Ortiz’s big homer helps Red Sox rally

BOSTON —  David Ortiz hit a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning and the Boston Red Sox rallied to beat the Oakland Athletics, 8-5, on Thursday.

With two runners aboard, Ortiz hit a two-out pitch from Craig Breslow (4-5) to right-center, giving Boston a 6-5 lead. The drive sailed over the Red Sox bullpen and to the right of the 420-foot sign that marks the deepest part of Fenway Park.

The New York Times reported just before the game that Ortiz was on the list of more than 100 major leaguers who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003.

Ortiz, whose slump sent him to the bench earlier this season, declined to comment to the newspaper. But as reporters entered the Red Sox clubhouse after the game, they were handed a statement -- on plain white paper without the team logo -- in which Ortiz said he was “blindsided” by the news.