The Theo Epstein saga dragged into Friday with conflicting information on the status of talks between the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs.

Sources told ESPNChicago.com Thursday that the sides were finalizing a deal that would make Epstein the Cubs’ president of baseball operations. A Red Sox team source told ESPNBoston.com that as of Friday morning, though, compensation for Epstein is still not resolved and there is no timetable on when it might be.

The sources told ESPNChicago.com Thursday that talks were at the “5-yard-line,” but if they can’t be pushed over the goal line, baseball commissioner Bud Selig told Sirius XM that he may have to step in to help mediate the impasse.

“It’s a possibility,” Selig said on the radio. “No question, it is a possibility.”

What seems more clear is that Jed Hoyer would be Epstein’s general manager in Chicago. Sources said that the current Padres GM would be granted permission to leave when San Diego promotes senior vice president of baseball operations Josh Byrnes to vice president/GM, a source said. Byrnes was GM of the Arizona Diamondbacks when Padres owner Jeff Moorad was part-owner of that team. Sources said Moorad has wanted Byrnes to return to the job, even though he respected Hoyer, whom he hired in 2010.

The Red Sox aimed high in asking for compensation for Epstein. A baseball source told ESPNBoston.com that they initially asked for the Cubs’ young star shortstop Starlin Castro. Whey they were rebuffed, the Red Sox asked for arguably the Cubs’ best starting pitcher in Matt Garza.

A major league source told ESPNChicago.com that at one point Boston proposed that the Cubs take pitcher John Lackey’s contract. Lackey has three seasons remaining on an $82.5 million deal. He was 12-12 with a 6.41 ERA in 28 starts for the Red Sox in 2011.

But the expected agreement will include Cubs minor leaguers, although not top prospects Brett Jackson, Trey McNutt or Matt Szczur, the source said. Cash will not be part of the compensation.

Despite no word of a deal Thursday, an official with one of the teams involved suggested it was possible an agreement has been reached, but that it would be unlikely for either the Cubs or Red Sox to make an announcement before the Red Sox review the medical records of the player or players they will receive.

On the staffing front, a source told ESPNBoston.com that Epstein originally asked Byrnes to join him in Chicago, but Byrnes declined. Epstein then turned to Hoyer, his longtime friend and former assistant. Hoyer went to Moorad, told him of the offer from Epstein and said he would stay if the Padres gave him a five-year extension. Moorad, though reluctant to lose Hoyer, the source said, said he would not grant him the extension and told him he was free to take the Cubs’ job.

In another Cubs staffing development, ESPNBoston.com has confirmed that Padres assistant GM Jason McLeod would also join Epstein and Hoyer in Chicago.

There would be no compensation for Hoyer, a source told ESPNChicago.com and ESPNBoston.com.

Byrnes and Hoyer worked with Epstein in Boston before leaving for their new jobs. Hoyer took over as Padres GM in 2010 after Kevin Towers was fired. McLeod worked for the Red Sox in the scouting department for seven years before going to the Padres. One remaining piece missing from Epstein’s original team of key advisors is Red Sox special assistant Dave Finley, who could also possibly be in play for Epstein in Chicago.

Information from ESPNChicago.com’s Bruce Levine and ESPNBoston.com’s Gordon Edes was used in this report.

BOSTON (AP) — New York’s bats finally came to life against Josh Beckett. Phil Hughes was looking fairly sharp, then suddenly a moth flies into one of his eyes and the Yankees again unravel against the Boston Red Sox.

Yep, a moth.

Brings back memories of a Yankees’ playoff loss in Cleveland when small bugs flew around reliever Joba Chamberlain against the Indians in 2007.

Jacoby Ellsbury hit a tie-breaking two-run homer in the sixth inning and Beckett improved to 4-0 against New York, sending the Yankees to their 11th loss in 14 games against the Red Sox this season with a 9-5 defeat on Wednesday night.

New York had just scored four runs against Beckett in the sixth to grab a 5-4 lead.

Then, in the bottom of the sixth inning, Phil Hughes (4-5) retired the first batter. He got ahead of Josh Reddick 0-2 before walking him on a 3-2 pitch as the moth flew into one of his eyes.

“From what I heard a moth flew into his eye when he made the 3-2 pitch,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “You can’t stop it and can’t get a redo.”

Reddick then scored the tying run on Jason Varitek’s double down the third-base line. After Marco Scutaro flied out, left-hander Boone Logan came in to face lefty Ellsbury. On a 3-and-1 count, Ellsbury hit his 24th homer into the left-field seats above the Green Monster.

