Felix Doubront turned in a strong six-inning start, allowing just two runs. (AP)

The Red Sox couldn’t creep over .500, dropping a 4-1 decision to the Orioles Tuesday night at Camden Yards. With their record at 21-22, the Sox still have yet to claim more wins than losses this season.

Doing in the Red Sox this time was Baltimore pitching, which allowed just two hits. Leading the way for the Orioles was starter Brian Matusz, who allowed one run on two hits over 6 1/3 innings, striking out nine and walking one. The two hits were a season low for the Red Sox

Taking the loss was Felix Doubront, who turned in a solid six innings, striking out nine, walking one and allowing two runs on four hits. Doubront’s biggest miscue came in the second inning when Steve Tolleson hit his first home run of the season, giving the hosts and early two-run lead.

Here is what went wrong (and right) in the Red Sox’ loss:

WHAT WENT WRONG

- Matusz, who ended up throwing 101 pitches, completely controlled the Red Sox. It was a huge change for the lefty, who had allowed six runs in 1 2/3 innings the last time he faced the Sox (Sept. 19, 2011).

- The second-best bullpen in baseball befuddled the Red Sox after Matusz’ departure, with Darren O’Day, Pedro Strop and Jim Johnson holding the Sox scoreless for the final 2 2/3 innings.

- The team with the most home runs in the majors added to its total with two more, with Wilson Betemit following up Tolleson’s blast with at two-run homer against Red Sox reliever Matt Albers in the eighth. The insurance run for the O’s spoiled what was shaping up as a solid outing for Albers, who had come on to strand runners on first and second by fanning both Robert Andino and J.J. Hardy.

- The Red Sox 12 strikeouts were the third most they’ve had in any game this season. The Sox also managed to only get one player into scoring position all night.

WHAT WENT RIGHT

- Kevin Youkilis made a triumphant return, taking credit for the Red Sox’ only run with a fourth-inning, two-out home run against Matusz. It was Youkilis’ third home run of the season, and first since April 26.

Jonathan Papelbon celebrates his 12th save of the season. (AP)

PHILADELPHIA — Daniel Bard couldn’t keep the starting pitching good times rolling Friday night.

The Sox starter struggled with his command from the get-go in his eighth start of the season, with the end result being a 6-4 win for the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Bard (who threw 94 pitches) finished his five-inning stint allowing just three hits, but he still gave up five runs to raise his ERA to 4.85.

It marked the first time since May 10 a Red Sox starter has surrendered more than four runs.

Philadelphia starter Cole Hamels got the win, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out nine over seven innings. Jonathan Papelbon (and his alter ego, Cinco Ocho) came on to pitch a scoreless ninth for his 12th save of the season.

Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine was ejected for the 38th time in his career, arguing a play at first in the ninth inning in which Marlon Byrd was thrown out for the inning’s second out.

Here is what went wrong (and right) in the Red Sox’ 21st loss of the season:

WHAT WENT WRONG

• Bard struggled to find the strike zone all night long. By the unofficial count of Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal, the Red Sox starter hit the zone with just 36 of his 94 pitches. The Sox starter would finish with five walks, marking the fourth time in eight starts Bard has walked four or more batters.

• Bard came out of the gate walking three of his first four batters. The first-inning free passes were followed by a Carlos Ruiz single, Ty Wigginton sacrifice fly and John Mayberry double, giving the Phillies a four-run frame.

• Jarrod Saltalamacchia was forced to leave the game early. Saltalamacchia exited after being hit in the left side of the head with a Bard pitch that deflected off Ruiz’ forearm. The team later identified the injury as a left ear laceration. Saltalamacchia was replaced by Kelly Shoppach, who made his presence felt in the seventh inning by throwing out Shane Victorino trying to steal.

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Former Red Sox infielder Alex Cora is the creator of Cinco Ocho. (AP)

PHILADELPHIA — Friday afternoon, Jonathan Papelbon was in the mood to offer some introductions — Philly media, meet Cinco Ocho.

Anxious about facing your old team? “Cinco don’t feel that kind of pressure. He’s got ice in his veins, man.”

How would Mr. Ocho like it if the game was in Boston? “He’d probably like it more. That’s just how he is, you know. It’s just, it’s what he does.”

How would the reception at Fenway Park be? “I think Pap would get a really good reception. Cinco, I don’t know what kind of reception he would get.”

That led to the obvious question from those not familiar with Papelbon’s alter ego …

“He came in 2007. Alex Cora brought him into existence, and he’s been a pain in my ass ever since,” Papelbon explained. “He just showed up, out of the blue. My skin started itching, it was crazy. … He kind of created the monster. It’s a long story, man.”

