"Last weekend, Bruins coach Claude Julien brought the Stanley Cup to his parents' home in Navan, Ontario, a small village near Ottawa.

By November, residents there might be able to share another Boston title.

If the Red Sox fulfill their lofty expectations and win the World Series, left-hander Erik Bedard likely will have played a significant role. Born and raised in Navan, Bedard was acquired from the Seattle Mariners in a July 31 trade to replace the injured Clay Buchholz and help bolster the rotation.

No pressure.

For now, though, the Red Sox are content to take things slowly with their new pitcher. Bedard is three starts removed from a month-long stint on the disabled list, and so, after throwing 37 pitches in the first inning last night against the Minnesota Twins, it was a minor victory that he got through five before reaching his 90-pitch limit.

And it was at least partially because of Bedard's ability to keep the Twins from building on an early two-run lead that the Red Sox rallied for a 4-3 victory at Target Field and stretched their AL East lead to 21/2 games on the New York Yankees, who lost, 6-4, to the Los Angeles Angels at home.

"We've got about 10 innings with him, so it's still a learning process. And we learned a little bit that he's able to keep his composure and continue to make pitches," catcher Jason Varitek said. "He's thrown the ball pretty well both (starts)."

For a second straight game, David Ortiz delivered the decisive hit. This time, though, it only took a 40-foot tapper in front of the plate — not a 438-foot home run or a line drive to center field — to drive in the winning run."