St. Petersburg, FL – Carlos Pena homered and knocked in three runs, as the Tampa Bay Rays used a seven-run sixth inning to beat the Boston Red Sox, 13-3, in the third test of a four-game series.
Jeff Keppinger added a solo homer and two RBI for the Rays, who are 6 1/2 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Matt Joyce and Desmond Jennings had two RBI apiece.
"We are alive and we're kicking," Rays manager Joe Maddon said of his club. "We've just got to keep getting on a nice little toasty streak would be good. We have to get hot."
Tampa Bay starter Chris Archer (1-3) allowed three runs on five hits over five innings to pick up his first win in the big leagues. He had six strikeouts and four walks.
Jacoby Ellsbury went 3-for-3 with two RBI for the Red Sox, who had won the first two games of this series.
Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-6) gave up five runs on nine hits over three-plus innings to take the loss.
"It's tough for the guys standing around and watching that," Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said of his pitching staff, which issued 10 walks. "They got to find the strike zone."
Holding a 5-3 lead, the Rays exploded for seven runs in the sixth inning. Pena led off with a walk and Jose Molina followed with a bunt single. Pitcher Alfredo Aceves' wild throw allowed the runners to advance to second and third. Jennings cleared the bases with a triple to left-center field. Third baseman Pedro Ciriaco's catching error allowed Jennings to score on the play. B.J. Upton then doubled to left-center field.
Daniel Bard came in from the bullpen and walked Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria to load the bases with no outs. Luke Scott hit a sacrifice fly and Keppinger added an RBI single. Andrew Miller took over after Joyce walked to fill the bags again. Pena and Molina worked back-to-back walks to force in two more runs, making it a 12-3 game. Scott Atchison got Jennings to ground into an inning-ending double play.
Joyce's RBI single in the eighth made it 13-3.
Boston jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Ciriaco singled, stole second and raced home on Ellsbury's single to left.
Tampa Bay got the run back in the second. Longoria, Scott and Keppinger hit three straight singles to load the bases with no outs. Joyce walked to force in a run. Pena struck out swinging and Molina grounded into a double play to keep it a 1-1 game.
The Red Sox took the lead back in the third. Jose Iglesias walked, moved to second on Ciriaco's single and scored on Ellsbury's single. Dustin Pedroia plated another run when he grounded into a fielder's choice.
The Rays scored a run in the bottom half after Jennings singled, stole second and crossed the plate on Zobrist's single.
Tampa Bay tacked on three more runs in the fourth to go in front for good. Keppinger led off with a homer to left. Joyce singled and scored on Pena's homer to right, making it a 5-3 contest.
Game Notes
Boston is 9-6 versus the Rays this season ... Matsuzaka fell to 2-8 lifetime against Tampa Bay ... Keppinger had three hits.
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