G49: Red Sox 6, Tigers 3

Tigers  - 000 011 100 - 3  9  1
Red Sox - 010 310 10x - 6 11  0

25-24!  One game over .500, and only 3.5 GB in the AL East.

Daniel Nava's three-run, opposite-field double with two outs in the fourth inning - off a 100-mph fastball - was the big blow against Verlander (6-10-5-1-7, 105), who allowed 10 hits for the first time in 50 starts, dating back to September 2, 2010. It was also only the third time in his last 63 starts that Verlander allowed as many as five runs.

After Nava's double, the Tigers tried to inch closer, but the Red Sox simply put more runs on the board.

Jhonny Peralta hit a solo home run off Bard (5.1-5-2-2-4, 94) in the fifth. Bard ended that inning by striking out Miguel Cabrera with two men on. In the home half, David Ortiz doubled home Adrian Gonzalez to give the Red Sox a 5-1 lead. (Ortiz doubled and scored in the second.)

Prince Fielder launched a bomb to right-center to open the sixth. Detroit then put two more runners on base, but Scott Atchison retired Ramon Santiago on a bloop liner to second to hold the lead at 5-2. Fielder singled home a run in the seventh, but Ortiz answered that with his 11th home run of the year, a line drive that just cleared the Wall in left.

Rain delayed the game in the eighth inning for 38 minutes. Afterwards, Alfredo Aceves issued a one-out walk in the ninth, and nailed down the save.

Justin Verlander / Daniel Bard

Nava, LF
Sweeney, RF
Gonzalez, 1B
Ortiz, DH
Youkilis, 3B
Saltalamacchia, C
Aviles, SS
Podsednik, CF
Punto, 2B

Bard, on the pitching match-up:

I'm excited about it. Pretty cool. I don't have to stand in the box against him, which I'm happy about. Offensively, we're swinging it good for the most part lately. Hopefully they can give me three or four runs and we can win with that.

For the seventh time this season, the Red Sox will try to get over .500:

 W- L     THEN...
.0- 0  -  lost 2-3
10-10  -  lost 1-4
11-11  -  lost 3-5
21-21  -  lost 1-4
22-22  -  lost 4-7
23-23  -  lost 3-4
24-24  - 

Tonight, it's .510 or bust!

G48: Red Sox 7, Tigers 4

Tigers  - 010 010 002 - 4  7  0
Red Sox - 131 001 01x - 7 13  0

A swinging strike 3 by Mike Aviles should have ended the second inning with the score 1-1. But first base umpire Bill Welke ruled that the Aviles's bat had touched the ball and that the ball had hit the ground before Gerald Laird caught it.

Welke was dead wrong on both counts (Tigers manager Jim Leyland and third-base coach Gene Lamont were both ejected), and the Red Sox took full advantage of his gift, scoring three times before the inning ended a second time, enabling them to coast to victory.

Allowed another crack at Fister (5-11-6-1-2, 89) Aviles lined a single to left-center, bringing home Ryan Sweeney (3-for-4). Daniel Nava scored Aviles with a double to dead center and Pedroia knocked in Nava with a hard hit single of Prince Fielder's glove at first base. 4-1, Boston!

From that point, it was a relaxing, care-free afternoon. Jarrod Saltalamacchia homered in the third, Will Middlebrooks added an RBI-single in the sixth, and Aviles doubled in another run in the eighth.

After the game, Welke admitted that he blew the call:

What looks crystal clear [on video] didn't look crystal clear from the first-base line.

Leyland:

There shouldn't have been a second-inning rally. There's three outs. I've been in the game a long time. When the catcher catches the ball and it's strike three, you're out. It's that simple, isn't it? ... You guys [reporters] have to write something and hold people accountable. You know what, we're all accountable in this business. ... There should not have been a rally in that inning. ... A ridiculous [expletive] call, not just a bad call or a maybe call but a [expletive] ridiculous call. Write the [expletive] thing. That's all. I protect the umpires more than anybody, but [expletive], it's a ridiculous [expletive] call.

Doubront (6-4-2-1-6, 95) turned in a stellar performance, allowing two solo homers. Scott Atchison struck out four Tigers in two innings of work. Alfredo Aceves allowed a two-run dnog to Jhonny Peralta in the ninth, but that only delayed the celebration by a few minutes. Once again, the Red Sox are at .500 (24-24).

Dustin Pedroia jammed his right thumb diving for a ground ball in the top of the fifth and was pulled from the game. There was no immediate word on how serious the injury is.

