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Ortiz wants Red Sox to 'play better' vs. AL East rivals

Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox / Getty Images Sport / Getty

In today's American League East, being good isn't good enough anymore.

Just ask David Ortiz.

"You have to just keep on playing better," the slugger said after the Boston Red Sox's 3-2 loss on Tuesday to the division-leading Baltimore Orioles. "If you don't play better it doesn't matter how much you piss on your territory. They're still going to take your lion away from you."

Up until the game, Boston held the American League East division lead - Ortiz's lion. But with three games separating the first-place O's and the third-place Toronto Blue Jays, the division has re-emerged as the most competitive in the majors.

Tampa Bay and New York sit in a tie for last in the division at 6 1/2 games back. The closest last-place team in the majors is the Oakland Athletics, who sit 12 1/2 games back of the AL West-leading Texas Rangers.

This season, Boston is now 3-5 against Baltimore and the staff owns a 6.56 ERA against the Orioles. So if the Red Sox want to make the playoffs, being marginal against the top tier teams won't cut it, especially on the mound.

"It's going to be a fight," Ortiz said. "Toronto is getting hot. You see how Baltimore is right there. And Tampa is tough. We'll see how that plays out. But whoever pitches the best ... That guy was one tonight. (Orioles starter Chris) Tillman was on. He didn't have that last year. He got his fastball back. I saw nothing but 95 (mph) coming out, and his 95 is different than a lot of guys' 95.

"In this division, whoever is going to pitch the best is the one who will be walking away with everything," he added. "There are a lot of hitters here. They got a lot of hitters, they got a lot of hitters, Yankees have a lot of hitters and Toronto has a lot of hitters.

"Pitching, that's going to be the key."

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