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Joyce's grand slam helps Rays beat Red Sox

May 26, 2012 - 3:37 AM Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Matt Joyce clubbed a grand slam and Tampa Bay held on for a 7-4 win over Boston in a game that turned ugly in the ninth inning Friday night at Fenway Park.

These two AL East rivals have a tense history between them and there were some more heated moments.

Boston's Dustin Pedroia was hit by a pitch in the back in the sixth inning from Burke Badenhop. In the top of the ninth, Franklin Morales retaliated by pegging Luke Scott in the right knee.

"Boys will be boys," Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said.

Scott and Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalmacchia had a minor shoving match and the dugouts cleared with both sides verbally jawing at each other.

Rays manager Joe Maddon was visibly upset after the game.

"I didn't understand the situation whatsoever," he said. "It wasn't called for at all. It's the kind of behavior that gets people hurt. Pedroia gets hit, not because we're trying to hit him. That's truly somebody flexing their muscles on the other side and they need to put it in their back pocket.

"Trust me, it's not us. They're the ones that were probably behind the weak, cowardly effort on their part.

"We don't initiate anything. That's not what we're about."

Joyce hit a slam for the second time in six games. Elliot Johnson added a two- run homer, and Carlos Pena followed with a shot over the wall in right in the fourth inning.

Alex Cobb (2-0) allowed one earned run over five innings and Fernando Rodney retired the side in order in the ninth for his 15th save to seal Tampa Bay's third straight win.

Jon Lester (3-4) was lit up for six hits and seven runs over four innings.

Mike Aviles scored on a Kevin Youkilis single in the opening inning, but the Rays went ahead in the third. A walk to Pena, base hit by B.J. Upton and a walk to Ben Zobrist loaded the bases with two outs, and Joyce followed with his fourth career grand slam, a shot into the bullpen beyond the wall in right.

After Johnson's homer over the Green Monster, Pena hit a ball that barely cleared the short wall in right, just out of the reach of a leaping Marlon Byrd.

Scott Podsednik scored on Adrian Gonzalez's double in the fifth for a 7-2 game and the Red Sox got an RBI single by Byrd in the sixth, the first batter faced by Badenhop. Aviles lofted a sacrifice fly to center, and then Pedroia was hit in the back. With two men on base, Jake McGee entered and retired David Ortiz to end the inning.

Game Notes

The Rays have won 11 of the last 16 meetings...Rodney is 15-for-15 in save opportunities...Boston had a five-game home winning streak broken.