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Homers power Rays past Red Sox

Jul 1, 2008 - 4:13 AM ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Ticker) -- B.J. Upton got Tampa Bay on its way with his bat. Jason Bartlett ended the game with his glove.

And in the process, the Rays held off the Boston Red Sox, 5-4, Monday night in a matchup of the top two teams in the American League East.

Upton homered on the game's first pitch and Gabe Gross added a two-run shot in the fourth inning as the Rays won their fourth consecutive game at Tropicana Field against the Red Sox.

Trailing, 5-2, in the ninth, Boston rallied within 5-4 and had the tying run on third, but Julio Lugo lined out to Bartlett at shortstop, increasing Tampa Bay's lead over the Red Sox to 1 1/2 games.

It was the first meeting between the teams since their June 5 benches-clearing brawl at Fenway Park, leading to the suspensions of eight players, including Shields.

"Everybody is standing out right now," Tampa Bay starter James Shields said. "Everybody is having their share in the win. Everybody is pitching. Everybody is getting their hits. It's a whole team effort. That's the great part about it."

Tampa Bay (50-32) owns the best record in the majors.

Shields (6-5) allowed two runs in 6 1/3 innings, walking one and striking out five, but could only watch as the Red Sox nearly tied it in the ninth.

After Shields left, the Rays used five relievers - Trever Miller, Grant Balfour, Dan Wheeler, Troy Percival and J.P. Howell - to close the game.

In the ninth, Percival allowed three hits and two runs in before Howell came on to retire Lugo, with the tying run on third, on a line drive to Bartlett at shortstop for the final out and his second save.

"I was a little intense, but Shields set the tone," Howell said. "It's hard not to be ready. I was pulling for Troy out there, you hope he's OK."

After a heated discussion with Rays manager Joe Maddon, Percival finally left with two out after apparently re-injuring his left hamstring that had put him on the disabled list earlier this month. He will be re-evaluated Tuesday.

"He absolutely was very upset," Maddon said. "From his perspective, he's always been trained to be the last guy out there."

With Boston trailing, 5-2, going to the ninth, Brandon Moss' RBI double off a wire hanging from the Tropicana Field roof made it 5-3. Percival then retired Jason Varitek on a sacrifice fly, cutting Tampa Bay's lead to 5-4. But Howell retired Lugo to end the game.

In the fourth, Gross' home run gave the Rays a 3-1 lead they would never relinquish.

"He (Red Sox starter Justin Masterson) was missing off the plate," Gross said. "Sooner or later I thought he might miss over the plate."

J.D. Drew hit a solo home run in the sixth, pulling the Red Sox within 4-2.

However, the Rays added a run in the seventh on Jonny Gomes' bases-loaded fielder's choice.

Mike Lowell had three of Boston's eight hits. His fourth-inning single tied the contest at 1, but Tampa Bay answered in the bottom of the inning on Gross' two-run shot.

Masterson (4-2) allowed four runs in six innings. He struck out five, walked five and allowed both Tampa Bay home runs.

Upton's home run was the first lead off homer of his career.

"It was a fastball up and down the middle and went over the fence," Masterson said. "We put together a good effort there at the end. I thought we were going to tie it up, but unfortunately we didn't."

After losing Sunday and falling out of first place for the first time in 25 days, the Red Sox (50-35) fell to 6-7 in their last 13 games.

"The first pitch of the game to Upton, you were going to start the game with a strike and all of a sudden it is 1-0," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "The pitch to Gross, he got behind, threw the ball in the middle and he hit it a long way."