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Rays best Red Sox in extras

Sep 11, 2011 - 6:30 AM St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - Desmond Jennings tripled and scored on Evan Longoria's single in the bottom of the 11th inning, lifting the Rays to a 6-5 victory over the Red Sox at Tropicana Field.

Jennings led off by hitting a high pitch from Daniel Bard (2-7) to right- center field, and the ball dropped between Jacoby Ellsbury and Darnell McDonald.

Jennings used long strides to get to third, and after B.J. Upton grounded out to first, Longoria lined a single to center to end the game.

"It was a really entertaining, well-played game. To win that is significant," Rays manager Joe Maddon said.

Casey Kotchman homered and drove in two for the Rays, who blew a 5-3 lead in the ninth inning when Ellsbury and Jarrod Saltalamacchia homered off Kyle Farnsworth.

But the 11th-inning rally saved Tampa Bay, which has won three in a row -- including the opener of this three-game series on Friday -- and six of seven overall.

The Rays climbed within 4 1/2 games of the Red Sox for the American League wild card lead. The Red Sox have lost eight of 10.

"Hopefully we'll be able to take some of these bumps and bruises and be able to learn from there," Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon said.

Farnsworth entered in the ninth to secure the save and retired the first batter, but Saltalamacchia followed by lining an 0-2 hanging breaking ball just over the wall in right field.

Ellsbury followed with a blast a little farther into the right field stands, making it a 5-5 game.

Farnsworth then gave up a double to Dustin Pedroia and walked Adrian Gonzalez, and was pulled for Cesar Ramos, who got David Ortiz to ground into an inning- ending double play.

Ramos recorded the first two outs of the 10th before Brandon Gomes (2-1) took over. Gomes finished the inning and pitched a 1-2-3 top of the 11th.

The Rays loaded the bases with nobody out in the first inning, but got only one run out of the situation. Ben Zobrist grounded into a fielder's choice before Johnny Damon looked at a third strike and Matt Joyce flied out.

The teams traded run-scoring groundouts in the second, and Kotchman's sacrifice fly in the third put the Rays up 3-1.

Gonzalez's two-run blast off Tampa Bay starter Jeremy Hellickson in the fifth tied the game, but only briefly. Kotchman's solo shot to right in the home half made it 4-3.

Longoria had a sacrifice fly in the sixth.

Game Notes

Hellickson pitched six innings, allowing three runs on five hits and three walks...Boston starter Kyle Weiland threw four innings, giving up three runs on six hits and three walks...Gonzalez's homer was his 25th of the season, the fifth consecutive year he's reached that mark.