
The Rays had two hits before finally showing some offensive punch in the ninth when Desmond Jennings led off with a single, stole second and scored the tying run on a single by Ben Zobrist off Andrew Bailey (1-0).
Joel Peralta (0-1) retired Boston’s first batter in the bottom of the ninth before walking Dustin Pedroia. Napoli then hit a liner off the left-field wall and Pedroia easily beat the throw home.
The Red Sox had lost all three of their previous traditional morning games against Tampa Bay on Patriots’ Day, a Massachusetts state holiday.
The Red Sox had taken a 1-0 lead in the first on a leadoff triple by Jacoby Ellsbury and an RBI-groundout by Shane Victorino. Evan Longoria tied it in the fourth with his first homer of the season before Jarrod Saltalamacchia led off the fifth with his second.
Both starters were outstanding. Boston’s Ryan Dempster struck out 10 and allowed two hits and two walks in seven innings. Tampa Bay’s Jeremy Hellickson also worked seven innings, giving up two runs, three hits and one walk while striking out nine.
Koji Uehara pitched a perfect eighth for Boston before Bailey tried for his first save this season.
Bailey blew the save opportunity before retiring the last three batters of the inning, two on strikeouts.
Dempster followed that with another outstanding performance.
Tampa Bay’s only hits against him were a bunt single leading off the second by Matt Joyce, who was erased on an inning-ending double play, and Longoria’s two-out homer in the fourth.
Notes — Boston rookie LF Jackie Bradley Jr. is hitless in his last 20 at bats after going 0-for-3.
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