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Stanton pitching in

Former Yankee Mike Stanton made his Red Sox debut in the sixth, relieving an ineffective Tim Wakefield (5 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 7 ER). Stanton is the 26th pitcher the Sox have used this season, tying a club record. They also used 26 hurlers in 1996, 2003 and 2004.

The well-traveled lefty fanned the first batter he faced, Hideki Matsui. He also showcased a deft pickoff move, erasing Robinson Cano from the base paths. He then ended his debut by getting Tino Martinez to ground out to shortstop. His final line was 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K.

-- The Fenway crowd hasn't had much to cheer about today, but a dull roar did go up from the Faithful, when the scoreboard on the Green Monster went from CLE: 1, CWS: 1 to CWS: 4, CLE: 1, reflecting Tadahito Iguchi’s three-run homer in the seventh inning to put the ChiSox ahead. If Cleveland loses, the worst the Red Sox can do – even with a loss tomorrow and an Indians win – is hosting a one-game playoff for the Wild Card on Monday.

-- Face in the crowd: NBC News political sage Tim Russert enjoying the game from a front-row box seat. No word on whether Russert is at the game to cover the down-to-the wire MVP race between Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz, which is about as close as the 2000 Presidential election.