G31: Red Sox 7, Rays 3

Rays    - 000 010 200 - 3  7  0
Red Sox - 001 500 01x - 7 13  1

in the bottom of the fourth, with the Red Sox ahead 1-0, Mike Lowell struck out and Kevin Youkilis lined to shortstop. Two quick outs.

Then Brandon Moss homered to deep center field. Jason Varitek singled to center, Julio Lugo walked, Jacoby Ellsbury singled to left-center, scoring Varitek, then he stole second base, Dustin Pedroia singled to center and Lugo and Ellsbury scored, David Ortiz banged an RBI single through the shift, bringing Pedroia home -- and giving Boston a 6-0 lead.

With the run the Red Sox scored in the third inning -- on a one-out double from Lugo and a two-out double from Pedroia -- Boston had scored in consecutive innings for the first time since the second and third frames on Wednesday, April 23.

Buchholz (5.1-5-1-4-6, 96) had an eventful outing, but was able to work out of trouble. He walked the first two batters in the second, but got a strikeout, a fly out and an out at the plate (Moss to Tek) on a single. In the next inning, he allowed a single and a walk, then struck out the side. His only 1-2-3 inning was the fourth. Another leadoff walk, a double and a wild pitch brought in Tampa's first run.

Javier Lopez allowed a couple of runs in the seventh, but Manny Delcarmen got the final out (albeit after putting two runners on base). Hideki Okajima pitched a perfect eighth and Jonathan Papelbon threw a perfect ninth: 7 pitches, 7 strikes.

There was a 2:27 rain delay before the start of the game. ... Tampa was attempting to go five games over .500 for the first time in club history. ... Boston collected 13 hits and five walks -- but Manny Ramirez went 0-for-5, with three strikeouts.

***

Edwin Jackson (3.86, 110 ERA+) / Clay Buchholz (4.08, 109 ERA+)

Red Sox record when scoring:

4 runs or fewer: 4-11

5 runs or more: 13-2

Here's something I would not have believed five weeks ago:

"On May 2, Kevin Cash will have a higher OPS -- by almost 150 points -- than David Ortiz."

         OBP   SLG   OPS
Cash    .395  .406  .801
Ortiz   .301  .355  .656

Also: Julio Lugo is outslugging Mike Lowell .313 to .244.