Red Sox reclaim AL East lead at All-Star break

[July 14, 2008]  BOSTON (AP) -- Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched six scoreless innings and the Boston Red Sox reclaimed the AL East lead going into the All-Star break, defeating the Baltimore Orioles 2-1 Sunday.

The Red Sox moved a half-game ahead of Tampa Bay and took the division lead for the first time since June 28. Boston trailed by a season-high five games last weekend, then won five of six while the Rays lost seven in a row.

Matsuzaka (10-1) struggled with his control, but worked around four hits and five walks. Jonathan Papelbon escaped in the ninth for his 28th save of the season and 100th of his career.

Seven Red Sox players now join manager Terry Francona and his coaching staff at the All-Star game at Yankee Stadium.

Baltimore lost for the sixth time in seven games, and dropped its 14th straight Sunday game. The major league record for consecutive losses on a specific day is 21 -- the 1939 St. Louis Browns and 1890 Pittsburgh Innocents both did it on Tuesdays.

Daniel Cabrera (6-5) fell to 2-10 lifetime against Boston. He somehow managed to only one earned run despite permitting 13 runners in 4 1-3 innings.

Matsuzaka helped himself by snaring Melvin Mora's hard comebacker with the bases loaded to end the fifth, and has given up just one run in his last 23 innings. Only twice in 16 starts has he allowed more than three runs.

Even with his impressive record and a 2.65 ERA, Matsuzaka is not among the Red Sox representatives in the All-Star game.

After relievers Hideki Okajima and Manny Delcarmen combined for two scoreless innings, Papelbon took over in the ninth with a 2-0 lead. Brian Roberts and Adam Jones singled with one out and Aubrey Huff hit an RBI single with two outs before Mora lined out to end it.

J.D. Drew gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead when he doubled home Dustin Pedroia in the first inning. Pedroia hit .440 over the last 20 games and finished with 124 at the break, one shy of the franchise record shared by Wade Boggs and Nomar Garciaparra.

Pedroia drove in a run in the fourth with a groundout.

Baltimore missed a big chance in the fifth after loading the bases on two walks and a hit batter. After Huff struck out, Matsuzaka stopped Mora's hard grounder.

Notes: Boston's biggest AL East lead this year was 3 1/2 games. ... The Red Sox have the best home record in the AL at the break with a 36-11 record. ... The Orioles stranded 13 baserunners. ... Opponents are 0-for-11 this season with the bases loaded against Matsuzaka. ... Orioles starting pitching has a 7.23 over the last 10 games. ... Sean Casey reached base in all four plate appearances with two hits and two walks. ... 1B Kevin Youkilis left the game with a triceps contusion in the fifth inning after being hit by a pitch from Cabrera. X-rays were negative.

[Associated Press]

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