O's can't hold two-run lead and fall 4-3 at Boston

Chris Davis hit a long home run for the Orioles. But the Red Sox didn't need the longball. A seeing-eye two-run single and bloop single that plated another run did the trick. Boston rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the seventh to beat the Orioles 4-3 Wednesday night at Fenway Park. The Red Sox, who have won four in a row over the O's, dropped Baltimore 7 1/2 games back of first in the AL East. With Oakland's win tonight, the Orioles are 4 1/2 games back of the second wild card spot in the AL. The Orioles have now lost eight straight one-run decisions to fall to 14-24 in one-run games on the year. The O's are 2-13 in one-run games since July 4. Dustin Pedroia's ground ball was perfectly placed to get through the left side of the O's infield and scored two runs in the seventh to tie the game 3-3. A pinch-hit bloop RBI single to left by Mike Carp in the last of the eighth made it a 4-3 game. Earlier, Davis hit his 47th homer in the sixth inning that broke his tie with Jim Gentile for third-most homers in one season in team history. Davis is now chasing Frank Robinson (49 in 1966) and Brady Anderson (50 in 1996). Davis started the O's scoring with an RBI double in the first inning. He has driven in 18 runs in his last 19 games and has 120 RBIs on the year. Davis led the Orioles with 85 RBIs last season. Manny Machado hit an 0-1 pitch off John Lackey for a solo homer in the third. It was his 12th of the year. Davis' homer gave the O's a 3-1 lead which held up to the last of the seventh. O's starter Bud Norris gave up four hits and just one run over 5 1/3 innings. He threw 105 pitches. He has a 4.91 ERA in seven games and six starts with the Orioles. He had allowed 11 runs over 10 1/3 innings in his last two starts. The Orioles fall to 17-18 since the All-Star break, 25-27 vs. the AL East and 70-61 overall.