Red Sox hit 6 HRs, pull closer to 1st-place Rays

[September 16, 2008]  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- David Ortiz, Mike Lowell, Jason Bay, Jason Varitek, Kevin Youkilis and, finally, Jacoby Ellsbury. Home run by home run, the surging Boston Red Sox pulled closer to first place in the AL East during a 13-5 victory over the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays and All-Star Scott Kazmir on Monday night.

The defending World Series champions won for the first time in seven games at Tropicana Field this season, climbing within percentage points (.002) of the Rays for the first time in two months.

The Rays (88-60) went 21-7 in August and were a season-high 5 1/2 games up on Boston heading into September. They're 4-9 this month, with six of the losses coming against the Red Sox and Yankees, who took two of three from Tampa Bay over the weekend.

The Red Sox (89-61), on the other hand, have won three straight and 10 of 14 in September to get as close to the lead as they've been since mid-July, when they erased a five-game deficit in a week to pull ahead by a half game at the All-Star break.

Ortiz, who finished with four RBIs, hit a three-run homer in the first inning after Kazmir (11-7) threw nine straight balls to begin the game. Two batters later, Lowell hit a solo shot for a 4-0 lead.

The Red Sox added seven more runs in the fourth, helping Daisuke Matsuzaka (17-2) become the first Japanese-born pitcher to win 17 games in a season. Hideo Nomo won 16 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers three times (1996, 2002, 2003).

Bay and Varitek homered in the fourth off Kazmir, who allowed nine runs and six hits in three-plus innings -- his shortest outing of the season. The four homers he yielded were a career high.

Youkilis hit his 26th homer, a two-run blast in the fourth, and added a RBI double in the sixth, both off Mitch Talbot. Ellsbury also homered off Talbot to give the Red Sox a 12-1 lead in the fifth.

The six homers were the most the Red Sox have hit in a game since Aug. 3, 2003, when they went deep six times against Baltimore.

Matsuzaka, who has won six consecutive decisions since last losing on July 28, allowed Akinori Iwamura's solo homer and two singles in five innings. Justin Ruggiano and Dan Johnson hit two-run homers off Red Sox reliever Chris Smith.

Mike Timlin pitched the eighth for Boston, making his 1,051st relief appearance -- an all-time record for right-handed relievers. He had been tied with Kent Tekulve.

Notes: Ortiz was 7-for-37 with one homer and five RBIs lifetime against Kazmir before his first-inning homer. ... Kazmir had not allowed a home run to a left-handed batter since Baltimore's Aubrey Huff homered at Tropicana Field on Sept. 4, 2007. ... Ortiz moved ahead of Edgar Martinez into sole possession of second place all-time for home runs as a designated hitter with 244. ... Rays CF B.J. Upton, who hasn't played since Sept. 8 because of a strained left quad, could begin taking batting practice on Tuesday. ... Boston OF J.D. Drew, who left the team to attend his grandmother's funeral, will return Tuesday. He is not expected to play in this series because of a sore back. ... Iwamura has hit four or his six home runs against Boston this season.

[Associated Press; By FRED GOODALL]

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