Kevin Millar's two-run single in the ninth inning lifted Baltimore to a 5-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday night, snapping the Orioles' nine-game losing streak at Fenway Park.
Miguel Tejeda and Jay Gibbons led off the ninth with singles off Mike Timlin (6-6). After a fielder's choice and passed ball put runners at second and third, Millar hit a ball off the Green Monster to give the Orioles the lead.
Chris Ray (4-4) pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth for the victory, Baltimore's third in 17 games against Boston this season.
Manny Ramirez went 2-for-3 with a home run and Carlos Pena was 2-for-4 and drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning for the Red Sox, who dropped to third place in the AL East. Toronto, which beat the New York Yankees 6-5 earlier in the day, took over sole possession of second.
Ramirez, making his first start since Sept. 9, hit his 470th career homer and first since Aug. 19. Ramirez missed 17 of the previous 18 games with soreness in his right knee, making his only appearance during that stretch as a pinch-hitter in Boston's 5-3 loss to Toronto on Sept.23.
Tim Wakefield, looking for his first win since July 6 against Tampa Bay, allowed three runs in six innings. He remained 0-3 since coming off the disabled list Sept. 13 after missing nearly two months with a stress fracture in his rib cage.
The Orioles led 3-0 on David Newhan's sacrifice fly in the first and Chris Gomez's two-run single in the fifth.
Adam Loewen allowed four runs on three hits and five walks in 5 1-3 innings for Baltimore. He didn't allow a hit until Pena singled to right with one out in the fifth to load the bases. Dustin Pedroia then followed with a walk _ Loewen's third of the inning _ to pull Boston to 3-1, but Mark Loretta grounded into a double play to end the inning.
The Red Sox then scored three times in the sixth to pull ahead. With one out, Ramirez homered over the Green Monster to make it 3-2. Wily Mo Pena then walked, and Trot Nixon followed with an RBI double to tie the score at 3 and chase Loewen.
Two batters later, Pena hit a slow grounder past the outstretched glove of second baseman Gomez to drive in Nixon and put Boston up 4-3.
Gomez went 3-for-4 to extend his career-best hitting streak to 18 games.
Notes: Peter Gammons will throw out the first pitch in the season finale Sunday. ... RHP Jonathan Papelbon threw batting practice off the mound before Saturday's game. ... Baltimore 3B Melvin Mora had three consecutive assists spanning the third and fourth innings. ... Nixon's sixth-inning double snapped an 0-for-17 slump. ... Ramirez walked in the fourth inning to set a single-season career high of 100.
