Down 4-1 in the ninth inning and facing Boston Red Sox closer Andrew Bailey, the Tampa Bay Rays rallied for six runs in the frame to beat the Red Sox in exhilarating fashion, 7-4, on B.J. Upton's walkoff three-run home run.
Bailey, who suffered the loss after the blown save, was touched up early and often in his one-third of an inning pitched, giving up five earned runs and four hits to his five batters faced.
Bailey was relieved by Vicente Padilla with the game tied, 4-4, and men on second and third. Upton, battling for five pitches, took Padilla deep on the sixth pitch, giving the Rays the win.
Clay Buchholz had proved too much for the Rays' offense early on in the night, pitching seven shutout innings before being pulled.
Despite a strong start from David Price, the Rays were unable to muster much offense early against the Red Sox staff, while Price surrendered three earned in 7⅓ innings.
Locked in a 0-0 battle through five frames, the Red Sox broke through against Price in the sixth, as Cody Ross and Ryan Lavarnway recorded key RBIs. Red Sox third baseman Mauro Gomez's eighth-inning triple added what seemed like an insurance run.
The Rays finally broke through in the eighth for their first run against Red Sox reliever Junichi Tazawa, as Ben Zobrist's sacrifice fly scored Desmond Jennings from third. That run was quickly negated, as Red Sox shortstop Jose Iglesias blasted a solo shot in the ninth against J.P. Howell to again seemingly put the game out of reach.
But against Bailey, the Rays rallied in the ninth to salvage a split in the series with the Red Sox.
The Rays open a weekend series with the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday as James Shields heads to the mound at 7:10 p.m.
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