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Rays beat Red Sox again, keep AL wild-card race interesting

Sep 19, 2011 - 2:03 AM Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Matt Joyce went 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored, as the Tampa Bay Rays took down the Boston Red Sox, 8-5, in the finale of a key four-game series.

Desmond Jennings, Sean Rodriguez and Johnny Damon added an RBI apiece for the Rays, who won three of the four games in this set to pull within two games of the wild card-leading Red Sox.

"We answered the call. We knew we had to come in here and at least win three out of four. And we came in and we did it," said Rays center fielder B.J. Upton. "Our pitchers stepped up, our bullpen stepped up. We stepped up with the bats and it was just all around a good series."

Tampa Bay starter David Price gave up two runs on three hits over four innings. Jake McGee (3-1) allowed one run over 2 2/3 innings of relief to pick up the win.

Mike Aviles hit a three-run homer for Boston, which trails the Yankees by 4 1/2 games in the AL East. New York lost to Toronto on Sunday.

Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield (7-7) allowed six runs -- four earned -- on six hits over five innings to take the loss. He struck out five and walked one.

"He just never got into a real good rhythm. He threw some real good knuckleballs. He just seemed to be working out of the stretch a lot," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said about Wakefield.

Boston welcomes the Orioles to town for a four-game, three-day series on Monday, while the Rays head to New York to start a four-game set with the Yankees on Tuesday.

The Rays scored three runs in the second. Casey Kotchman advanced to first on a dropped third strike, moved to second on a passed ball and scored on Damon's double to right-center field. Joyce added a run-scoring single two batters later. Rodriguez was hit by a pitch before Jennings hit an RBI single for a 3-0 lead.

Tampa Bay tacked on another run in the fourth. Joyce doubled off the Green Monster, advanced to third on a passed ball and crossed the plate on Rodriguez's sac fly.

Boston got two runs back in the home fourth. Dustin Pedroia singled and David Ortiz walked to start the frame. Darnell McDonald knocked in both runners with a double to right-center field, cutting the gap to 4-2.

The Rays pushed two runs across in the fifth to create some distance again. Jennings singled, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a passed ball. With one out, Evan Longoria singled and Kotchman walked. Ben Zobrist then reached first on Aviles's throwing error, which allowed another run to score.

Joyce's two-run single in the seventh made it an 8-2 contest. Aviles hit a three-run homer in the home half to cut the gap to three.

Joel Peralta tossed 1 1/3 scoreless frames to pick up his fifth save of the season.

Game Notes

Tampa Bay went 12-6 against the Red Sox this season, including a 7-2 mark at Fenway...Wakefield fell to 21-8 lifetime versus the Rays...The Red Sox went 2- for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded six.