Ortiz raps 31st; Red Sox win

David Ortiz hit his eighth homer in eight games over 27 at-bats.
CHICAGO (AP) -- David Ortiz hit his 31st homer, Josh Beckett got his 11th win despite giving up three homers and the Boston Red Sox used timely two-out hitting Saturday to beat the Chicago White Sox 9-6.
Ortiz, who on Friday night became the first Red Sox player to reach 30 homers before the All-Star break, continued his tear with a two-run shot to center off Freddy Garcia that broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth. It was his eighth homer in eight games over a span of just 27 at-bats.
Beckett (11-4) allowed five runs and 10 hits, including a pair of homers to Jermaine Dye and a solo shot to Jim Thome, over six-plus innings.
Trailing 5-3 after Ortiz's drive, the White Sox tied it in the bottom of the fifth as Scott Podsednik scored from third on a wild pitch and Thome connected to center for his 30th of the season.
With two outs in the sixth, Alex Cora drew a walk from David Riske (0-2), stole second and scored on Kevin Youkilis' single. In the seventh, Boston got consecutive two-out singles from Mike Lowell, Coco Crisp, Doug Mirabelli and Cora to make it 8-5.
Chicago loaded the bases on a single and two walks with no outs in the bottom of the seventh, driving Beckett out. But Thome struck out against Javier Lopez -- acquired by the Red Sox from the White Sox for Riske in a June 15 trade -- and Craig Hansen retired Paul Konerko on a foul to right and Dye on a soft liner to shortstop.
Trot Nixon, who made two nice catches in right, hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to give the Red Sox a four-run cushion in the eighth. Podsednik's RBI single cut it to 9-6 in the bottom half before the Red Sox called on closer Jonathan Papelbon, who got the final four outs for his 26th save in 28 chances.
BOSTONCHICAGO
abrhbiabrhbi
Yukilis 1b5011Pdsdnk lf5131
Loretta 2b5220Iguchi 2b4000
DOrtiz dh6122Thome dh5121
MRmrz lf4130Knerko 1b4110
Nixon rf4111Dye rf5223
Lowell 3b5222Przyns c5010
Crisp cf5120Crede 3b4120
Mrbelli c4012Mckwk cf4020
Cora ss4121Cintron ss3000
Totals429169Totals396135
Boston000321210--9
Chicago010220010--6
DP--Boston 1. LOB--Boston 12, Chicago 9. 2B--MRamirez 2 (15), Lowell (31), Thome (11). HR--DOrtiz (31), Thome (30), Dye 2 (24). SB--Crisp (7), Cora 2 (4), Podsednik (28), Mackowiak (2). SF--Nixon.
IPHRERBBSO
Boston
Beckett W,11-46105524
Lopez1-300001
Hansen1 1-331100
Papelbon S,261 1-300012
Chicago
FGarcia585504
Riske L,0-22-311121
Cotts122202
Garland1-331100
Thornton220021
Beckett pitched to 3 batters in the 7th, Garland pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. HBP--by FGarcia (Mirabelli). WP--Beckett. Umpires--Home, Chris Guccione; First, Jim Reynolds; Second, Tim Welke; Third, Kerwin Danley. T--3:50. A--39,497.
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