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Rays sweep Red Sox

Baseball Betting Lines

07/03/2008 - Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Bartlett's two-run single capped a six-run seventh inning, as the red-hot Tampa Bay Rays rallied to top the defending world champion Boston Red Sox, 7-6, and complete a three-game sweep at Tropicana Field.

Tampa Bay entered this set with a slim half-game edge on the Red Sox for the top spot in the AL East, but the upstart Rays have widened the margin to 3 1/2 games with their seventh sweep of the season.

"It reaffirms to us that we can beat these guys," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said of the sweep. "Now we need to do it at Fenway."

Evan Longoria was 3-for-4 and knocked in three runs for the Rays, owners of the best record of baseball at 52-32. Carl Crawford went 3-for-4 with a walk and a run scored, while Akinori Iwamura and Carlos Pena also drove in a run for Tampa Bay, which has won four in a row.

Scott Kazmir went just five innings and allowed four runs on seven hits with four walks against three strikeouts. The comeback made a winner out of Gary Glover (1-2), who allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings of work. Dan Wheeler recorded the final four outs to notch his third save of the season.

Dustin Pedroia fell a single shy of the cycle, going 4-for-5 with a home run, a triple and two doubles for Boston, which has dropped five straight, matching a season-high. Pedroia also drove in two runs and scored three times.

J.D. Drew, who was selected as the Sharp American League Player of the Month for June, finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. He batted .337 (31-for-92) with 12 homers and 27 RBI in 26 June games. Brandon Moss also had two hits for the Red Sox, who have lost seven in a row at Tropicana Field.

Daisuke Matsuzaka lasted only five innings for Boston, scattering one run on two hits with five walks and five strikeouts. Manny Delcarmen gave up three runs on three hits and failed to retire a batter in the ill-fated seventh. Craig Hansen (1-3) surrendered three runs and didn't record out to absorb the loss.

"They (Rays) took it to us, they beat us three games in a row," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "We came here to win, we didn't do a very good job."

The Rays scored six times in the seventh to erase a 4-1 deficit. Delcarmen started the frame, relieving Hideki Okajima, who had tossed a scoreless sixth, and gave up a lead-off double to Bartlett, who swiped third and scored on Iwamura's infield single.

After Crawford punched a single to right, Hansen was summoned from the bullpen and promptly issued walks to B.J. Upton and Pena, which allowed Iwamura to cross the plate. Longoria then gave Tampa Bay the lead with a two-run double that rolled all the way to the warning track in right-center.

David Aardsma was called on to stifle the rally and retired Willy Aybar for the first out of the inning. After intentionally walking Dioner Navarro, he was lifted for Javier Lopez, who fanned pinch-hitter Gabe Gross. Bartlett then drove in two more runs when he lined a single up the middle. Iwamura went down on strikes to end the assault.

Boston got a run back in the eighth, as Julio Lugo drew a one-out walk and came around to score on a two-out double by Pedroia.

In the ninth, Manny Ramirez reached first on Bartlett's throwing error, moved to third when Mike Lowell slapped a single to right and scurried home on Kevin Youkilis' sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 7-6. Lowell was then caught stealing before Jason Varitek stared at strike three to end the game.

The Red Sox grabbed a 1-0 lead in the opening frame on Pedroia's ninth home run of the season, a one-out blast to left field.

Tampa Bay quickly evened the score in the bottom of the first. Upton reached on a fielder's choice, stole second and, after Pena worked a two-out walk, scored on an RBI single by Longoria.

With one gone in third, Pedroia smashed a triple to center field and later scored when Ramirez grounded out.

Boston tacked on two more runs in the fifth. The inning began with Pedroia slicing a double into the right-field corner. Drew then lined a triple to plate the third run of the game for the visiting squad. After Kazmir fanned Ramirez and got Lowell to ground out, the lefty intentionally walked Youkilis before uncorking a wild pitch, which made it a 4-1 game.

Game Notes

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Rays are the first team other than the Yankees or the Red Sox to lead the AL East in July or later since 2000, when the Blue Jays held the top spot through games of July 6 before finishing third...Tampa Bay sent 11 men to the plate in the seventh...The Rays are an amazing 33-13 at home...Pedroia is riding a 10-game hitting streak...Tampa Bay recorded its fourth sellout of the season and 12th in the history of Tropicana Field...The home team has won all 12 clashes in this year's season series between the Red Sox and Rays...Tampa Bay will remain home and open a four-game set against Kansas City on Thursday...The Red Sox will close their 10-game road trip with four games at Yankee Stadium beginning on Thursday.