Doug Fister / Felix Doubront

Nava, LF
Pedroia, 2B
Gonzalez, RF
Ortiz, DH
Youkilis, 1B
Saltalamacchia, C
Sweeney, CF
Middlebrooks, 3B
Aviles, SS

Ryan Sweeney may return to the lineup today. He suffered a concussion making a diving catch against the Phillies on May 19. Sweeney's return may end Adrian Gonzalez's time in right field, and re-open the debate of whether Will Middlebrooks should be in Boston or Pawtucket. (Kevin Youkilis is 6-for-16 (.375) since coming off the DL.)

The Red Sox - 11-5 since May 10 and 23-24 overall - host the Tigers for a four-game series. This is the latest the Red Sox have been under .500 since August 23, 1996. After starting the year 9-3, Detroit has gone 14-21. The Tigers are in third place in the AL Central, 3 GB Cleveland.

G47: Rays 4, Red Sox 3

Rays    - 000 100 102 - 4  9  0
Red Sox - 000 000 300 - 3  7  1

Alfredo Aceves blew his first save opportunity since April 21, as Sean Rodriguez hit a two-run homer with one out in the top of the ninth.

Buchholz (7-8-2-1-6, 111) turned in his best start of the season. Adrian Gonzalez hit a three-run dong for Boston. Gonzalez also batted with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth, but grounded out to shortstop.

The Red Sox went in order in the ninth. ... Kevin Youkilis and Scott Podsednik each had two hits.

Jeremy Hellickson / Clay Buchholz

G46: Red Sox 3, Rays 2

Rays    - 000 000 200 - 2  4  0
Red Sox - 000 001 002 - 3  9  1

Pinch-hitter Jarrod Saltalamacchia's two-run home run off Fernando Rodney in the bottom of the ninth gave the Red Sox their first walk-off win of the season.

With Boston down 2-1, Daniel Nava started the ninth with a walk. Nick Punto bunted him to second and then Saltalamacchia batted for Marlon Byrd. Salty blasted an 0-1 pitch over the Red Sox bullpen in right-center.

Josh Beckett (7-4-2-0-5, 91) allowed only one base runner through the first six innings.

Daisuke Matsuzaka for Pawtucket: 5-1-0-1-2, 56.

David Price / Josh Beckett

The Rays comment on the Luke Scott HBP. Joe Maddon:

I'm kind of curious regarding who put out the hit, because I know it wasn't one of their players. By the way their players reacted to the entire situation, I knew it did not come from them. It's kind of incompetent behavior ... [T]he people that were incensed obviously they're the ones that were probably behind the effort, the really weak, cowardly effort on their part. Did I say that strongly enough? Did I make my point?

G45: Rays 7, Red Sox 4

Rays    - 004 300 000 - 7  8  1
Red Sox - 100 012 000 - 4  4  1

Lester (4-6-7-3-4, 81) gave up three home runs. Matt Joyce hit a grand slam with two outs in the third and Elliot Johnson and Carlos Pena went back-to-back in the fourth. (In his first nine starts this season, Lester had allowed a total of four homers.)

Kevin Youkilis singled home Mike Aviles to give Boston an early 1-0 lead. Down 7-1, Scott Podsednik singled to start the bottom of the fifth, stole second, and scored on Adrian Gonzalez's double.

Although Boston cut the lead to 7-4 in the sixth - Marlon Byrd and Aviles had the RBIs - the Red Sox went in order in each of the final three innings, failing to hit even one ball out of the infield.

Franklin Morales hit Luke Scott with a pitch with two out in the top of the ninth. Scott took about four or five steps towards the mound, and the benches and bullpens emptied. Words were yelled, but no punches were thrown.

Alex Cobb / Jon Lester

Aviles, SS
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Gonzalez, 1B
Youkilis, 3B
Saltalamacchia, C
Nava, LF
Byrd, RF
Podsednik, CF

The Red Sox have won 10 of their last 13 games and Bobby Valentine says that if they keep playing well, "we're going to win a championship".

Laugh if you want, but Gordon Edes points out that since April 21, when Boston blew a nine-run lead to the Yankees,

the club is 18-12, the third-best record in the American League in that span, behind just the Baltimore Orioles (20-10) and Tampa Bay Rays (19-11). That's a winning percentage of .600. Overall, the Sox are now 22-22. If the Sox maintain that .600 pace, they would go 71-47 over their final 118 games, leaving them with a total of 93 wins.

Pawtucket: Darnell McDonald begins a rehab assignment tonight. Daisuke Matsuzaka will start on Saturday. I guess that issue with his neck wasn't all that serious!