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BALTIMORE — Rookie Brian Matusz won his third consecutive start, and the Baltimore Orioles beat Josh Beckett and the fading Boston Red Sox 5-2 on Tuesday night to cap a memorable first month under manager Buck Showalter.
Luke Scott hit his career-high 26th homer, had two RBIs and scored twice to help the Orioles extend their winning streak to four. Baltimore went 17-11 in August, 17-10 with Showalter in the dugout.
The Orioles last had a winning August in 1997 — the most recent season in which they finished above .500.
Matusz (7-12) allowed two runs, six hits and a walk in six-plus innings. The left-hander struck out six, including David Ortiz three times.
Koji Uehara, the third Baltimore reliever, retired all five batters he faced to earn his fifth save.
Jed Lowrie homered for the Red Sox, who have dropped three straight. Boston started the day trailing AL East co-leaders New York and Tampa Bay by seven games.
Beckett (4-4) gave up three runs, two earned, and seven hits in seven innings.
Baltimore got a first-inning run when Nick Markakis doubled and scored on a single by Scott, who ended a 2-for-21 slump. Markakis became the first player in Orioles history to hit 40 doubles in four successive seasons.
Marlins 1, Nationals 0
MIAMI — Chad Tracy singled home Hanley Ramirez with the winning run as the Florida Marlins beat the Washington Nationals in 10 innings.
Ramirez singled with one out off reliever Drew Storen, then stole second. After Gaby Sanchez drew a walk, Tracy singled to left.
Roger Bernadina’s throw was on target, but Ramirez slid under the tag attempt by catcher Ivan Rodriguez, who argued the call vehemently.
It was the ninth walk-off win for the Marlins this season.
Yankees 9, A’s 3
NEW YORK — Mark Teixeira hit a three-run homer and Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher also went deep for the Yankees, who beat up on Oakland again in a win over the Athletics.
The victory moved the Yankees back into sole possession of first place. Tampa Bay and New York had spent eight days tied atop the AL East.
Yankees starter Phil Hughes (16-6) walked five but only gave up two runs and four hits in five innings.
White Sox 4, Indians 3
CLEVELAND — With Manny Ramirez standing in the on-deck circle ready to pinch-hit, A.J. Pierzynski hit a three-run homer off Frank Herrmann in the ninth inning to lift the White Sox to a win over the Indians.
Ramirez, who arrived earlier in the day to help Chicago’s playoff push, was poised to make his White Sox debut and bat for Brent Lillibridge before Pierzynski came through.
He drove an 0-1 pitch over the wall in right field, and as he rounded the bases, Ramirez retreated to Chicago’s dugout, where the fun-loving slugger celebrated his new teammate’s heroics by high-fiving the rest of the White Sox as if he was the one who had homered.