It’s a story that the recently retired Cora, when reached by phone, corroborated.

“It was during our fantasy league draft in ’07. He was so infatuated with [NFL wide receiver] Ocho Cino. He was dying to get Ocho Cinco. That’s all he talked about, Ocho Cinco, Ocho Cinco, Ocho Cinco,” explained Cora, who played with Papelbon from 2006-08. “So I started calling him Cinco Ocho. That’s his alter ego, we all know that. The story goes something like that.

“He ran away with it. I read something where he said, ‘Cinco’s always ready.’ Now he’s only Cinco. What a clown. The way he is, when he gets ready for the game it’s something else. We’re joking about it, but he loves it. Cinco Ocho the guy who is pitching.”

Cora went on to sum it up this way: “Cinco Ohco is the closer of the Phillies, not Jonathan Papelbon. He’s such a goofy guy and such a good person, but as soon as the game starts …. Cinco Ocho lasts until the cold tub after the game. Once he cools down he becomes Jonathan Papelbon.”

Adrian Gonzalez watches as his third-inning fly ball goes foul against Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Matt Moore. (AP)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – One first-inning pitch certainly amped things up for the Red Sox and Rays Thursday night.

With runners on first and second and one out in the first inning, Tampa Bay starter Matt Moore’s first pitch to Adrian Gonzalez – a 94 mph fastball – found the first baseman’s left hip, loading the bases.

While on most occasions such an event would be chalked up to the inconsistency of a young pitcher, the particulars that led up to the moment allowed for at least somewhat of an opportunity for controversy.

The night before Gonzalez casually said when asked about his home run drought, “I’ll start hitting home runs. I’ll hit a home run tomorrow.”

Then, Thursday morning, Tampa Bay pitcher David Price went to Twitter to re-tweet @zwendkos, who had resurfaced the Gonzalez’ guarantee with the message “Moore should put one right between his numbers.”

And that’s why eyebrows were raised when Moore’s first-pitch fastball found Gonzalez.

“If it was, it was the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen in baseball,” said Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine when asked if he thought the hit-by-pitch was intentional. “But it might have been. I doubt it. I doubt it. Might have been. If we have to resort to that kind of stupidity, maybe the game has passed me by.”

The Red Sox would manage to take the lead in the first inning after loading the bases when Cody Ross drew a run-scoring walk.

And it was because of the pressure it put on the Rays out of the gate that Gonzalez didn’t believe the action was intentional.

“I think he’s trying to pitch inside,” the first baseman said. “I don’t think he’d want to load the bases in that situation. If he did, thank you, because we won the game. You never know what could have happened. Like Bobby said, if that was their intent, hey, keep doing it. It didn’t hurt.”

“I’m not sure what Matt was thinking,” said Red Sox outfielder Marlon Byrd. “But it’s one of those things you put in the back of your mind.”

As for Gonzalez’ guarantee, he would fall short from fulfilling the promise, going 0-for-3. But the lefty hitter did offer one breathless moment in the third inning when he blasted a deep fly ball that went just to the right of the right field foul pole.

“I hit the one. I never said it was going to be fair or foul,” joked Gonzalez, who before the game was identifying batting practice as the time he was now guaranteeing homers. (For the record, he hit seven in BP.) “It went over the fence. It was a home run. And we won the game.”

Adrian Gonzalez watches his third-inning blast go just to the right of the right-field foul pole. (AP)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — This time, it was the Red Sox who won the pitchers’ duel at Tropicana Field.

Felix Doubront out-dueled his rookie counterpart, Tampa Bay lefty Matt Moore, on the way to leading the Red Sox to a 5-3 win over the Rays in the teams’ series finale Thursday night. Doubront picked up his fourth win while lowering his ERA to 4.09 after allowing two runs (one earned) over 5 2/3 innings.

Leading the offense was Cody Ross, who drove in four of the Red Sox’ five runs.

WHAT WENT RIGHT

• Ross got the Sox on the board first with a two-out bases loaded walk, scoring Mike Aviles. The pitch came on a 3-2 changeup, punctuating an eight-pitch at-bat. Moore had loaded the bases thanks to singles by Aviles and David Ortiz, and Adrian Gonzalez being hit by a pitch. Moore finished the first having thrown 33 pitches.

• Marlon Byrd broke his streak of not hitting a home run in 126 at-bats, rocketing a 3-2 pitch from Moore over the center field fence to lead off the second inning and give the visitors a 2-0 lead.

• Ross handed the Red Sox their third run of the game with his seventh homer of the season, launching a Moore 0-2 changeup over the center-field fence.

