Another day, another bad Boston Red Sox loss. Once again, the leaders in the AL Wild Card race have fallen to the Baltimore Orioles after taking a lead deep into the game. This is their second-straight loss to the O's and third in the last four games, which is not exactly a good way to warm up for a crucial series against the New York Yankees.
Mark Reynolds had a big day for Baltimore, homering twice and driving in three of their six runs in a 6-4 win over the Sox. His solo home run in the 2nd inning put the O's on the board, but Boston would put up four runs before the end of the fifth inning. J.J. Hardy made it 4-2 Boston in the top of the 6th with an RBI single before Reynolds hit his second home run of the night in the seventh, a two-run shot to make it 4-4.
In the top of the eighth, a struggling Josh Beckett gave up a single to Hardy, and two batters later Nick Markakis hit a ground-rule double, putting runners on second and third with one out. Alfredo Aceves came on in relief but couldn't retire the first batter he faced, as Vladimir Guerrero singled to center field, scoring both Hardy and Markakis to give the O's a 6-4 lead.
Boston's loss left them with a two-game lead in the AL Wild Card over the Los Angeles Angels, who won on Wednesday night. The New York Yankees clinched the AL East with a 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays shortly after the Red Sox game ended. The Rays' loss ensured Boston's lead in the Wild Card remained at 2.5 games.