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Ciriaco, Red Sox top Yankees in 10 innings

Jul 30, 2012 - 5:16 AM Bronx, NY (Sports Network) - Pedro Ciriaco's RBI single in the top of the 10th inning proved to be the game winner as the Boston Red Sox escaped with a 3-2 victory over the New York Yankees in the rubber match of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium.

Ryan Sweeney added a two-run double for the Red Sox, who won the last two games of the series to get back to .500 on the season (51-51).

"We're trying to win series now. That's the name of the game and two out of three is a series," Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said. "I'm proud of the guys. That's a great effort."

Alfredo Aceves (2-6) gave up the game-tying single in the bottom of the eighth inning to record his fifth blown save of the year, but recovered to toss a scoreless ninth and 10th to earn the win.

Russell Martin supplied the offense for the Yankees with a solo home run in the seventh and the RBI single off Aceves in the eighth.

David Robertson (1-4) surrendered the deciding run to take the loss for New York, which has dropped seven of its last 10 games.

Each team received a quality start as Felix Doubront allowed one run on four hits and five walks with five strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings for Boston and Hiroki Kuroda gave up two runs on seven hits and a walk over eight full frames.

New York entered the seventh inning trailing 2-0 before Martin cut into the deficit with a leadoff blast over the right-field wall.

Ichiro Suzuki followed with an infield single to third base and after Jayson Nix went down swinging, Doubront was replaced on the mound by Matt Albers.

Suzuki then stole second and advanced to third on Derek Jeter's base hit through the right side of the infield. But Andrew Miller took the bump next and needed just three pitches to induce a fly out to shallow left field by Curtis Granderson and a Mark Teixeira grounder to second to end the threat and keep Boston on top.

The Yankees, though, managed to tie the game in the eighth with a pair of two- out hits when Andruw Jones pulled a double into left field off Miller and Martin lined the first pitch from Aceves into center field, plating Jones.

Jones quickly moved to second on a wild pitch, but Suzuki flied out to left field to keep it a 2-2 game.

"It just shows that you're never really out of it," Granderson said about his team's game-tying rally. "We had opportunities, they had opportunities and we weren't able to pull enough away."

After Jarrod Saltalamacchia led off the 10th inning with a walk, Will Middlebrooks was hit in the right wrist with a Robinson pitch during a bunt attempt. However, the ball deflected right into the leg of home plate umpire Brian O'Nora, who immediately fell to the ground.

A lengthy meeting between the umpires ensued and Middlebrooks was not awarded first base, resulting in Valentine being ejected from the game as he argued the call.

"There was a seam mark where it got me, but they were saying it hit the bat," said Middlebrooks. "It's a tough call for them. It happened really fast."

Middlebrooks then slapped the next pitch he saw into left field for a single and after a Sweeney fielder's choice grounder moved Saltalamacchia to third, Ciriaco blooped an RBI single into shallow right field.

Boston failed to add another run as Jacoby Ellsbury followed by grounding into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.

Aceves retired the first two batters in the bottom of the 10th before hitting Nick Swisher on the elbow to put the tying run on first, but pinch-hitter Raul Ibanez fanned on an outside curveball on the ninth pitch of his at-bat to end the game.

The Red Sox opened the scoring in the second inning when Adrian Gonzalez led off the frame with a single and Saltalamacchia worked a walk before both rounded the bases on Sweeney's two-out double to left-center field.

Game Notes

Boston hit into five double plays in the game...Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett was also ejected from the game in the 10th inning for arguing with the umpires from the dugout...Boston improved to 8-8 since the All-Star break...New York leads the season series between the teams, 6-3...The Yankees fell to 42-5 this season when holding their opponent to three-or-fewer runs.