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Final Score: Baltimore 1 - Boston 2

Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Daisuke Matsuzaka hurled six shutout innings and Boston held off a ninth inning Baltimore rally as the Red Sox edged the Orioles, 2-1, in the rubber match of a three-game set at Fenway Park.

With the win Boston jumped one-half game in front of the reeling Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East race. The defending World Series champs are 57-40 at the All-Star break.

"For the next three days, it's like you're traveling," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "On a travel day, it makes the travel better, things like that. We're kind of in a fight with ourselves to see how good we can play. We do that and we'll take where we end up."

Matsuzaka (10-1) surrendered just four hits while walking five and fanning seven en route to the win for the Red Sox, who have won five of their past six games overall.

J.D. Drew had a run-scoring double while Dustin Pedroia finished 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Aubrey Huff was 2-for-4 with a run-scoring single for the Orioles, who have dropped eight of nine and enter the break with a 45-48 mark, 10 games back of Boston. Brian Roberts and Adam Jones also has two hits apiece for Baltimore.

Daniel Cabrera (6-5) allowed two runs -- one earned -- on six hits and six walks in 4 1/3 innings to pick up the loss.

"He had runners every inning," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said of Cabrera. "He had to pitch out of jams. He made pitches when he had to, but his pitch count got way up. He competed, I mean really competed and didn't give in."

The BoSox jumped on top with a run in the first. Pedroia got on with a one-out infield single and advanced to second when Freddie Bynum threw the ball away, before Drew chased him home with a double to left.

The Red Sox added another run in the fourth. Sean Casey rapped a double to center and Jason Varitek worked a walk before Alex Cora laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners. After Jacoby Ellsbury walked to load the bases, Pedroia grounded into a fielder's choice to make it a 2-0 game.

The O's weren't able to muster much offense until getting to Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth. After the closer opened the inning by getting pinch hitter and former Red Sox Kevin Millar to pop out, things got messy.

Roberts and Jones collected back-to-back singles and Papelbon went to a 3-2 count on the dangerous Nick Markakis. A 98-mile rising fastball sent Markakis back to the dugout but Huff followed with an RBI single up the middle. With the go-ahead run on base, Melvin Mora hit a soft liner to Pedroia that ended the game.

Despite the trouble, Papelbon picked up his 28th save on the year and the 100th of his career.

"Both sides dodged a lot of runs, fortunately we dodged one fewer," Francona said. "You look up in the ninth and you haven't given up any runs. That's not the way you draw it up, but we still didn't give up anything. Pap held on and we won, which is better than losing."