G25: Rays 5, Red Sox 3

Red Sox - 100 000 020 - 3  8  1
Rays    - 100 200 11x - 5 10  0

The Rays set a new team record with eight stolen bases (in eight attempts) and Carl Crawford broke his own single-game Rays record with six. Crawford was 4-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored. Down in the #8 spot, Jason Bartlett singled twice and doubled.

[Two lists: Every other instance of a player stealing at least five bases in a game and every team to steal at least eight bases in a game, both since 1954. The team record is 12 and the game has a great linescore!]

Although Penny completed only one perfect inning and allowed at least one Rays runner to second base in the other five, his line was alright (6-6-3-2-8, 110). He got out of a few jams. With runners at second and third in the first, he struck out Pat Burrell and Ben Zobrist. In the third, Crawford was on second with one out and Penny retired Evan Longoria on a fly ball and fanned Carlos Pena.

Crawford began the fifth with a single and stole second. Longoria struck out again (on a very high fastball) and Pena popped to second. After Crawford swiped third, Burrell was caught looking.

The Red Sox threatened to have a big inning in the first. With one out, Dustin Pedroia singled, David Ortiz walked and Kevin Youkilis singled to load the bases. J.D. Drew lined a single off Pena's glove into right field, but, with the sacks still full, Jason Bay struck out and Mike Lowell flew out to left.

After that, Shields (7.1-6-2-2-6, 102) did not give the Sox much of anything -- and the Boston batters helped his pitch count by swinging early in counts. His PC: 30-13-7 16-14-8 6-8 = 102.

Kevin Youkilis drilled a two-run dong to dead center in the eighth to cut the Rays' lead to 4-3. Drew kept it going with a single and Bay walked, but Dan Wheeler got Lowell to pop to short right.

***

Brad Penny (8.66, 59 ERA+) / James Shields (3.74, 132 ERA+)

Red Sox starters have an ugly streak going: they have allowed five runs or more in five consecutive games. Penny will try to end that this afternoon as Boston goes for a split at the Juice Box before heading to New York. ... Shields had a 5.1-9-5-3-2, 101 line in a 5-3 loss to the Red Sox on April 7.

Expected starters for the Yankees series:

Mon 0504 - Lester / Chamberlain
Tue 0505 - Beckett / Burnett

Jason Bay fouled a ball off his left ankle in the second inning last night and left the game after the fifth. He says it's not serious and believes he'll play this afternoon.

I've done it 10 times worse before. It just kind of got me in the right spot, running around on the turf kind of really bothered it. It was more precautionary than anything. It's a contusion, it's not like a hole or anything like that.

Jacoby Ellsbury (who leads the majors with 13 steals) likes to pilfer bags in Tampa.

It has what you call a fast track. Just the opportunity to get on base, and depending on the pitcher, if it's the right situation, I'm going to go. ... The key is that the legs are feeling good. When the legs are feeling good, then the bases come.

David Ortiz has swung at 29.5% of pitches he has seen out of the strike zone this season, much higher than his career average of 18.3%. He has walked 11 times in 24 games -- only 10.6% of his plate appearances, down from 2006 (17.6%), 2007 (16.8%) and 2008 (14.4%).

Tim Wakefield now has 167 wins in a Red Sox uniform. He needs 26 more to become the club's all-time leader.