BALTIMORE - Matt Clement extended Boston's run of exceptional starts with another outstanding performance against the Baltimore Orioles.

The Butler native scattered eight hits over eight innings, and the Red Sox beat Rodrigo Lopez and Baltimore 1-0 Thursday to complete a two-game sweep.

Kevin Millar scored the game's only run in the second inning after a throwing error by shortstop Miguel Tejada. That was enough to beat the Orioles, who have been blanked in consecutive games for the first time since Aug. 31-Sept. 2, 2003.

"It is all about the pitchers. We're only as good as our pitchers," Boston catcher Jason Varitek said.

Duplicating the outing of David Wells one night earlier, Clement (2-0) pitched eight scoreless innings before giving way to the bullpen. The right-hander is 3-0 with an 0.89 ERA in three starts against Baltimore; he's beaten them with Chicago, Florida and now Boston.

"You don't get to pitch in a 1-0 game very often, and to win one is rarer," Clement said. "I have been on the other end of a couple of them last year, so it was nice tonight."

Clement threw 110 pitches. To the Orioles, none of them seemed the same.

"He pitched very well. He's a completely different pitcher than what I remember," said Jay Gibbons, who went 1-for-4. "He sinks it, he cuts it, he just keeps you enough off-balance to where you're unsure, and you don't take really good swings off him."

The Orioles had scored at least seven runs in five of six games before the Red Sox came to town, but they were no match for a rotation that has posted a 1.13 ERA over the last seven games.

The victory enabled Boston to move out of a first-place tie with Baltimore in the AL East.

Signed as a free agent in December, Clement struck out seven and walked one. Keith Foulke gave up a double to Javy Lopez with one out in the ninth before finishing the nine-hitter for his third save.

Clement outpitched Lopez (2-1), who gave up no earned runs, five hits and three walks in eight innings. Lopez, who came in 8-3 against the Red Sox, probably deserved a better fate in this one.

Millar hit a leadoff double in the second and went to third when Tejada threw wildly to first after fielding Varitek's infield hit deep in the hole. After Edgar Renteria grounded out to third, Ramon Vazquez drove in a run with a groundout to second.

"Too bad I didn't get the win, but Clement did a heck of a job," Lopez said, "and they played like world champions."

Baltimore had the potential tying run cut down at the plate in the fourth. Rafael Palmeiro reached on an infield hit and attempted to score on a double to right by Gibbons, but was thrown out on a relay from Trot Nixon to Millar to Varitek at home.

"Trot made a great throw," Millar said. "My job is to back up the second baseman, but he overthrew Mark (Bellhorn) and hit me in the chest. I just made the throw home. As it ended up, it was a huge play in the outcome of the game."

In the seventh, Gibbons hit a drive to right that lost momentum in the wind and landed in Nixon's glove at the warning track.

"I thought it was off the wall," Gibbons said. "The ball just kind of hung up and fell down."

The Orioles also threatened in the eighth. Mora got a two-out single and went to second on an infield hit by Tejada, but Clement completed his fine outing by retiring Sammy Sosa on bouncer to the mound.

Sosa went 1-for-2 with a walk.

Notes: The Red Sox have scored only three first-

inning runs this season, but are the only team in the majors that hasn't allowed a run in the first. ... Baltimore's Brian Roberts went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, his second straight hitless game after opening the season with a 14-game hitting streak. ... Boston 3B Bill Mueller did not play because of a sinus infection.

AP-ES-04-21-05 2306EDT