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Rookie Longoria key as Rays sweep Red Sox

Jul 3, 2008 - 4:47 AM ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Ticker) -- There appears to be a new beast of the American League East.

Rookie Evan Longoria's two-run double highlighted a six-run seventh inning as the Tampa Bay Rays rallied past the Boston Red Sox for a wild 7-6 victory and three-game sweep on Wednesday.

Longoria finished with three hits and three RBI and Jason Bartlett added two hits, including a two-run single in the seventh. The red-hot Rays (52-32), who own the best record in the major leagues, increased their lead over the Red Sox in the AL East Division to a franchise-best 3 1/2 games.

Tampa Bay, which finished 21 games under .500 last year, now is 20 over the mark after overcoming a 4-1 seventh-inning deficit.

"This reaffirms to us that we can beat these guys," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. "Now we need to do it at Fenway."

"To be a part of the turnaround and this change is a good feeling," Longoria added.

The Rays swept the Red Sox for a second time at Tropicana Field, and the PA announcer added salt to the wound by blaring Boston's anthem, "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond, after Dan Wheeler struck out Jason Varitek to end the game. Giddy Tampa Bay fans held up signs that read: "Sweep Caroline".

"We felt like we were going to win that game," Maddon said.

Dustin Pedroia had four hits and fell a single shy of the cycle for Boston, which lost for a season high-tying fifth straight time. The scrappy second baseman homered in the first, tripled in the third and doubled in the fifth.

Needing only a single in his final two at-bats, Pedroia flied out in the sixth and delivered an RBI double in the eighth to draw Boston within 7-5.

In the ninth, the Red Sox nearly pulled even. With none out and runners on the corners, center fielder B.J. Upton's spectacular over-the-shoulder catch at the warning track turned Kevin Youkilis' potential extra-base hit into a long sacrifice fly.

"That was magnificent," Maddon said. "Not many people make that play. It was Willie Mays-esque."

Upton said he was determined to keep running until he caught the ball.

"I told Carl Crawford, I would run through the wall if I had to," Upton said.

Mike Lowell was thrown out on a failed hit-and-run, and Wheeler struck out Varitek to notch his third save of the season.

"We missed a lot of opportunities to spread the game out," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "But still saying that, we had a lead late in the game, got to (Manny) Delcarmen and things unraveled in a hurry.

"They took it to us. They beat us three games in a row. We came here to win. We didn't do a very good job."

Trailing, 4-1, in the seventh, the Rays erupted for six runs against four Red Sox relievers. Akinori Iwamura had an RBI single, Carlos Pena drew a bases-loaded walk and Longoria drilled a two-run double to left-center field.

Bartlett, who started the inning with a double, added a two-run single to cap the scoring.

Delcarmen, who began the frame, failed to record an out, allowing three consecutive hits. Craig Hansen (1-3) followed by walking two and allowing Longoria's two-base hit.

Both starters left after five innings. Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka allowed only one run and two hits but walked five and struck out five, while counterpart Scott Kazmir allowed four runs and seven hits with four walks and three strikeouts.

Gary Glover (1-2) pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings to pick up the win.

Already ahead, 2-1, the Red Sox loaded the bases with one out in the fourth and appeared to score on Jacoby Ellsbury's fielder's choice to second. However, second base umpire Sam Holbrook called interference on Julio Lugo, who slid wide of the bag and tackled the shortstop Bartlett.

In the fifth, J.D. Drew delivered an RBI triple and scored on a wild pitch by Kazmir gave Boston a 4-1 lead.

Crawford had three singles for the Rays, who are 29-6 in their last 35 home games.