Ramirez's return sparks Boston's 7-3 win

BOSTON — Manny Ramirez returned to the Boston Red Sox lineup after a 24-game absence and helped cut their magic number to four to clinch the AL East title.

After being sidelined by a strained muscle in his left side, Ramirez singled and scored Boston's first run in the first inning, then walked to start a two-run fifth in a 7-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night.

Curt Schilling also had plenty of rest and it paid off with his first win since Aug. 24.

Pitching for the first time in nine days so manager Terry Francona could arrange his rotation for the playoffs, Schilling (9-8) allowed one run and left after six innings with a 3-1 lead. He struck out six and allowed six hits and no walks.

But it was Ramirez's return that excited the crowd that came to Fenway Park with the Red Sox having lost six of nine games and holding a two-game lead in the division over the New York Yankees. With five games left, the Red Sox had already clinched a wild-card berth.

Batting second for just the second time in his 1,995 games so he could get an extra at-bat before Francona followed through on his plan to remove him, Ramirez walked to the plate with one out in the first as the fans chanted, "Manny, Manny."

He responded with a line-drive single to right and scored on Mike Lowell's double that tied the game 1-1. After popping out to second baseman Mark Ellis in the second, Ramirez led off the fifth with a walk on a 3-and-2 pitch.

Francona sent in Brandon Moss to pinch run. Chad Gaudin (11-13) then walked the next three batters with the last, J.D. Drew, forcing in a run. Ellsbury's sacrifice fly drove in Ortiz for a 3-1 lead.

Kevin Youkilis pinch hit for Eric Hinske and popped out to end the inning. Youkilis had missed the previous seven games with a bruised right wrist sustained when he was hit by a pitch from Chien-Ming Wang of the New York Yankees on Sept. 15.

The only run Schilling allowed was Daric Barton's third homer of the season in the first. Barton has reached base in all 14 games he's played since being called up from Triple-A Sacramento on Sept. 10.

Jacoby Ellsbury singled in a run in the bottom of the seventh and the Red Sox pulled away with three runs in the eighth on Bobby Kielty's sacrifice fly and David Ortiz's two-run homer, his 33rd.

Oakland scored twice in the ninth on Jack Hannahan's double and Kurt Suzuki's sacrifice fly.