Struggling Red Sox lose to Blue Jays

The Red Sox lost for the sixth time in seven games, wasting an eighth-inning lead when Adam Loewen's two-run single off hard-throwing Daniel Bard lifted the Toronto Blue Jays to a 5-4 win Wednesday at Fenway Park.

"It's just another loss. I don't think it's any tougher than any other loss," first baseman Adrian Gonzalez said. "We've got to find a way in the next series to play better baseball."

Just 3-10 in September, the Red Sox were able to maintain their four-game lead in the AL wild-card race over Tampa Bay, which lost to Baltimore.

After getting swept in a three-game series at Tampa Bay last weekend, Boston hosts the Rays in a four-game series starting tonight.

"Very frustrating," said Bard, 0-3 with a 30.86 ERA in his last three appearances. "I've been through it before. Sometimes the effects are magnified by how big the games are."

Boston led 4-2 in the eighth before Toronto came back against Bard (2-8), who entered and walked Edwin Encarnacion and Kelly Johnson.

Mark Teahen bunted, and Bard's throw to first pulled Lars Anderson off the bag for a throwing error that loaded the bases.

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J.P. Arencibia's RBI groundout cut the lead to 4-3. Loewen followed with a single to center.

Orioles 6, Rays 2: Tampa Bay missed an opportunity to gain ground in the wild-card race, getting only three hits in six innings against Jeremy Guthrie in Baltimore. It was the Rays' second straight loss to the last-place Orioles.

Angels 4, Athletics 1: Jered Weaver (17-7) went seven innings in setting a career mark for wins and Mark Trumbo hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth to boost the visiting Angels, who are three games behind first-place Texas in the AL West. The Angels moved within 4 1/2 games of the Red Sox in the wild-card race.-- AP