Red Sox pitcher Alfredo Aceves coughs up two runs to give Orioles an 8-6 win in 10 innings

Jarrod Saltalamacchia's homer tied it 6-6 in the bottom of the ninth, but Aceves gave it back to Baltimore an inning later.

View full sizeAssociated PressBoston Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a two-run homer to send the game into extra innings.

By JON COUTURE

BOSTON – On their prior visit to Fenway Park, the Baltimore Orioles bled out a struggling Red Sox team for 17 innings. Boston showed far more life Tuesday night, but the results were all too familiar.

An extra-inning loss, and last place in the AL East.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s game-tying two-run homer on the potential final pitch awoke the crowd but didn’t shake the Orioles, who battered closer Alfredo Aceves for two 10th-inning runs to snag an 8-6 victory and a piece of first place in the division.

The Sox (28-27), meanwhile, were again assured of another night in the cellar, albeit just three games behind the leaders.

Saltalamacchia delivered the big blow against a lights-out closer. Jim Johnson had converted 25 straight save opportunities dating to last season when he entered the ninth up 6-4, but gave up a one-out single to David Ortiz.

After Kevin Youkilis popped out, Saltalamacchia fell behind 1-2, fouled off three straight pitches, then dropped a 96-mph fastball off the shelf atop the Green Monster.

Video review upheld Saltalamacchia’s 11th homer, his sixth in 14 games.

“Had a good fastball, so I’m just trying to be ready for it,” Saltalamacchia said.

The joy was short-lived. Aceves (0-3), who’d put the Orioles down in order in the ninth, walked leadoff man Mark Reynolds. After Steve Pearce sacrificed him to second, Aceves gave up three straight singles, the last by No. 9 hitter Endy Chavez, who had a team-high three hits.

All told, 13 of Baltimore’s 15 hits were singles, with Robert Andino, J.J. Hardy (triple), Matt Wieters (double) and Reynolds all adding two.

Saltalamacchia and Mike Aviles each had three for Boston, but the hosts stranded 10 runners. Johnson (1-0) set the Sox down in the 10th, the only inning the Sox went in order.

Baltimore took control in the seventh, nicking three Sox pitchers for five hits and three runs. The Sox led 4-3 entering the inning, with Chavez dumping the last of Jon Lester’s 99 pitches into left field, Baltimore’s eighth hit against the lefty, who walked one and fanned five.

Manager Bobby Valentine summoned righty Scott Atchison, who had not allowed a run in 19 2-3 innings.

The lead was gone in three pitches thanks to Andino and Hardy singles, and Atchison departed with the bases loaded after just four batters.

Matt Albers was no better, giving up ringing RBI singles to Reynolds and Pearce, who’d given Baltimore a temporary lead with a sacrifice fly in the sixth.

“Sooner or later, I guess it was probably going to happen. Unfortunately it happened tonight,” said Atchison, who was pitching in a one-run or tie situation for just the seventh time in 23 appearances. “With a runner in scoring position, it seemed like they kind of maybe sneaked through or were placed well, but that’s part of it. I think everybody threw fine. Just a couple breaks didn’t go our way.”

Lester failed to earn a victory in a third straight start. Two of the four runs against him were unearned, both scoring in the third via an Aviles fielding error and singles by Adam Jones and Wieters.

The Sox tied it at 2 in the fifth – Daniel Nava and Aviles singling to start the inning, Scott Podsednik (bunt) and Dustin Pedroia (fly to center) scoring them – then made it 4-3 in the sixth.

Facing lefty Troy Patton, Aviles dumped a changeup into left to score Ryan Sweeney, with a Podsednik sac fly scoring Aviles.

Baltimore starter Jason Hammel allowed only five hits, one earned run and fanned seven.

Pedroia, playing his first game since May 28 due to his injured thumb, went 0 for 3.