With Saturday's win, the Red Sox moved to 5.5 games behind the Yankees in the Wild Card with eight games to play. "We've got a chance," said Jon Lester. "Weirder things have happened in baseball." Boston has won eight of their past 12 games, while New York has now lost four straight at home.

Buck Showalter was asked to handicap the two-team AL East race between the Yankees and Rays, but had a funny response to the Boston media. "I think there's three," referring to the Red Sox being seven games out entering Monday. Then he joked: "I can't handicap. We're not allowed to do that."

John Lackey has been far from dominant in his first season pitching in the AL East, but Terry Francona still believes in Boston's investment. "Well, it's different," said Francona. "You're running through the Yankees and Tampa Bay, Toronto and Baltimore. It's no day at the beach. But saying that, you look up at his ERA and it's higher than he's probably comfortable with. It's like a guy hitting that's lower. Saying that, we love him. "When [general manager] Theo [Epstein] told us that day he signed him, I was thrilled. I still am and I think three or four years from now, we're still going to be. It hasn't gone perfect. That doesn't mean [it can't be improved]. There's a lot of good things there. He's a stand-up guy. I don't know that everybody's going to have their career year every year. I wish it would happen. But it doesn't always work that way."

Jose Bautista hit his 48th homer of the season on Friday night at Fenway Park, which is a new Toronto record. The fan who caught the ball threw it back onto the field. "That was pretty nice," Bautista said. "Pretty lucky for me to have that happen." Bautista surpassed the 47 homers George Bell hit for the Blue Jays in 1987. The ball landed in the seats beyond the Green Monster before a fan tossed it back on the field.

Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier has dismissed a report out of Boston that he'd like to join the Red Sox. "It's obviously hearsay," said Ethier. "Especially at this point, it doesn't even make sense to comment on something like this." According to an Internet report from Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com, Ethier reportedly told friends he would like to come to the Red Sox. Ethier is a former college teammate and good friend of Boston's Dustin Pedroia. He isn't eligible for free agency until after the 2012 season.

Mike Lowell confirmed on Saturday that he will retire at the end of the current season. ?I?m retiring,? he said. ?I just don?t want to make it a song and dance because I don?t think that?s necessary, but if someone needs something official, yeah, I?m going to retire. This is going to be my last year.? Lowell believes he could continue to play, albeit with a reduced role. ?I do think I can platoon somewhere, but I don?t really enjoy it,? he said. ?I can do it, but not after playing every day for 11 years and three years in the minor leagues and my whole life. I?m not willing to make that transition, not when the tradeoff is all that time with my family. It?s not worth it.? Lowell plans to leave the game with his head held high. ?I?m not chasing any numbers,? he said. ?I?m fine. This is actually a blessing. If I had 2,700 hits, I?d still play to get to 3,000 and then I think you?re playing for the numbers and not because you really enjoy it.?

The Red Sox have claimed right-hander Matt Fox off waivers from the Twins, according to an Associated Press report. The Twins announced the news on Thursday.

Red Sox catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez recently turned down a contract extension, according to a source. Martinez is certain that he wants to be a catcher. "It's never gone through my mind that at some point I wasn't a catcher," Martinez said. "I've been a catcher my whole career. It's never gone through my mind that I'm going to stop catching any time soon. "That's something I take a lot of pride in and make sure I prepare myself to catch every day when going through the offseason. I've done that my whole career." Martinez will see his five-year, $15.5 million contract end this winter. Boston recently offered him a two-year extension. "That's a business part of this game," Martinez said. "They're trying to do one thing, and we'll see what happens. I don't really have to do it. They came with something, and that might just be where the negotiations start, but I don't see myself signing a two-year deal. I'm young enough. I work so hard and I give it all. I just want to be treated fair. "It wasn't hard because it was something I wasn't expecting. I wasn't expecting a two-year deal, anyway. I wasn't expecting for them to come to me during the season anyways."

David Ortiz appeared to be done in Boston when he was struggling in April, but he has rebounded and is likely to remain with the Red Sox. The team has a $12.5 million option on his contract for the 2011 season. "He's doing well," teammate Kevin Youkilis said. "It's an option the team has. I don't think they're going to turn that one down." Ortiz has a .905 OPS at designated hitter -- the highest at the position this year among those with at least 300 at-bats.

The Angels are expected to go hard after third baseman Adrian Beltre this winter. Beltre, who signed a one-year deal with the Red Sox prior to the 2010 season, will be a free agent. The veteran lives on the West Coast and his agent, Scott Boras, has a suite in Los Angeles.