Joe Nathan wiped the sweat from his forehead and spoke breathlessly about his latest, and most harrowing, save of the season. Minnesota's normally unhittable closer usually makes things look so easy when he steps to the mound to blow away another overmatched opponent. But the heavy-hitting Boston Red Sox never go quietly, and Sunday night was a prime example.

Has Daisuke Matsuzaka's mythical gyroball finally made an appearance stateside? The Japanese right-hander had a pitch slip out of his hand in the third inning and land about five feet from the mound before rolling to the plate, one of the few things he did wrong in Boston's 5-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday night.

Mike Lamb was looking for a hit like this. Jonathan Papelbon? He's not used to this. The struggling Lamb lifted the Minnesota Twins past the Boston Red Sox 7-6 on Friday night with a two-run single in the ninth inning against Papelbon, who blew his second consecutive save opportunity. On Wednesday in Detroit, he gave up two unearned runs due to Julio Lugo's error and Placido Polanco's broken-bat...

In a matchup of hard-throwing right-handers, Boston's Josh Beckett got the best of Detroit's struggling ace, Justin Verlander. And Beckett reached a milestone along the way, too. Beckett had eight strikeouts, including the 1,000th of his career, to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 5-1 win over the Detroit Tigers.

Boston Red Sox starter Curt Schilling played long toss before Thursday's game against the Detroit Tigers, continuing his rehabilitation from a shoulder injury. Red Sox manager Terry Francona said that the session went well, although progress hasn't been as quick as the 41-year-old pitcher would like.

The reeling Detroit Tigers looked like they were finally going to break out of their funk against Boston, scoring runs like they were expected to and pitching just good enough to win. Then the Red Sox rallied from a four-run deficit to set up Detroit for perhaps its most disheartening loss in a season already full of them.

Tim Wakefield had his knuckleball working and that made the rest of his pitches that much more effective. He only allowed two hits in eight shutout innings to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 5-0 win over the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night. David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez also hit back-to-back homers on successive pitches in Boston's fifth straight win and seventh in the last eight games.

Tim Wakefield only allowed two hits in eight shutout innings to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 5-0 win over the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night. David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez also hit back-to-back homers on successive pitches in Boston's fifth straight win and seventh in the last eight games. Detroit, which was shut out for the fourth time this season, has lost five straight.

Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling tested his ailing shoulder by playing catch on flat ground Tuesday but isn't ready to begin throwing off a mound. "He did good. He looked good," manager Terry Francona said. "It's a good step for him. But he's not ready yet." The 41-year-old right-hander threw 25 balls from 60 feet away.

Daisuke Matsuzaka issued eight of Boston's 10 walks and still found a way to beat the Detroit Tigers. Mike Lowell hit one of Boston's three homers for his first RBIs this season, and the Red Sox defeated Detroit 6-3 Monday night behind a wild Matsuzaka. Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz also connected for Boston, which won its fourth straight game and sent the Tigers to their fourth consecutive...

Jon Lester's expanding repertoire helped Boston finish off a three-game sweep of Tampa Bay. Kevin Youkilis had four RBIs and Lester pitched six innings to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 7-3 victory over Tampa Bay on Sunday, spoiling the return of Rays ace Scott Kazmir. "He's taken steps to be a more complete pitcher," Sox captain Jason Varitek said of Lester.