Rays 8, Red Sox 5
Matt Joyce had three hits and three RBIs, and the visiting Tampa Bay Rays held off a late Boston Red Sox rally for an 8-5 victory on Sunday.
The Rays took three of four in the series and pulled within two games of the Red Sox in the American League wild-card race. Tampa Bay finished the regular season 12-6 against Boston -- 7-2 at Fenway Park.
Rays’ starter David Price held the Red Sox to three hits and two runs over four innings, but had to leave with an upper-chest contusion. Price was hit by a Mike Aviles line drive in the third.
Aviles hit his second home run in three days -- a three-run blast off Cesar Ramos -- in the seventh to bring the Red Sox within 8-5. Joel Peralta got the final four outs for his fifth save.
Johnny Damon, who knocked in the Rays’ first run with a double in the second, became the fourth player in major league history to play at least 140 games for 16 straight seasons. He joined Hank Aaron, Brooks Robinson and Pete Rose.
Boston starter Tim Wakefield (7-7), who has 21 career wins against Tampa Bay, allowed six runs – four earned – in five innings. Wakefield had two wild pitches and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia was charged with three passed balls.