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Damon leads Rays over Sox

Apr 13, 2011 - 4:31 AM Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Johnny Damon drove in two runs during a three- run fifth inning which proved to be enough as the Tampa Bay Rays held off the Boston Red Sox, 3-2, to take the first two games of a three-game set at Fenway Park.

Damon finished with two hits while Dan Johnson also had two hits for the Rays, who claimed just their third win in the young season.

David Price (1-2) had a solid outing for his first win of the season, allowing two runs on five hits in 7 2/3 innings.

"That's what's so fun about facing these guys," Price said of the Boston lineup. "You have to throw strikes, you got to get ahead, and if you don't you're going to pay for it. They're going to make you battle for it. That's just AL East baseball."

Darnell McDonald had a solo shot while Jed Lowrie ripped two doubles and drove in a run for the Red Sox, who fell to 2-9 for one of the worst records in the majors.

Jon Lester (0-1) fanned eight batters, but gave up all three runs on seven hits in seven innings.

McDonald's blast over the Green Monster led off the home portion of the third inning, but that's all Boston got until the sixth inning.

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay capitalized on a bases loaded situation in the fifth inning to take the lead.

Kelly Shoppach, Dan Johnson and Elliot Johnson all hit singles, filling up the bases, to set up Sam Fuld's slow chopper down the first base line. Adrian Gonzalez charged the ball and threw home, but not before Shoppach slid in safely.

Damon then drove in two runs for a 3-1 score during the next at-bat with a hard grounder up the middle. B.J. Upton hit into a double play, though, to end the threat.

Dustin Pedroia's hit found the right-field gap to lead off the bottom of the sixth with a double and moved to third on Gonzalez's groundout. Kevin Youkilis then was caught looking at strike three, while Jed Lowrie hit a two-out double into the right-field gap to plate Pedroia and pull the Red Sox within one.

The Rays stranded Damon at third in the eighth for a possible insurance run.

The Red Sox missed a great opportunity to get the equalizer or go ahead with runners on first and second with two outs, as Joel Peralta came in to force a Lowrie pop fly.

"We're just not putting everything together," Gonzalez said. "One night it's the pitching, the other night it's the hitting. Sometimes it's both. Nothing seems to be clicking for us right now."

Kyle Farnsworth entered in the ninth to get his second save of the season. He struck out the first two batters and got pinch-hitter David Ortiz to fly out to end the game.

Game Notes

The Rays have won eight of their last 11 games at Fenway, dating back to the beginning of the 2010 season...Tampa won 11 of 18 from the Red Sox last season...Boston was 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position...Price threw 116 pitches, 72 of them were strikes.