Red Sox News

BOSTON (AP) ― AL batting leader Dustin Pedroia homered in the seventh inning to begin Boston's comeback from a four-run deficit, and the Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-4 Wednesday when pitcher Jim Miller's threw away a bunt for a game-ending error.

Hitting cleanup for the fourth time in five games, Pedroia went 3-for-4 and raised his average to .333. He is 21-for-34 (.618) in his last eight games.
Boston, 48-19 at Fenway Park but 34-38 on the road, began the day four games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East and led the AL wild-card race by four games.

The Red Sox sold out 96-year old Fenway Park for the 455th consecutive regular-season game, tying the Cleveland Indians' major league record.
Baltimore, which has lost six straight and 11 of 12, took a 4-0 lead in the fourth against Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Pedroia homered off Jamie Walker into the Green Monster seats, his 17th homer of the season. Pedroia hit just eight last year and had two in 2006, when he first came up to the majors and played in 31 games.

Boston loaded the bases with a hit batter, walk and bunt single, and Rocky Cherry came in and walked Coco Crisp, forcing home a run.
Mark Kotsay hit a two-run triple in the eighth off Miller, a drive just over center fielder Adam Jones, who crashed into the wall. Miller stranded Kotsay by striking out Jason Bay and Jason Varitek.

Alex Cora singled off Miller (0-1) opening the ninth, and took second on Coco Crisp's bunt single. Jacoby Ellsbury, attempting to sacrifice, bunted the ball toward Miller, who threw it past third baseman Aubrey Huff and down the left-field line. Cora slid home headfirst, then jogged in without a batting helmet and with his arm raised.

Justin Masterson (5-4) pitched two scoreless innings. Matsuzaka gave up four runs -- three earned -- and four hits in six innings.

With planned starter Jeremy Guthrie sidelined by arm fatigue, the Orioles gave Lance Cormier his first start since last Sept. 15 for Atlanta. Cormier allowed two hits in three innings, throwing 32 pitches. Dennis Sarfate followed with another three shutout innings, giving up just one hit, a single.

Baltimore scored when Brian Roberts doubled on the game's second pitch and Nick Markakis flied to center, where Crisp dropped the ball for an error. Crisp, who battled the bright sunshine, wasn't wearing sunglasses.

The Orioles boosted their lead in the fourth on Luke Scott's RBI double, Lou Montanez's run-scoring groundout and Guillermo Quiroz's RBI single.

Orioles right fielder Jacoby Ellsbury robbed Aubrey Huff of a home run with a leaping catch at the wall by the Orioles bullpen in the fifth.
 
Notes:  Baltimore hitting coach Terry Crowley was ejected by plate umpire Jeff Nelson in the ninth inning ... Boston INF Kevin Youkilis missed his second straight game. He was a late scratch with back spams on Tuesday. "He came in here a little tighter than we hoped," Boston manager Terry Francona said. ... Mike Lowell, sidelined with a strained right oblique since Aug. 13, took BP and grounders and is expected to be activated from the 15-day DL for Friday's game in Texas. ... Baltimore 3B Melvin Mora, selected August's AL player of the month on Wednesday, was sidelined for his fifth consecutive game with a strained left hamstring. ... The Orioles fell a season-worst 13 games under .500. ... Boston's Mark Kotsay started at first base for the first time since Sept. 2, 2006, for Oakland. ... Montanez became the first player in over 30 years to win the Eastern League Triple Crown. He batted .335 with 26 homers and tied for the league lead with 97 RBIs for the Double-A Bowie Baysox

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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