ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.
One big swing by Mike Carp helped the Boston Red Sox extend their commanding lead in the AL East.
Carp connected for a pinchhit grand slam in the 10th inning and the Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-3 on Wednesday night.
Boston has a season-high 9.5-game advantage over second place Tampa Bay in the division race.
Carp sent a drive over the center-field fence on the first pitch from Roberto Hernandez. It was the first pinch-hit grand slam for Boston since Kevin Millar hit one at Milwaukee on June 7, 2003.
Carp is five for 17 with two homers and nine RBIs as a pinch hitter this year. Boston has seven pinch-hit homers overall on the season.
Dustin Pedroia opened the 10th with a walk against Joel Peralta (2-7) and went to second on Shane Victorino’s bunt. After Ortiz was intentionally walked, Hernandez replaced Peralta and walked Mike Napoli on four pitches before Carp went deep for his ninth homer.
Boston closer Koji Uehara (4-0) struck out two during a perfect ninth. He has retired his last 34 batters.
James Loney homered for the Rays, who have lost 13 of 17. Tampa Bay’s lead for the second AL wild-card spot was trimmed to one game over the New York Yankees, a 5-4 winner at Baltimore on Wednesday.
The Rays trailed 3-1 before Evan Longoria doubled in a run in the seventh and Loney hit a tying solo shot off Brandon Workman in the eighth.
Napoli had a two-run double and Daniel Nava hit an RBI grounder off Alex Cobb to put the Red Sox up 3-0 in the third. Napoli has driven in 11 runs over his last seven games.
The Rays got one run back in the third on David DeJesus’ RBI double. Red Sox shortstop Stephen Drew made a strong defensive play later in the inning with two outs and the bases loaded when he drove to his right to field Desmond Jennings’ grounder and then throw out Matt Joyce at second base.
• Who: Boston Red Sox at
Tampa Bay Rays.
• Where: Tropicana Park.
• When: 7:10 p.m. tonight.
• Starting pitchers: Boston
(Jake Peavy 11-5) vs. Tampa
Bay (Jeremy Hellickson 11-
8).
• TV: NESN.
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