Pedroia's Hit Helps Red Sox Top Angels

Dustin Pedroia's tiebreaking RBI double in the eighth inning helped the Boston Red Sox rally for their sixth straight win, 7-6 over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night after ace Josh Beckett was scratched from his start with a stiff neck. It was the teams' first meeting since Boston swept Los Angeles in last year's American League Divisional playoffs.

Jacoby Ellsbury hit two solo homers and Kevin Youkilis added a two-run shot for Boston, while Pedroia went 4-for-5 with three doubles and a single. Beckett, the majors' only 20-game winner last year, started the season on the 15-day disabled list with a strained lower back before making his first start April 6. It wasn't immediately known when he'd make his next start. (More baseball stories.)