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Better late than never: Rays close in on Red Sox

Sep 10, 2011 - 5:04 AM St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - Wade Davis tossed his second career complete game, as Tampa Bay began a late push to try and steal the wild card spot from Boston with a 7-2 victory over the Red Sox.

John Jaso belted a three-run homer in the second inning for the Rays, who won for the fifth time in six contests and moved within 5 1/2 games of Boston for the lead in the wild card standings. These teams will play again next weekend in a four-game set at Fenway Park.

Davis (10-8) allowed six hits and had eight strikeouts to win back-to-back starts for the first time since a three-game win streak from June 12-25.

"I saw a lot of strike ones. He was getting ahead in the counts, throwing his breaking ball for a strike," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "His fastball, he located it well. He was very committed to what he was doing today."

John Lackey (12-12) lasted just three innings for the Red Sox in the opener of this three-game set. He was removed due to a left calf contusion after being hit by a line drive from Jaso.

Jacoby Ellsbury and Marco Scutaro each had an RBI for Boston, which has lost three in a row and seven of its last nine games.

The Red Sox played without third baseman Kevin Youkilis, who was sent back to Boston for an MRI on his sore left hip.

Johnny Damon reached base on a fielder's choice in the second inning and stole second before Casey Kotchman walked. Jaso crushed a two-out homer to right field on a 3-1 pitch.

Damon's RBI infield hit in the third scored Evan Longoria, but it was Lackey's poor coverage of first that led to the RBI. First baseman Adrian Gonzalez made a diving stop, but Lackey was late getting to the base. Longoria, who was on second at the start of the play, kept going to the plate after Lackey's momentum took him into foul territory.

Matt Joyce followed with an RBI single to center for a 5-0 margin.

Jaso's line drive caught the shin of Lackey in the third, and Boston's starter was replaced by Scott Atchison to begin the fourth.

Boston scored its only runs in the sixth. Josh Reddick singled and Jarrod Saltalamacchia doubled to start the frame. Ellsbury singled in a run on a soft grounder to second baseman Ben Zobrist, and Scutaro followed with a sacrifice fly to center.

Jaso and Reid Brignac started the bottom of the frame with doubles, and Longoria hit a ground-rule two-bagger to left later in the inning.

"We can't take that team for granted," Saltalamacchia said. "They're a good hitting ball club and they were patient, waiting for their pitches and were able to do something with it."

Game Notes

The Red Sox recalled Atchison from Triple-A Pawtucket on Friday...Tampa Bay has won the last three meetings and is 7-5 in the season series...Ellsbury has hit safely in his last 14 games...The Rays are 15 games over .500 (79-64), a season-high. They have won 19 consecutive games when scoring five runs or more...Rays starters have tossed a club-record 15 complete games, most in the American League...The Red Sox remained 2 1/2 games behind the Yankees for first in the AL East.