A SAD END TO A RECORD SEASON ...
Manny delivers in the 10th
with a walk-off

August 12, 2006 ... Fortunately for Mike Lowell, the fastball from Orioles rookie lefthander Adam Loewen that sent him sprawling in the first inning, the ball ricocheting to the mound, caught the side of Lowell's helmet instead of flush in the face. After a few seconds in which he persuaded trainer Paul Lessard he was aware of place and time, and even joked with manager Terry Francona as he made his way toward first base, Lowell not only remained in the game but delivered the kind of inspiring performance they'll be talking about for some time at the Fens.

Just two innings after being beaned, Lowell took a header into the stands in Jeter-esque fashion to collar Nick Markakis's foul pop, holding onto the ball even as he wound up on his back. He also lined an RBI single off the Monster and stole third with a headfirst slide during a seven-run third inning that shot the Sox to a 9-2 victory, making the team's five-game losing streak seem like a distant memory.

The Sox showed a disinclination to duplicate recent history, a losing streak distinguished by the way they held a lead before succumbing in all five of their defeats. There was no letup tonight. Every player in the Sox lineup, including Manny Ramirez, who extended his AL-best hitting streak to 26 games, contributed at least one hit as the Sox had 13 in beating up their favorite whipping boys, the Orioles, who have lost 9 of 10 to the Sox this season and 14 of their last 15. The Sox drew within two games of the Yankees in the American League East, remaining two games behind the White Sox in the wild card.

Beneficiary of all that offense was the 43-year-old lefthander David Wells. Wells, who struck out the first two batters he faced, Brian Roberts and Melvin Mora, on called third strikes while throwing the minimum six pitches, became the first Sox pitcher other than Curt Schilling to go at least seven innings in the team's last 19 games in winning his first game this season. Wells held the Orioles scoreless until the seventh, when former Sox favorite Kevin Millar doubled and came around on Roberts's two-out double.

The Orioles put the leadoff man on against Wells in four consecutive innings, the second through the fifth, but failed to score, going 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position. Wells benefited from a questionable decision to send Jeff Conine on Millar's two-out single to right in the fourth, Conine cut down by Wily Mo Pena's strong throw. Wells gave up nine hits, walked one, and struck out four before yielding to Kyle Snyder, who pitched a scoreless eighth before giving up a leadoff home run to Corey Patterson to start the ninth.

The seven-run third, which matched the Sox' biggest inning of the season, began when Loewen walked Loretta and David Ortiz. Ramirez, who was credited with a single and RBI in the first when his liner banged off the glove of Orioles shortstop Miguel Tejada, bounced a single up the middle. Kevin Youkilis forced Ramirez at second, but the next three batters Lowell, Pena, and Javy Lopez all followed with RBI singles, Lopez's coming off Rodrigo Lopez, the former Baltimore starter relegated to the bullpen. Alex Gonzalez then tripled into the left-field corner for two more runs, making it 7- 0. Coco Crisp grounded out, but Loretta, coming up for the second time in an inning in which the Sox sent 12 men to the plate, lined a single to right to score Gonzalez for the eighth run.

Loretta singled home the team's final run in the seventh.