Pat Burrell singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth Wednesday and Evan Longoria soon added a two-run homer, launching Tampa Bay to an 8-5 win over Boston. The Red Sox, whose four-game winning streak ended, saw their lead in the American League wild-card race trimmed to 2 1/2 games over Texas.

Jason Bay hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth Tuesday and Jacoby Ellsbury set a team stolen base record to lead Boston past the Chicago White Sox 6-3. The Red Sox won their second straight and stayed 1 ½ games in front of Texas for the top spot in the American League wild-card chase. Victor Martinez singled in a run in the seventh to rally the Red Sox to a 3-3 tie and Bay hit a one-out home run in the eighth off Scott Linebrink (3-6) for what turned out to be the winning score. Boston went on to add two more runs in the inning on a single by Nick Green, a double by Martinez and a single by Ellsbury.

Boston's Victor Martinez drove in four runs and the Red Sox produced 23 hits Sunday, overpowering the Baltimore Orioles 18-10. Martinez batted 5-for-6, Mike Lowell and J.D.

David Ortiz hit a three-run homer Thursday, rallying Boston to a come-from-behind 8-5 win over Oakland. He had two of Boston's 10 hits on a day when he and former teammate Manny Ramirez were named by The New York Times as two of 104 players who allegedly violated baseball's substance abuse policy in 2003. The homer put Boston up 6-5 with two outs in bottom of the seventh, erasing a 5-3 deficit. Jason Varitek also had three RBI, Mike Lowell and Jacoby Ellsbury one each, while both J.D.

Adam Kennedy had five hits Tuesday, including the game-winner in Oakland's 9-8 win over Boston in 11 innings at Fenway Park. Kennedy went 5-for-7 to lead the 21-hit Oakland attack, including an RBI single in a two-run 11th that resulted in Jonathan Papelbon's third blown save of the season. Rajai Davis drove in two runs for the Athletics and Mark Ellis scored four times. Ellis opened the 11th with a one-out double and scored on a Davis single to break a 7-7 tie.