Walks Replaces Wednesday For Yankees

Baseball Betting Lines

The Red Sox, winners in seven of their last eight, moved a half-game ahead of the Yankees, into first place in the AL East.

The Red Sox caught a break and went ahead for good in the fourth inning. Reddick reached first on Arrieta's error on a poor umpiring call at first base. Reddick's bouncer was knocked down by Derrek Lee, whose flip to first appeared in time to get the out. Replays showed Arrieta's heel touched the bag, but first base umpire Mike Estabrook signaled safe. Saltalamacchia singled and J.D. Drew's groundout to first made it a 4-3 game.

Viola came on in relief of Jason Berken with one out in the seventh, but was greeted with three consecutive long balls. First it was Ortiz who hit a ball to center, then Reddick to right, and finally Saltalamacchia to left-center.

Vladimir Guerrero scored on Lee's groundout in the eighth.

"You put two guys on for free and then a good high-ball hitter in Pedroia hits a ball out. That could have easily been avoided," Arrieta said. "It could have been a solo shot, but it did more damage than it should have."

Game Notes

The Red Sox are 20-5 against the O's in their last 25 meetings at Fenway Park...Gonzalez, who leads the AL with 124 hits, is two hits away from recording the most hits ever for a Red Sox batter before the All-Star break since 1946. Only Wade Boggs (125 in 1987), Nomar Garciaparra (125 in 2003) have recorded more hits before the break in that time...In seven games in July, the Orioles are batting .111 (5-45) with runners in scoring position.

The blast made Tony Sipp (4-1) a winner even after he gave up Jose Bautista's 29th homer run of the season in the ninth.

Ben Zobrist went 3-for-3 with two walks and finished a double short of the cycle, while B.J. Upton also homered and drove in three runs for the Rays, winners of two straight and four of six overall.

Tampa Bay, making its first visit to New York this season, began a string of 11 straight games against the American League's top two teams -- the Yankees and Red Sox.

The Yankees stranded four runners over the first two frames, and Zobrist doubled the Rays' lead with a leadoff homer in the third. Later in the inning, Upton's two-out single plated Casey Kotchman for a 3-0 cushion.

Niemann was pulled after walking Mark Teixeira with one out in the eighth, and Juan Cruz came in and retired Alex Rodriguez and Cano to keep it a 5-1 game.

Kyle Farnsworth put two runners on in the ninth to bring Jeter to the plate. The Yankees' all-time hits leader nearly beat out a slow roller to third, but Rodriguez's throw got him by a step to send New York to its fourth loss in five games.

comments

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•    If the fragrance of (the Prophet's) remembrance radiates in the West, and a sick man resides in the East, he will recover." ~ ibn al-Fareed"

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•    My #Rays lineup on opening day, despite facing lefty Sabathia 1. DJ 2. BJ 3.Evan 4. Pena 5. Zobrist 6. Scott 7. Joyce 8. Rodriguez 9. Molina

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•    Nvmm . I'm bout to play the michael jackson game :))

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•    I really can't wait til Wednesday though! #TheJungle

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•    Gotta hold out til Wednesday ugh! Miss my phone!

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•    Miss top 5: northport, capstone, gasden, fairhope, east al

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•    aletha buchholz think I'm trust and confidence :)

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•    East AL is ruining my pageant prediction success rate...... Not to happy about that! Maybe things will still work out? :/

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•    I hope he lose that game!

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•    MLB All-Star Zobrist holds baseball camp in Coralville - UI The Daily Iowan

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