• Doubront got out of a huge jam in the fourth inning when he induced a hard line drive right at Gonzalez at first off the bat of Luke Scott. The Sox starter was most likely one batter away from being pulled, having finished the fourth at 78 pitches with Scott Atchison warming up.

• Rich Hill got Doubront out of a tough spot in the sixth inning, getting the first batter he faced, Scott, to fly out to left field, stranding runners on second and third while preserving the Sox’ one-run lead.

• Ross capped the scoring for the Red Sox with a two-run single in the eighth inning, grounding a ball up the middle to score Dustin Pedroia and Ortiz. It marked the 18th time in Ross’ career he has totaled at least four RBI in a game, having last done it on April 14 against the Rays.

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David Ortiz will have to break out his first baseman's glove this weekend. (AP)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – David Ortiz realizes it’s that time of year – interleague player.

What that means is that the Red Sox DH will be missing some games, and playing a bit of first base.

“Maybe once,” Ortiz said when asked how much he might play first base in the Sox upcoming three-game series in Philadelphia.

“I’m fine,” the DH continued. “No fear. Never from Papi.”

When Ortiz does play first base (most likely Saturday against right-hander Joe Blanton), Sox manager Bobby Valentine said he will have no hesitation putting Adrian Gonzalez in right field to get both bats in the lineup.

“I think they’re both capable,” Valentine said. “It’s just, you know, Adrian, again, is playing every day and asking him to run around the outfield and do that for a few days in this long stretch. It might be much. That was David’s thought, too. I think David can catch it at first. Then you always have those plays. Throwing in the runner in the line, and things that could happen. I don’t think David is really friendly with popups, either.”

Gonzalez played two games in right field during the Red Sox’ stretch of nine straight interleague games, once in Houston and the other in Philadelphia. He didn’t have a fielding opportunity in any of the 13 innings he played.

“I mean, it’s not something that I do often,” Ortiz explained. “So I try not to put pressure on myself and I just try to not be all fancy out there or whatever, but try to have the communication with [second baseman Dustin Pedroia] and I just don’t want to be in the wrong place when it comes down to catching a flyball or catch a groundball. I try to mark the territory where I should be at and after that, the guys that are out there, they try to keep it simple.”

And if you’re wondering if the extra time Ortiz put in at first base during this season’s Grapefruit League schedule helped prepare him for what awaits, he has your answer … “Nope.”

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It’s not Ryan Sweeney’s thing. It wasn’t three seasons ago, and it isn’t now.

He knows it, a

Ryan Sweeney. (AP)

nd his manager knows it.

Still, for now, you’re looking at the Red Sox leadoff hitter against right-handed pitcing for the foreseeable future.

“It’s been going,” Sweeney said when asked his thoughts on his recent stint as a leadoff man. “We’ll see what happens. I’ve been talking to Bobby about it. We’ll see how it goes. I don’t know if it’s a mental thing, or if I try to do too much when I get put in that spot.

“It’s just one of those things I don’t know why it’s like that, but, like I told [Valentine], it’s ultimately up to him what he wants to do.”

Since sliding into the Sox’ top spot against righties a week ago, Sweeney has hit .154 with a .185 on-base percentage over six games.

It has been a similar result from his experience at the top of the order, in 2009 with the Athletics. During that 24-game stint – which he said was uncomfortable for the entire time – Sweeney hit .250 with a .311 on-base percentage.

For Sox manager Bobby Valentine, it’s a dynamic he is aware of, but it still doesn’t change his predicament.

“Not sure he’s feeling comfortable at the leadoff spot,” said Valentine of Sweeney. “I’m not totally comfortable putting him there.”

Before the Red Sox’ 2-1 loss to the Rays Wednesday night, when asked if he had explored other options, Valentine said, “Every minute, yeah. But it seems to be working though, right? We got him a couple of more hits. When you haven’t had a lot of success doing something, it’s an easy pit to fall into, saying that there’s a reason and when you’re hitting .380 and you get down to .320 and it happens to coincide with the time that you’re moved somewhere in the order, it’s a real simple deductio to make rather than saying, ‘Hey, I’m a .320 hitter and now I’m right where I’m supposed to be, so keep doing it. But I get it – I totally get it. I’ve lived it with him and I resisted at the beginning as you all know. ‘Oh, he’s hitting .400 with an on-base percentage, why don’t you put him leadoff?’ I get it. ‘I don’t think he’s comfortable there. I don’t think he’s had success there in the past.’ That’s what we deal with.”

During the Sweeney experiment, the Red Sox have the fourth-most runs in the majors, having won five of seven games.

But it still appears there may be some more thought to change until Jacoby Ellsbury can arrive back on the scene. It’s a notion Sweeney is more than open to.

“We’ll see,” he said.