AL EAST Red Sox' error aids Yankees win

David Ortiz' crucial error in the seventh led to New York's 4-2 win.
NEW YORK (AP) -- David Ortiz gave Boston a two-run lead. Then he gave it away.
Ortiz made a crucial error that allowed New York to tie it in the seventh inning Wednesday night, and Gary Sheffield's RBI double in the eighth sent the Yankees to a 4-2 victory over the Red Sox.
"We should've won the game," said Ortiz, who homered and drove in two runs.
With the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh, Tony Clark hit a sharp grounder off Mike Timlin (4-3) to Ortiz at first base. But the ball squirted through him into shallow right field, allowing two runs to score.
Ortiz's gaffe was reminiscent of a big miscue by another Red Sox first baseman. Though this New York setting was far less dramatic than when Bill Buckner made his infamous error in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, the play was eerily similar.
Across town at Shea Stadium, it was Buckner who allowed Mookie Wilson's 10th-inning grounder to go through his legs, giving the Mets a 6-5 victory. Two nights later, New York won the World Series, keeping Boston without a title since 1918.
After the play, Ortiz headed toward the dugout for a new glove. Turns out, Clark's grounder slipped right through the webbing of the other one.
"I thought I had it. I was starting to go to first base, and I saw the ball missing. My glove was kind of soft. Maybe that's why it went through," Ortiz said.
He wasn't even supposed to be out there, either.
Last-minute replacement
Ortiz was the designated hitter in Boston's original lineup, but he was switched to first base before the first pitch because Trot Nixon had a tight quadriceps.
Nixon moved from right field to DH.
"That kind of stuff seems to happen a lot to us, especially when we're playing the Yankees," Johnny Damon said. "Every single loss is just magnified right now."
The Yankees have won the first two games of the series to open a season-high 71/2-game lead over the Red Sox in the AL East. New York will go for a sweep tonight against Pedro Martinez.
"You don't demoralize good teams, and they're a good ballclub," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "They'll come back."
Wakefield impressive
Making his first appearance at Yankee Stadium since giving up Aaron Boone's pennant-winning homer in Game 7 of the AL championship series last year, Tim Wakefield shut down New York on three hits for 61/3 innings.
After a walk and a hit batsman, he left with a 2-0 lead -- but Boston's defense let him down.
"In the seventh inning, the wheels kind of fell off," Wakefield said.
Kenny Lofton led off the eighth with an infield single and went to second when shortstop Nomar Garciaparra threw wildly for his third error in two games.
Derek Jeter sacrificed Lofton to third, and he scored when Sheffield doubled down the third-base line on the 10th pitch of his at-bat against Timlin. Sheffield, playing with an aching shoulder, fouled off seven 0-2 pitches.
"It was just one of those battles," he said. "It seemed like we wanted it a little bit more."