• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Victorino's four-hit night powers Red Sox past Rays

Apr 30, 2014 - 6:46 AM Boston, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - Shane Victorino went 4-for-4 with two RBI and the Boston Red Sox held off the Tampa Bay Rays, 7-4, in the opener of a three- game series.

Jackie Bradley Jr. knocked in two runs and scored once for the Red Sox, who have won three of their past four games. David Ortiz, Will Middlebrooks and A.J. Pierzynski each had an RBI.

"We're in a stretch here probably the last eight, 10 games where the bats have become more consistent," Red Sox manager John Farrell said.

Boston starter John Lackey (4-2) allowed two runs on six hits with five strikeouts over eight innings.

Ryan Hanigan, Evan Longoria and Yunel Escobar each knocked in a run for the Rays, who have lost three in a row.

Tampa Bay starter Erik Bedard gave up one run on four hits with three walks over five innings. Brandon Gomes (1-1) took the loss after allowing two of Boston's five runs in the sixth inning.

"You look at the gun with him tonight, he had his best velocity fastball by far. Stuff wise good. Good changeup. Good, except location was not there," Rays manager Joe Maddon said of Gomes.

Boston broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning. Middlebrooks walked, moved to third on Bradley's double to left-center field and scored on Victorino's sacrifice fly.

Tampa Bay tied the game in the sixth. Desmond Jennings hit a one-out double to left-center field, advanced to third on Matt Joyce's single and scored on Longoria's sacrifice fly.

But the Red Sox exploded for five runs in the bottom half of the sixth. Gomes walked Mike Napoli and Jonny Gomes before recording an out. Juan Carlos Oviedo came in from the bullpen and immediately gave up an RBI single to Pierzynski. Middlebrooks followed with a run-scoring double to left- center field. Bradley then hit a two-run double to center. Bradley moved to third on a wild pitch and raced home on Victorino's ground-rule double to right, making it a 6-1 game.

The Rays got one run back in the seventh when Wil Myers scored on Hanigan's single. Myers led off the frame with a double to center.

Ortiz's RBI single in the eighth made it 7-2 Boston.

The Red Sox sent Edward Mujica to the mound in the ninth. He put the first two men on before getting David DeJesus to ground out. Escobar's infield single plated James Loney, who led off the frame with a ground-rule double. Another run crossed the plate on shortstop Xander Bogaerts' throwing error. Hanigan flied out, then Koji Uehara was called upon to record the final out.

Game Notes

Boston went 12-7 against the Rays in 2013 ... Bogaerts saw his 10-game hitting streak come to an end after going 0-for-3 ... The Rays played their 1,000th game as the Rays ... Lackey improved to 13-7 lifetime against the Rays ... Boston started an eight-game homestand on Tuesday.