“I really didn’t want to tell you guys that, but, yeah, a moth flew in,” Hughes said. “That’s why I yanked it.”

That was it. Three runs against the Yankees after one moth.

“A couple of mistakes that basically cost us,” Hughes said. “I made some mistakes that cost us the game.”

The Red Sox, who lost the series opener 5-2 on Tuesday night, extended their AL East lead over the Yankees to 1½ games and improved their record to 11-3 this season against their division rivals.

David Ortiz and Varitek also hit two-run homers for Boston.

The Yankees’ four runs in the sixth off Beckett (12-5) were the same amount they managed in his other 32 innings against them this season. Beckett allowed four earned runs and six hits through seven innings. He struck out eight and walked three.

Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon each pitched a scoreless inning and the Red Sox improved to 62-3 this season when leading after six.

The Yankees had taken a 1-0 lead in the third on Derek Jeter’s RBI single. The Red Sox went ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the inning, scoring on Dustin Pedroia’s groundout with runners at second and third and on Jed Lowrie’s RBI single.

Jeter got his second single in the top of the fifth, moving into 20th place all-time, ahead of Craig Biggio, with 3,061 career hits. He was left stranded.

Boston made it 4-1 in the fifth on Ortiz’s homer deep into the center field bleachers after Adrian Gonzalez singled. It was Ortiz’s 28th homer of the year and extended his hitting streak to 14 games.

The Yankees regained the lead in the sixth, helped by an error by right fielder Reddick.

Mark Teixeira was hit by a pitch leading off the inning, took second on a wild pitch by Beckett and scored on a double by Robinson Cano. Nick Swisher then walked and Eric Chavez followed with a liner down the right field line. It got by Reddick and Chavez was credited with a double. The error allowed him to take third and Swisher to score. Eduardo Nunez’s sacrifice fly put the Yankees on top 5-4.

Varitek gave the Red Sox a four-run cushion in the eighth with his 10th homer.

Notes: Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez missed his fourth straight game with a sprained left thumb. … Red Sox 3B Kevin Youkilis, on the DL since Aug. 18 with a low back strain, played his second straight rehab game for Triple-A Pawtucket and can be activated on Friday. … Boston RF J.D. Drew missed the second game of his scheduled two-day rehab assignment at Pawtucket on Wednesday night with a sprained middle finger. He was hurt Tuesday night when he went 3 for 3. Plans for the Red Sox to activate him on Thursday may change. He went on the disabled list on July 26, retroactive to July 20, with a shoulder injury. … Yankees C Russell Martin, with a sore left thumb, missed the game. Manager Joe Girardi said he planned to use him Thursday night in the finale of the three-game series. But he left the clubhouse with his left thumb wrapped after the game. … Struggling RHP A.J. Burnett (9-11) faces LHP Jon Lester (14-6) on Thursday night.

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

David Ortiz and Jason Varitek also hit two-run homers for Boston.

The Yankees scored four runs in the sixth off Beckett (12-5) — the same amount they managed in his other 32 innings against them this season — and went ahead 5-4.

In the bottom of the inning, Phil Hughes (4-5) retired the first batter. Then he went ahead of Josh Reddick 0-2 before walking him, and Reddick scored the tying run on Varitek’s double. After Marco Scutaro flied out, left-hander Boone Logan came in to face lefty Ellsbury. On a 3-and-1 count, Ellsbury hit his 24th homer into the left-field seats above the Green Monster.

Beckett allowed four earned runs and six hits through seven innings. He struck out eight and walked three.

Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon each pitched a scoreless inning and the Red Sox improved to 62-3 this season when leading after six.

The Yankees had taken a 1-0 lead in the third on Derek Jeter’s RBI single. The Red Sox went ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the inning, scoring on Dustin Pedroia’s groundout with runners at second and third and on Jed Lowrie’s RBI single.

Jeter got his second single in the top of the fifth, moving into 20th place all-time, ahead of Craig Biggio, with 3,061 career hits. He was left stranded.

Boston made it 4-1 in the fifth on Ortiz’s homer deep into the center field bleachers after Adrian Gonzalez singled. It was Ortiz’s 28th homer of the year and extended his hitting streak to 14 games.

The Yankees regained the lead in the sixth, helped by an error by right fielder Reddick.

Mark Teixeira was hit by a pitch leading off the inning, took second on a wild pitch by Beckett and scored on a double by Robinson Cano. Nick Swisher then walked and Eric Chavez followed with a liner down the right field line. It got by Reddick and Chavez was credited with a double. The error allowed him to take third and Swisher to score. Eduardo Nunez’s sacrifice fly put the Yankees on top 5-4.

