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Iwamura's homer lifts Rays over Red Sox

Apr 27, 2008 - 3:49 AM ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Ticker) - For seven innings, Clay Buchholz was nearly unhittable. In the eighth inning, Buchholz allowed only two hits - but they were two too many.

Akinori Iwamura's two-out, two-run home run in the eighth inning off Buchholz lifted the Tampa Bay Rays to a 2-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.

Tampa Bay emerged victorious in its last at-bat for the second time in as many days. The Rays also recorded their season-high fifth straight victory.

The loss was the fourth consecutive for the Red Sox - their longest slide of the season.

"Buchholz was pitching pretty darn good," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. "Our guy was good, too. Just a well-played baseball game."

Troy Percival, who has not allowed a run in nine appearances, pitched the ninth to pick up his fifth save.

Iwamura's home run was only the third hit allowed by Buchholz (1-2).

"It was a curveball," Iwamura said. "I took a previous swing (on an earlier at-bat) on his changeup and it carried pretty well to center field, so I figured (Jason) Varitek knew I had timed his changeup."

Buchholz (1-2) credited Iwamura for the hit.

"I threw a pitcher's pitch and he hit it," Buchholz said. "I felt great tonight. Just a little misfortune."

Buchholz, who threw a no-hitter September 1, 2007 against Baltimore, had no-hit stuff again on Saturday. He only allowed one hit - a fourth-inning double to B.J. Upton - through seven innings.

After consecutive walks to Upton and Carlos Pena in the first, Buchholz retired 20 of the next 21 batters until Dioner Navarro's one-out single in the eighth. One out later, Iwamura sent a 1-1 pitch into the right-field stands.

Buchholz struck out nine and walked two.

"He was good, he was flowing," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "He left one breaking ball over the plate. We couldn't do anything offensively. He just gave up one home run when we didn't need him to."

The Red Sox's leadoff batter reached base in the first three innings, but they could not push across a run.

Boston finally scored in the fifth on Jacoby Ellsbury's two-out infield single to third base.

Edwin Jackson allowed five hits in seven innings with three walks and four strikeouts, limiting Boston to a season-low one run.

"Late in the game, we're still trying to come out and attack," Jackson said. "That's what it's going to take for us to keep winning."