Worth noting

• Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who stole home as part of a double steal in Sunday's game against the Yankees, stole third on Tuesday. But it turns out the latter theft was not by design.

"We got lucky last night," Farrell said. "The swipe tag by [Manny] Machado, he got in under the tag, so it looks like we pulled off a double steal. We screwed up a hit and run and we benefited from it, to be honest with you."

However, Farrell acknowledged that Saltalamacchia, though not known for his speed, is a smart baserunner.

"Actually, he's one of our best baserunners, to be honest with you. Instinctually, he gets very good reads," Farrell said.

• The beards were out in full force on Wednesday night, as more than 4,000 fans took advantage of the Red Sox inviting all bearded customers the opportunity to buy tickets for $1. Some of the most heavily-bearded patrons -- including one man who said he had been growing his beard for two years -- posed on the field for pictures before the game with Jonny Gomes.

• Farrell said he is leaning toward an 11-man pitching staff in the postseason, which would leave room for five bench players. The manager hasn't decided yet if Ryan Dempster, who is doubtful to be part of the postseason rotation, will pitch again in the regular season. Dempster could be valuable as a reliever in October, given his previous experience in that role.