Varitek gave the Red Sox a four-run cushion in the eighth with his 10th homer.

Notes: Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez missed his fourth straight game with a sprained left thumb. … Red Sox 3B Kevin Youkilis, on the DL since Aug. 18 with a low back strain, played his second straight rehab game for Triple-A Pawtucket and can be activated on Friday. … Boston RF J.D. Drew missed the second game of his scheduled two-day rehab assignment at Pawtucket on Wednesday night with a sprained middle finger. He was hurt Tuesday night when he went 3 for 3. Plans for the Red Sox to activate him on Thursday may change. He went on the disabled list on July 26, retroactive to July 20, with a shoulder injury. … Yankees C Russell Martin, with a sore left thumb, missed the game. Manager Joe Girardi said he planned to use him Thursday night in the finale of the three-game series. … Struggling RHP A.J. Burnett (9-11) faces LHP Jon Lester (14-6) on Thursday night.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

BOSTON (AP) — Jacoby Ellsbury hit a tie-breaking two-run homer in the sixth inning, Josh Beckett improved to 4-0 against the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox came from behind for a 9-5 win on Wednesday night.

The Red Sox, who lost the series opener 5-2 on Tuesday night, extended their AL East lead over the Yankees to 1½ games and improved their record to 11-3 this season against their division rivals.

David Ortiz and Jason Varitek also hit two-run homers for Boston.

The Yankees scored four runs in the sixth off Beckett (12-5) — the same amount they managed in his other 32 innings against them this season — and went ahead 5-4.

In the bottom of the inning, Phil Hughes (4-5) retired the first batter. Then he went ahead of Josh Reddick 0-2 before walking him, and Reddick scored the tying run on Varitek’s double. After Marco Scutaro flied out, left-hander Boone Logan came in to face lefty Ellsbury. On a 3-and-1 count, Ellsbury hit his 24th homer into the left-field seats above the Green Monster.

Beckett allowed four earned runs and six hits through seven innings. He struck out eight and walked three.

Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon each pitched a scoreless inning and the Red Sox improved to 62-3 this season when leading after six.

The Yankees had taken a 1-0 lead in the third on Derek Jeter’s RBI single. The Red Sox went ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the inning, scoring on Dustin Pedroia’s groundout with runners at second and third and on Jed Lowrie’s RBI single.

Jeter got his second single in the top of the fifth, moving into 20th place all-time, ahead of Craig Biggio, with 3,061 career hits. He was left stranded.

Boston made it 4-1 in the fifth on Ortiz’s homer deep into the center field bleachers after Adrian Gonzalez singled. It was Ortiz’s 28th homer of the year and extended his hitting streak to 14 games.

The Yankees regained the lead in the sixth, helped by an error by right fielder Reddick.

Mark Teixeira was hit by a pitch leading off the inning, took second on a wild pitch by Beckett and scored on a double by Robinson Cano. Nick Swisher then walked and Eric Chavez followed with a liner down the right field line. It got by Reddick and Chavez was credited with a double. The error allowed him to take third and Swisher to score. Eduardo Nunez’s sacrifice fly put the Yankees on top 5-4.

Varitek gave the Red Sox a four-run cushion in the eighth with his 10th homer.

Notes: Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez missed his fourth straight game with a sprained left thumb. … Red Sox 3B Kevin Youkilis, on the DL since Aug. 18 with a low back strain, played his second straight rehab game for Triple-A Pawtucket and can be activated on Friday. … Boston RF J.D. Drew missed the second game of his scheduled two-day rehab assignment at Pawtucket on Wednesday night with a sprained middle finger. He was hurt Tuesday night when he went 3 for 3. Plans for the Red Sox to activate him on Thursday may change. He went on the disabled list on July 26, retroactive to July 20, with a shoulder injury. … Yankees C Russell Martin, with a sore left thumb, missed the game. Manager Joe Girardi said he planned to use him Thursday night in the finale of the three-game series. … Struggling RHP A.J. Burnett (9-11) faces LHP Jon Lester (14-6) on Thursday night.

Boston Red Sox’s Adrian Gonzalez follows through on a solo home run off a pitch from Texas Rangers starting pitcher Alexi Ogando as Rangers catcher Yorvit Torrealba and home plate umpire Kerwin Danley, rear, look on during Thursday’s win for the Red Sox. (Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press)

Red Sox 6, Rangers 0

ARLINGTON — Adrian Gonzalez homered twice to give him five in four games, Andrew Miller pitched three-hit ball in a spot start and the Boston Red Sox won their third straight over the Texas Rangers with a 6-0 victory Thursday night.

