BOSTON -- Chris Tillman isnt concerned about his steadily increasing win total or about further establishing himself as the ace of the Orioles staff. The right-hander knew the victory was more important to his team. Tillman pitched seven strong innings to earn his 15th victory of the season, and Baltimore beat the Boston Red Sox 3-2 on Thursday night to avoid a three-game sweep. The victory helped the Orioles pull within 3 1/2 games of Oakland in the race for the second AL wild-card spot. "Im glad we got a W for him," manager Buck Showalter said. "Weve got 30 games left. Septembers an eternity. Itll edge by, and that will be good for us cause were trying to catch up." Manny Machado had two hits for the Orioles, including a two-run double that gave them the lead for good in the third inning. Danny Valencia had two doubles and Adam Jones also had a pair of hits for Baltimore, which opens a three-game series with the Yankees in New York on Friday. Jim Johnson pitched the ninth for his AL-leading 41st save. "Were going to New York with an upbeat clubhouse," said Tillman, who improved to 6-2 when starting after an Orioles loss. "Its a starting pitchers goal for the guys to trust you every time we go out there." Tillman (15-4), who had never won more than nine games in a season before this year, allowed two runs and six hits while striking out eight. Only Detroits Max Scherzer, who has won 19 games, has more major league victories this season. Jon Lester (12-8) pitched six innings for Boston, allowing three runs and five hits. Daniel Nava had three hits and Shane Victorino finished with two. The Red Sox remained 2 1/2 games ahead of Tampa Bay in the AL East, with Baltimore another four games back. Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was hitless in four at-bats to extend his slump to 0 for 22, striking out on four pitches to end the eighth inning with the tying run on third. "It happens to everybody. Im a player just like everyone else," he said. "Its not the end of the world. You know what Im saying? Papi can struggle, too. Ill be back." Nava doubled and scored on Stephen Drews single to give Boston a 1-0 lead in the second inning. But the Orioles took the lead on Machados double, and then made it 3-1 in the fifth when Lester walked Jones with two outs and Chris Davis doubled off the Green Monster. NOTES: Victorinos seven homers in August tie his career single-month high, set in July 2008. Its the most homers by a Sox right fielder in a month since J.D. Drews 12 in June 2008. ... Boston 1B Mike Carp, who had the game-winning hit on Wednesday night, was scratched with a sore left shoulder. ... The Orioles, who closed to 6 1/2 games behind Boston, still have six games left against the Red Sox in September, including the last three games of the season in Baltimore. ... Baltimore OF Nate McLouth was hit in the hand while offering at a pitch in the third inning. He remained in the game and eventually reached on a walk. ... Boston CF Jacoby Ellsbury singled and stole his 50th base of the season in the eighth inning. Its the third 50 stolen base season of his career. Cheap Authentic Air Max . He chirped to the caddie of Brandt Snedeker about their money game, a Mickelson tradition at the majors. Lefty was in good spirits Monday at the British Open, except for having to return the claret jug. Replica Air Max . Patrik Bartosak turned away 50-of-52 shots for the Rebels (28-26-4), who halted their losing streak at seven games. Trailing 2-1 after 40 minutes of play, Feser forced overtime with his second goal of the game at 5:35 of the third period. https://www.airmaxchina.us/. Nine years later, he might have finally figured it out. He had only five rounds in the 60s in his previous eight trips. Cheap Real Air Max . He was still a kid, going into his senior year of high school. Thursday, the point guard stood in front of a couple dozen members of the media and spoke with poise about how much hed grown since then, and how hes ready for the next level. Cheap Air Max . -- The Oakland Athletics and free agent right-hander Bartolo Colon have agreed to terms on a US$2 million, one-year contract, bolstering their depleted starting rotation.LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Rory McIlroy is making this PGA Championship feel like 2000 all over again at Valhalla. Back then, it was Tiger Woods who was making the game look easy as he started to pile up majors. Now its McIlroy, the 25-year-old from Northern Ireland who produced superior shots with his long game and made all the right putts Friday for a 4-under 67 that gave him a one-shot lead over Jason Day and Jim Furyk. Catch third round coverage of the PGA Championship on TSN, Saturday at 11am et/8am pt. You can also see Par 3 and marquee group coverage on TSN.ca. "When Im playing like this, its obviously very