Scott, Orioles hit Beckett hard to edge Red Sox

Luke Scott homered and had three of Baltimore's 11 hits off Josh Beckett, and the Orioles received a fine pitching performance from Jeremy Guthrie in a 5-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night.

Scott was mired in a 7-for-55 skid before going 3-for-3 against Beckett, who came in 4-0 with a 2.05 ERA in four career starts at Camden Yards. Scott's three-run homer in the third inning put Baltimore ahead 5-3, and the advantage stood up.

Guthrie (2-3) allowed three runs, two earned, and eight hits in six-plus innings. The right-hander had a season-high seven strikeouts and walked one.

After Guthrie yielded successive singles to start the seventh, Jamie Walker walked David Ortiz to load the bases. Jim Johnson then got Manny Ramirez to bounce into a 1-2-3 double play to conclude a 10-pitch at-bat, and Mike Lowell followed with a fly ball to left.

Alex Cora hit an RBI single in the eighth before George Sherrill got five straight outs for his 14th save. Ortiz was ejected in the ninth after arguing with umpire Laz Diaz, who called him out on a check swing with the count full.

It was the fourth loss in five games for the Red Sox, who stranded 10 and went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

Beckett (4-3) gave up five runs in 5 2-3 innings. The 11 hits was the most allowed by a Boston starter this season.

The Red Sox were without manager Terry Francona, who will miss the two-game series following the death of his mother-in-law. He was replaced by bench coach Brad Mills, now 5-4 when subbing for Francona.

Boston lost two players during the game: J.D. Drew sprained his left wrist diving for a third-inning liner in right field, and center fielder Coco Crisp left with an upset stomach.

The Red Sox took advantage of two Baltimore errors to go up 3-0 in the first inning. After Ramirez hit an RBI single, Ortiz scored when Aubrey Huff botched Lowell's grounder to third. Two batters later, Ramirez scored when first baseman Kevin Millar let a two-out grounder go through his legs.

But just as they did one night earlier in Minnesota, the Red Sox lost after opening with a three-run first.

The Orioles got a run back in the second on an RBI single by Jay Payton, then sent eight men to the plate in a four-run third. Millar singled in a run with two outs before Scott drove a 1-0 pitch far over the 25-foot scoreboard in right field. It was his second home run; the other came April 8.

Scott finished 3-for-4. It was his first three-hit game since April 6