"Before last night's 7-5 loss to the Orioles, Red Sox manager Terry Francona contemplated moving Erik Bedard ahead of John Lackey in the next turn of the rotation. The move was contingent on how Bedard looked last night in his first start since Sept. 3.

Francona couldn't have seen anything that would inspire much confidence. While Bedard was victimized by a costly Josh Reddick error that should have ended the third inning, the pitcher unraveled afterward.

"You do the best you can," said Bedard, who reported no problems with the knee and lat injuries that sidelined him. "It happens. People make errors, and it's part of the game. You just try to limit the damage.""