Buchholz, Red Sox cool off Rays with 6-1 win

[May 25, 2010]  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz homered to back the strong pitching of Clay Buchholz and lead the resurgent Boston Red Sox to a 6-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night.

The Red Sox beat baseball's top team for the first time in five tries, climbing a season-best four games over .500 (25-21) with their third straight win on a difficult road trip that began in Philadelphia.

Buchholz (6-3) won his eighth consecutive road start dating to last August, the longest such streak by a Red Sox pitcher since Roger Clemens won nine in a row from July 18, 1992 to April 20, 1993.

The right-hander allowed one run -- Carlos Pena's eighth homer -- and six hits over six innings. Hideki Okajima and Daniel Bard didn't allow any base-runners the rest of the way.

Ortiz homered for the fifth time in his last nine games, hitting a solo shot off Wade Davis (4-4) in the second inning. Davis walked in a run and yielded RBI singles to Adrian Beltre and Jeremy Hermida during a three-run third that put the Red Sox up 4-0.

Youkilis, who is batting .400 (12 for 30) with five homers and 12 RBIs over his last nine games, made it 6-0 with a two-run shot off reliever Lance Cormier in the fourth.

Boston's Dustin Pedroia had three hits after beginning the night in an 0-for-19 slide. Beltre also finished with three hits for the Red Sox, who began their six-game trip by winning two of three against the NL champion Phillies.

At 32-13, the Rays are off to the best start in the major leagues since 2001, in part because of a 19-5 road record that includes a four-game sweep of the Red Sox at Fenway Park in April. The six-game lead they carried into Monday was the largest they've ever held in the AL East.

Buchholz, who's won five of his last six starts, walked one and struck out eight. But it wasn't an easy outing.

The Red Sox starter escaped a bases-loaded jam when John Jaso grounded into an inning-ending double play in the first inning. He wiggled out of another tight situation by striking out Reid Brignac and Jason Bartlett to strand two more runners in scoring position in the second.

Pena homered with two outs in the fourth.

Boston's Victor Martinez left in the third inning. Bartlett fouled a pitch off the catcher's left big toe in the second, and Martinez had trouble walking -- much less running -- after drawing a walk in the third.

NOTES: Davis threw 97 pitches in 3 2-3 innings. ... The Rays began a stretch in which they'll play 13 of 18 games at home. Their sparkling road record is the best through 24 games since the 2002 Red Sox were 20-4. ... Boston recalled reliever Scott Atchison from Triple-A Pawtucket and optioned infielder Angel Sanchez to the International League club. ... Red Sox manager Terry Francona said CF Mike Cameron, on the 15-day disabled list since April 20 because of a lower abdominal strain, will be activated Tuesday.

[Associated Press; By FRED GOODALL]

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