Gonzalez hit a solo shot in the first inning and a two-run drive in the third off Alexi Ogando (12-6), giving him homers on three consecutive swings — including one in the eighth inning of Boston’s 13-2 victory Wednesday night.

Gonzalez, who had his 13th career multi-homer game, had gone 84 at-bats without a long ball before homering in the first inning of Tuesday night’s 11-5 win. The Red Sox took the final three games in a four-game series between AL division leaders.

Tigers 2, Rays 0

ST. PETERSBURG — Doug Fister allowed five hits over seven scoreless innings, Austin Jackson homered and the AL Central-leading Detroit Tigers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 2-0 Thursday.

Fister (6-13) struck out five. The right-hander, acquired in a six-player trade with Seattle on July 30, is 3-1 in five starts with the Tigers.

Jackson hit a first-inning leadoff homer and made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

The Tigers took three of four from Tampa Bay and have won 16 of their last 25 road games.

Jeremy Hellickson (11-9) gave up two runs and six hits in seven innings. He had seven strikeouts and one walk.

Orioles 6, Twins 1

MINNEAPOLIS — Mark Reynolds hit a three-run homer and Jo Jo Reyes went six strong innings to lead the Orioles to a 6-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday for Baltimore’s first four-game winning streak since early June.

Reyes (7-10) allowed one run on five hits with four walks and three strikeouts. Craig Tatum added a two-run double for the AL-worst Orioles, who haven’t had a winning streak this long since June 6-10.

Anthony Swarzak (3-4) gave up five runs on eight hits in 3 1-3 innings after left-hander Francisco Liriano left with a strained shoulder after two innings.

Joe Mauer also missed his second straight game for the injury-ravaged Twins, with a stiff neck keeping him out.

BOSTON — Red Sox slugger David Ortiz and Baltimore pitcher Kevin Gregg were suspended four games and fined on Thursday for their parts in a July 8 bench-clearing brawl.

Orioles pitcher Mike Gonzalez was suspended three games, and manager Buck Showalter was suspended one game as part of the punishment handed out Thursday by Major League Baseball. Gregg and Gonzalez have decided to appeal, delaying the suspensions; Ortiz also reportedly plans to appeal, allowing him to play this weekend against the Tampa Bay Rays.

“I’ll let the process go out,” said Gregg, who did not reveal the amount of his fine except to say it was “steep.” “The four-game is a pretty hefty suspension. I get the right to meet in New York with some people, tell them how it went down, what happened, get to say my side of the story.”

The Red Sox did not play on Thursday, and manager Terry Francona said Ortiz was excused from the team’s workout in St. Petersburg, Fla., to give him an extra day to recover from the All-Star game.

“I know now David has to kind of figure out what he wants to do,” Francona said.

Showalter sat out Thursday night’s game against the Cleveland Indians. He was replaced by bench coach John Russell.

Gonzalez said he was fined $1,500. Also fined undisclosed amounts in connection with the three-day skirmish: Orioles pitcher Jim Johnson, Boston catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Boston pitcher John Lackey.

The skirmish started when Gregg threw two inside pitches to Ortiz. The Red Sox designated hitter started toward the mound after the second, and players from both benches and bullpens trotted onto the field, but nothing further developed.

Gregg then got Ortiz to pop out and shouted something to the Boston slugger, who charged and met Gregg about halfway between the mound and first base line. Umpire Mike Estabrook ejected Gregg, Ortiz and Saltalamacchia.

Gregg said he was merely protecting himself and questioned the decision to suspend him for the same number of games as Ortiz.

“He actually came out at me twice,” Gregg said. “I defended myself. To get the same time, suspension, I don’t agree with it. That’s why I am appealing it.”

Ortiz apologized the next day, but in the series finale on July 10 Gonzalez threw a pitch behind Ortiz. Gonzalez and Showalter immediately were ejected. In its statement, MLB said Gonzalez intentionally threw at Ortiz after both sides had been warned.

The teams play again next week in Baltimore.

The Red Sox are coming out of the All-Star game with encouraging reports on pitcher Josh Beckett and outfielder Carl Crawford.

Crawford is set to return from a strained left hamstring on Monday, Francona said Thursday. Crawford will begin a two-game minor league rehab assignment at Triple-A Pawtucket tonight.

“He’ll travel on Sunday to Baltimore and barring any setbacks” rejoin the Red Sox when they open a three-game series against the Orioles, Francona said.

Beckett was scratched from the All-Star game after feeling soreness in his left knee while warming up in the bullpen. The right-hander remains scheduled to start Sunday’s game at Tampa Bay.