AP
Posted: 3:54 am
July 2, 2008
ST. PETERSBURG - Matt Garza pitched seven strong innings in his first outing since throwing a one-hitter, and the Rays beat Boston and nemesis Tim Wakefield 3-1 last night to extend their lead in the AL East to 2½ games over the Red Sox.
Garza (7-4) allowed an unearned run and five hits, and Dioner Navarro snapped a fourth-inning tie with an RBI single off Wakefield (5-6), whose 19 career victories against Tampa Bay - nine at Tropicana Field - are the most by an opposing pitcher.
The Rays have won seven of eight, improving the best record in the major leagues to 51-32. They are 5-0 at home against the Red Sox, who have won all six games the teams have played at Fenway Park this season.
Grant Balfour got the last four outs, working out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth and striking out three in the ninth, including Jason Varitek to end the game with the tying run on second base.
Garza was coming off the first complete game of his career, the one-hitter over the Marlins in which he gave up a homer to Hanley Ramirez leading off the seventh inning.
The loss was the fourth in 23 decisions against Tampa Bay for Wakefield, who is 9-2 lifetime at Tropicana Field. While he only allowed two runs and five hits, he hurt himself with two costly wild pitches.
