tied the game as Boston rallied to score twice. Pedroia extended his hitting streak to 14 games. ... Birthday boy JC Romero pitched out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the bottom of the ninth, getting Chavez swinging and Bobby Crosby on a 5-2-3 DP.

Elsewhere in the East, Baltimore and New York lost, Tampa won and the Jays were idle. So we lead Toronto by 10, Orioles by 11, and the Devil Rays and Yankees by 12.5.

***

Julian Tavarez (5.40, 83 ERA+) / Dan Haren (1.64, 262 ERA+)

Lips draws another ace.

Dustin Pedroia was named AL Rookie of the Month for May -- .415/.472/.600, six doubles, two home runs and nine RBI. His batting average for the season is .336.