Loss means drop into third place

TORONTO -- Second place, third place . . . when you've been conditioned to play in October, that distinction takes on less relevance.

But after losing, 5-0, to the Toronto Blue Jays last night on a combined two-hitter by rookie Shaun Marcum and reliever Jason Frasor, the Sox found themselves trailing both the Yankees and Blue Jays in the American League East. They haven't been in third place this late in a season since Sept. 24, 2000. They wound up second that season, just as they have every season since finishing fourth in 1997, but they'll need to make up a half-game deficit (one in the loss column) to overtake the Blue Jays this season.

``We need to go home and have a good last five games," said manager Terry Francona after a night on which David Ortiz went hitless in four at-bats in his last chance to break a tie with Babe Ruth for most home runs on the road by an American Leaguer, striking out on his last at-bat. ``That's the most we can do, so let's try to do that. We're not leaving here on a good note."

The final homestand comprises two games against the Devil Rays starting tonight, and three with the Orioles. The Sox are 6-1 at home against the D-Rays, 6-0 against the Orioles, and have aces Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett pitching the next two.

It remains to be seen whether Manny Ramírez will be in the lineup before the end of the season. Ramírez, who has not started since Sept. 9, did not play last night. Francona said he intended to speak with Ramírez about his status on the flight to Boston.

``I'm hoping we get him back in there," Francona said.

Ramírez has been working out on a treadmill, and after goofing around during batting practice Sunday taking ground balls at first base, he took more there yesterday, alternating with three other players.

The Sox were held without a hit by Marcum until Alex Cora's one-out infield single in the sixth. The other hit was a ground-ball single to open the eighth by Eric Hinske off Marcum, a third-round draft choice in 2003 who began last season pitching for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in Manchester. Marcum is not overpowering, but he struck out 10 Sox batters (Ortiz and Doug Mirabelli three times apiece) while walking one.

Tim Wakefield lost his third straight start since coming off the DL with a stress fracture in his ribs, though he held the Blue Jays hitless until Jason Phillips's two-out double in the fifth.

Wakefield walked the next batter, Russ Adams, and on his next pitch was taken deep by Alex Rios for a three-run homer that broke the scoreless tie. An inning later, Bengie Molina hit a two-run home run.

``It's one of those nights you'd like to have back," Wakefield said. ``As far as my health is concerned, I feel a lot better the more I pitch. I was able to go six innings and throw 82 pitches."

Bothered to be occupying third place?

``Yes and no," Wakefield said. ``We're playing for pride right now. Obviously, we're out of the playoff picture, so we're playing for pride."

Francona said tonight may well be Schilling's final start of the season. It will be his 31st, and he is within three innings of the 200 mark for the ninth time, an impressive achievement at his age and given what he went through last season, when he pitched just 93 1/3 innings. He has struggled in his last three starts -- 0-2, 6.61 ERA -- in part because of a strained side muscle. But overall, he appears to have made the transition to the kind of pitcher he needs to be to remain effective at the end of his career. Schilling could pitch the season finale on regular rest, but the only thing certain about the weekend is that Julian Tavarez will go Friday.

Former Sox pitcher David Wells took a shot at Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley's work as an analyst for NESN. ``Have you heard him lately?" Wells said to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. ``He's terrible. It's like he never did anything wrong. You get that Hall of Fame [label] and you can say anything you want, but it doesn't always make you right. It could make you worse as an individual, and I think that's the way he's going. It's sad the way he dogs his own hometown. He's representing Boston. Say positive things, not negative things -- like how lucky they are. He had a big old strike zone when he pitched, so he was lucky, too." A bit of an odd time for Wells to be popping off: Since being traded to the Padres, he is 0-2 with a 4.43 ERA in four starts, has pitched into the seventh inning just once, and with the Padres in a fight for a postseason spot, was scratched from his start last night against the Cardinals because of gout in his right foot . . . The Sox intend to honor Ortiz in pregame ceremonies tonight, to which they've invited Nanci Foxx Canaday, Jimmie Foxx's daughter, and Linda Ruth Tosetti, Ruth's granddaughter. Tomorrow night, the Sox will celebrate Johnny Pesky's 87th birthday by making ``Pesky's Pole" an official designation. Dom DiMaggio, Bobby Doerr, and Frank Malzone are all scheduled to attend.