BOSTON (AP) – Curt Schilling pitched eight strong innings for his 199th career victory, and Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz each drove in three runs to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 9-5 victory over the New York Yankees on Monday night.

Schilling (7-2) allowed one run and five hits with no walks and six strikeouts in his best start in a month. Chien-Ming Wang (4-2) allowed seven runs and nine hits in six-plus innings for his first loss since April 21.

Since winning his first four starts – with an ERA of 1.61 – Schilling won just two of his next five, including a May 10 loss at Yankee Stadium in which he gave up three homers. But he rebounded at Fenway and left the injured Yankees looking for reinforcements as they dropped to 1-4 against Boston this season.

With their entire starting outfield injured – Johnny Damon was the designated hitter because of a foot injury – the Yankees dropped the series opener and their third in four games. They’ll try to turn it around on Tuesday night, when Jaret Wright faces Tim Wakefield.

Melky Cabrera doubled and scored on Damon’s single to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the third. But Boston scored four in the bottom half, thanks to Ortiz and Ramirez.

Kevin Youkilis walked, Mark Loretta singled and they moved up on Wang’s wild pitch. Ortiz drove them both in with a single, then Ramirez homered to straightaway center to make it 4-1.

It was the 443rd homer of Ramirez’s career, moving him past Dave Kingman and into 32nd on baseball’s all-time list. It was his 43rd career homer against the Yankees.

Boston added three runs in the seventh when Willie Harris and Alex Cora singled, then Youkilis doubled to score one run. Ortiz singled to score Youkilis and Ramirez hit a sacrifice fly to make it 7-1.

Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run homer, Jorge Posada followed with a solo shot and Bernie Williams added an RBI double in the ninth off Boston reliever Keith Foulke, all with two outs.

Notes: Terrence Long made his first appearance since being called up from Triple-A Columbus on Sunday. He started in left field for New York. … Yankees RHP Shawn Chacon, who went on the disabled list Sunday, had a hematoma in his left leg drained Monday. … Former major league OF Richard Hidalgo went 1-for-3, including a two-run homer in his first at-bat, in his first extended spring training game. A second former big league outfielder, Jason Romano, went 2-for-2 with a triple and two walks. Both could join Triple-A Columbus later this month. … Yankees reliever Octavio Dotel, who had elbow surgery, is scheduled to pitch two innings in an extended spring game Wednesday. … Red Sox CF Wily Mo Pena was a late scratch from the starting lineup after his sore left wrist bothered him during batting practice. Pena said pain in the wrist intensified when he made “a bad swing” Sunday in Philadelphia but thinks he may play Tuesday. Harris started in his place. … RHP David Riske was activated from the disabled list by Boston and LHP Abe Alvarez was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket. … C Jason Varitek played his 1,001st game with the Red Sox on Monday. Only 25 players have appeared in more. Carl Yastrzemski’s 3,308 games are the most. … Since April 6, the Red Sox have been no more than percentage points out of the AL East lead.

AP-ES-05-22-06 2158EDT

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