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Beckett wins 18th as Red Sox edge Orioles

Sep 9, 2007 - 10:24 PM BALTIMORE (Ticker) -- Coco Crisp helped Josh Beckett get his major league-tying 18th win.

Crisp delivered the go-ahead RBI in the eighth inning and Beckett pitched seven solid frames to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 3-2 triumph over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday in the finale of a three-game series.

Crisp sent a 2-1 offering from Orioles reliever Chad Bradford (3-7) into center field to plate J.D. Drew and give the Red Sox a 3-2 lead.

"It feels good," Crisp said. "Throughout the course of the day I was missing pitches. I'm glad I came through."

After leading off the eighth with a base hit, Drew stole second and advanced to third on Jason Varitek's flyout to deep center to set the stage for Crisp's crucial two-out, RBI single.

"Our confidence is really good right now. ... strong," Crisp said. "We expect to win everytime we take the field."

Beckett (18-6) continued his bid for the American League Cy Young Award, yielding two runs and seven hits with no walks and eight strikeouts. The 27-year-old righthander allowed a baserunner in each inning he pitched. New York Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang also picked up his 18th win Sunday.

"Even when he doesn't have his best stuff he pitches a good game," Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell said. "That's why he's an ace."

Hideki Okajima hurled a perfect eighth inning before Jonathan Papelbon slammed the door in the ninth to register his 34th save of the season.

"Okajima is our backbone out there," Beckett said. "The bullpen has been tough all year."

The Red Sox staked Beckett a 2-0 advantage in the second inning on Lowell's two-run single.

The Orioles answered on a pair of solo homers by Melvin Mora and Nick Markakis in the fourth and sixth, respectively, to tie the score at 2-2. Markakis has blasted four home runs off the Red Sox this season, including two this series.

"He (Beckett) made a couple of mistakes and they hit them both out," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said.

Mora and Markakis each had two hits for the Orioles, who have lost four of their last five and 16 of 19 contests.

Baltimore starter Jeremy Guthrie surrendered two runs on seven hits and two walks with five strikeouts over five innings. Guthrie left the game with no outs in the sixth with a strained left oblique.

"He made some good pitches and kept us in the game," Oriole manager Dave Trembley said. "He kept us in the game against a very hot hitting team."

"This is a first for me. I'm just going to sit back and see what happens and hope for the best," Guthrie said about his injury. "I really don't know what to expect."

AL Rookie of the Year candidate Dustin Pedroia had three hits for Boston, which has won seven of its last nine contests.

The Red Sox (87-57) maintained their 5 1/2 game lead in the AL East over the Yankees (81-62), who defeated the Kansas City Royals, 6-3.

"We showed up today to win," Francona said. "It was a tough one, but we did it and won a tough game."