BOSTON (AP) -- On his way to the ballpark, Curt Schilling had a

feeling that it was going to be a big night.

"It's one of those days you pray that you show up and do your

job, because it's such an awesome thing to be out there in front of

those people," he said Tuesday night after shutting Anaheim down

for 7 2-3 innings in Boston's 10-7 win over the Angels. "It was

enough to give me chills."

Manny Ramirez homered twice, and Schilling's 17th victory tied

him with Oakland's Mark Mulder for the major league lead. Boston

won its seventh consecutive game to take a 2½-game lead over

Anaheim in the AL wild-card race.

But that's not all.

Because if Schilling had looked over his shoulder as he left the

mound, he would have seen that the Yankees were in the middle of

their worst loss in franchise history, a 22-0 Cleveland victory

that cut New York's lead over Boston in the AL East to 3½ games.

The Red Sox have trimmed seven games off the Yankees' lead since

Aug. 15; the teams play six times in September.

"We're playing great, the Yankees are having trouble,"

Schilling said after the Red Sox won for the 13th time in 14 games.

"But I don't expect them to fall down on the job. They were good

enough to put 10½ games between us. We're going to need some help

to catch up."

Schilling (17-6) got a huge ovation when he tipped his cap on

the way off the field in the eighth inning. It even bested the

cheers in response to highlights from the Indians' victory over the

Yankees.

The game at Yankee Stadium drew spirited applause when it was

shown on the Fenway scoreboard in the eighth, with fans laughing

mockingly when a New York outfielder misplayed a ball over his

head. When the camera cut to the 16-0 score on the scoreboard,

Fenway erupted.

For a while, Boston wasn't having much more trouble with

Anaheim, which had won 10 of 11, going 19-8 in August -- almost

keeping pace with the Red Sox, who finished the month 21-7. Boston

opened a 10-1 lead over the Angels as Schilling shut them down on

three runs and nine hits, striking out four over 7 2-3 innings.

John Lackey (11-11) lasted 3 1-3 innings -- the first time in 12

starts he failed to go at least five innings. He allowed six runs --

four earned -- on seven hits and three walks, while striking out

three.

Reliever Mike Myers started the ninth for Boston and gave up

three consecutive singles before Alfredo Amezaga hit his first

career grand slam, clearing the Green Monster to make it 10-7.

Keith Foulke got the last three outs for his 25th save in 30

opportunities.

"Tonight we got back into it," manager Mike Scioscia said.

"But there are no real moral victories."

Lackey was in trouble from the start, as Boston scored four runs

in the first.

Johnny Damon reached on second baseman Adam Kennedy's error to

lead off the first, Mark Bellhorn walked and Ramirez homered to

right. With two outs, Orlando Cabrera doubled, took third on Doug

Mientkiewicz's single and scored on Bill Mueller's double.

Ramirez added a solo homer to center in the second, and Boston

added another run in the fourth on Ramon Ortiz's balk. David

Eckstein doubled and scored in the sixth to make it 6-1, but Boston

added four more in the seventh thanks in part to Dave Roberts'

three-run homer.

Anaheim finally got to Schilling in the eighth.

Chone Figgins and pinch-hitter Amezaga singled with nobody out

before Damon leaped to catch Adam Riggs' long fly at the wall.

Schilling got Curtis Pride on a fielder's choice, but Garret

Anderson doubled down the right-field line to make it 10-2.

Mike Timlin relieved Schilling and gave up an RBI single to Jose

Guillen before Troy Glaus flied out to center to end the inning.Game notes
Lackey had won his last two starts and hadn't lost since

Aug. 3, but he is 0-4 in six career starts against Boston. ...

Ramirez has 383 homers in his career, passing Jim Rice and Frank

Howard for 47th on baseball's career list. It was his third

two-homer game of 2004 and his 38th career multihomer game. ...

Before the game, the Red Sox bought the contract of minor league

catcher Sandy Martinez from the Cleveland Indians. ... Ortiz will

move to the bullpen to make way for LHP Jarrod Washburn in the

starting rotation Saturday in Cleveland. Aaron Sele will start

Wednesday in place of Ortiz.