DENVER -- John Lackey was originally going to throw an inning simply to stay sharp. Raekwon McMillan Jersey . That plan was changed to a full-fledged start, to keep in rhythm. Only, this wasnt exactly the outing he was looking for with the post-season drawing near. Lackey allowed three solo homers, including one to Charlie Blackmon, the first batter he faced, as the Boston Red Sox fell to the Colorado Rockies 8-3 on Tuesday night. "Not our best night from the mound," manager John Farrell said. "I thought John made a couple of mistakes that he had to pay for, particularly in a ball park where you put the ball in the air and its going to carry." Even more, Lackey (10-13) struggled on the road again, allowing four runs and six hits in six innings. The right-hander is 1-5 away from Fenway Park since the All-Star break. Lackey also surrendered solo homers to Troy Tulowitzki and Corey Dickerson. Not that hes too concerned with this performance. "Im good to go," Lackey said. "Feel good." Tyler Chatwood (8-5) shut down a potent Red Sox lineup as he gave up one unearned run and three hits before being pulled for a pinch hitter with a 4-1 lead in the seventh. The Rockies went on to score four times that inning to seal the win, with DJ LeMahieu and Michael Cuddyer delivering two-run singles. Cuddyer finished the night 2 for 4 with a double to raise his average to an NL-best .335. For the Rockies, this was a confidence-inducing victory. "For sure. Boston is a great team, going into the playoffs," Dickerson said. "You want to play well, show our resilience as a team and to play hard to the last game." With the AL East title wrapped up, the Red Sox are now focused on securing the best record in the league. They maintain a one-game lead over Oakland after the Athletics lost 3-0 to the Los Angeles Angels. Farrell is using these last few games as a way figure out his final post-season roster spots. Farrell said there are a couple still up for grabs. David Ortiz played first base instead of Mike Napoli without the use of a designated hitter. Ortiz showed off his glove, too, snaring a scorching liner from Dickerson to end the sixth. Chatwood pitched carefully to the dangerous Ortiz, even intentionally walking him in first with a runner on second. The ploy worked as Jarrod Saltalamacchia grounded out. Later, Ortiz hit a fly to the deepest part of the park, but Blackmon tracked it down. The only mistake Chatwood made wasnt on the mound but covering first base in the seventh. With two outs and Will Middlebrooks on second, Todd Helton made a diving stop on Jackie Bradley Jr.s grounder and quickly flipped it to Chatwood, who dropped the ball before stepping on the base. Chatwood scooped it up and threw wide to home plate and into the Red Sox dugout, allowing Middlebrooks to score. Chatwood was charged with two errors on the play and Bradley advanced to third. But Chatwood escaped more damage when his wild pitch bounced off the wall behind home plate, allowing catcher Jordan Pacheco to quickly field the ball and flick it to Chatwood, who tagged out Bradley, keeping the score 4-1. "That lineup is really tough," Chatwood said. "Youve got to execute every pitch." Blackmon, the reigning NL player of the week, began the game with a homer to right on a fastball from Lackey. Cuddyer soon followed with a double and scored on Heltons single. Helton clapped his hands after his hit as the crowd roared. The first baseman will retire at the end of the season after 17 years with the Rockies. Before the game, Helton said he didnt "do nostalgia" and didnt want to reflect back on his career just yet. He holds virtually every hitting category in Rockies history and will play his final home game Wednesday night. Helton nearly was a member of the Red Sox had a rumoured trade before the 2007 season taken place. That was the season the Red Sox went on to sweep the Rockies to capture the World Series title. Asked how close he was to being in a Boston uniform, Helton said: "I have no idea. You have to talk to the people that were making the decisions." NOTES: Saltalamacchia hit a two-run homer in the ninth after Ortiz singled. ... Red Sox OF Jacoby Ellsbury (right foot) may return to the lineup as soon as Wednesday. ... Rockies owner Dick Monfort is pleased with the performance of first-year manager Walt Weiss and hopes he returns. Monfort said the sides have yet to talk about a new deal. Cordrea Tankersley Jersey . His head snapped back from the impact and hit the floor. The All-Star power forward was all right afterward, a relief for the Minnesota Timberwolves.Cordrea Tankersley Dolphins Jersey . Vargas (8-3) allowed four singles and two walks while striking out five, allowing only two runners from a diluted Twins lineup to reach second base. Mike Moustakas and Jarrod Dyson hit RBI singles in the second inning against Kevin Correia (4-10), and that was all Vargas needed.WINNIPEG -- The experiment is only a couple of games old, but new Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice says hes leaving Dustin Byfuglien at forward for now. "Im going to leave him there until I . . . see something that I need to change," he said Tuesday. "That may be next week, that may be next month, that may be never. But Im not making a decision until I need to." Maurice was impressed with how Byfuglien played in Winnipegs 5-1 win over the Phoenix Coyotes on Monday night. "I think I have a pretty good handle on what hes capable of doing and I think you saw that," the coach said after a short but intense practice. Byfuglien had two assists versus Phoenix and remains the third highest-scoring defenceman in the league with 37 points. He still jumps back in on the point on power plays although at even strength he plays forward. "Sometimes its a little tough to stay on the point but its good I get out there a little more," Byfuglien says. "Im more comfortable on D so its a lot easier to go back there and just feel comfortable and know that Im doing a lot better." Although he played forward with the Chicago Blackhawks, Byfuglien says he still doesnt feel all that comfortable in the role with the Jets. "Definitely not. It will take a few weeks for that one." Maurice was pleased overall with the energy level the team showed Tuesday and says there may be too much focus on Byfuglien, in particular if he makes a mistake when many other players in a similar position go unnoticed. "We are a far better hockey team with Dustin Byfuglien at forward or at D playing close to his abilities," Maurice said. "Thats my goal. . . At the end of the day, if Ive got a guy I feel can play at the back end and up front, then thats (a) best-case scenario." Maurice replaced Claude Noel, fired on the weekend as thhe Jets floundered and lost five in a row. Charles Harris Dolphins Jersey. Noel left the new coach a note that Maurice said he didnt get a chance to read immediately. But after reading it Monday, he had nothing but praise for his predecessor. "The point was there are very special people here, its a great town, he made that point, great organization and great players. When you get fired, youre dealing with a lot of tough emotions. For him to take time, that just shows how much he cares and the quality of man that he is. . . "He grew to love the team and the town and he was a good coach." He said he wants to thank Noel for the good work that he did with the team that might have gone unappreciated with his firing. "And Im speaking from experience." Maurice was fired by the Carolina Hurricanes (twice) and the Toronto Maples Leafs. After the win the players were a lot more upbeat than they have been for weeks, although they know it was just one game. "It was good to get back on track but this is a process so we need to bring that same level of energy every night," said forward Blake Wheeler, who enjoyed hearing cheers instead of jeers from fans. "Its been tough. We know when we deserve to get booed off the ice. We know when we deserve to get cheered on." The word "playoffs" even re-entered the Jets vocabulary, although at 20-23-5 theyre still tied on points for last place in the Central Division with the Nashville Predators. "Our goal at the start of the year was to make the playoffs and youre never out of it until youre out of it," said rookie forward Mark Scheifele, the teams No. 1 draft pick in 2011 who has seven goals and 24 points so far this season and sits fifth among rookie scorers in the NHL. "Theres still a lot of games left. All we have to do is make a good push and play as a team." 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