enjoyable," McIlroy said. "I cant wait to get back out on the course again tomorrow and do the same thing all over again." For Woods, such feelings are becoming distant memories. He missed two short putts early — one for birdie, one for bogey — and looked as if he should never have tried to play the final major of the year with a sore back. Two birdies on his last three holes only kept it from being worse. Woods shot another 74 and missed the cut in a major for the fourth time. "I tried as hard as I could," Woods said. "Thats about all I got." Oddly enough, McIlroy opened with the exact same scores (66-67) as Woods did 14 years ago at Valhalla, when he barely outlasted Bob May in a playoff for his third straight major of the season on his way to an unprecedented sweep of golfs biggest events. McIlroy, who was at 9-under 133, isnt nearly at that stage. And his competition going into the weekend is a little more experienced. Furyk, a former U.S. Open champion who was runner-up last year at the PGA, got up-and-down from behind the green on the par-5 18th for birdie and a 68. Moments earlier, Day capped off the best round of a soggy day with a birdie on the 18th for a 65. Day has three runner-up finishes in the majors. Right behind were Ryan Palmer (70) and Rickie Fowler (66), a runner-up in the last two majors. Even so, McIlroy is dangerous when he gets in the lead, especially at a major. He learned his lesson at Augusta National in 2011 when he tried to protect a four-shot lead and wound up shooting 80. He bounced back for an eight-shot win at the U.S. Open, won the PGA Championship by a record eight shots a year later and only last month went wire-to-wire to win the third leg of the career Grand Slam at the British Open. "My mindset has stayed the same since that day at Augusta," McIlroy said. "If Im two ahead going into the weekend here, Im going to try to get three ahead. And if Im three ahead, Im going to try to get four ahead. ... Im just going to try to keep the pedal down and get as many ahead as possible." He didnt take his first lead until the par-5 18th hole, the midway point off his round.dddddddddddd McIlroy blasted his driver and couldnt quite see where it went against a cloudy sky. "Is it good?" he asked caddie. "Beautiful," was all J.P. Fitzgerald said. McIlroy hit 4-iron to the front of the green, and his eagle putt rammed into the back of the cup as if it had nowhere else to go. It was a moment where the No. 1 player in the world looked as if he had just seized control of the PGA Championship. Except it wasnt that easy. In sloppy conditions, McIlroy took bogey on the tough par-4 second hole, and then had to scramble for four straight pars. But on the par-5 seventh, after another big tee shot on the left side of the fairway, he hit a 5-wood over the water to 8 feet, a shot that reminded everyone why hes the class of golf. That was one of the few putts he missed — he still made birdie — and McIlroy finished with a 15-foot birdie on the final hole. "When he hits the driver that straight and that long, and the short game is incredible, its very difficult to beat him," U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer said. "His iron shots, they are very solid. He doesnt miss many golf shots. So you just have to respect it a lot, how good he plays. Theres nothing wrong with his game." Fowler saw it during the final round at Royal Liverpool last month. He knows what kind of work is left for the guys chasing him. It can be done. But they might need some help from McIlroy. "Hes the best player in the world right now," Fowler said. "And I would say a lot of that is his confidence right now with the way hes driving the ball. If he continues to drive it, hes going to continue to be in contention at a lot of golf tournaments and win a lot of times." Maybe. But the final major is only at the halfway mark. Day has been battling injuries to his wrist ever since winning the Match Play Championship, and he was pleasantly surprised to be in the hunt at another major. He is explosive, much like McIlroy, minus the experience of winning. The Australian showed that on the final holes with a wedge to 6 feet on the 450-yard 17th hole, and a nifty up-and-down over a bunker on the 18th. "Im clearly not the favourite," Day said. "Its going to be tough to beat him. But then again, theres a lot of great golfers behind us that are in form, as well." Woods had a one-shot lead over Scott Dunlap going into the weekend at Valhalla in 2000. Of the dozen players behind him that year, only Davis Love III had won a major. This leaderboard is more compelling. It even includes Phil Mickelson, who made eagle on the last hole for a 67 and was three shots behind. It just doesnt include Woods, who ended a sixth consecutive season without winning a major. And lately, he hasnt even been close. ' ' '