Tim Wakefield lost his first game at Tropicana Field 5-4 to the Devil Rays and the Boston Red Sox lead in the A.L. East has slipped to 1 1/2 games over the New York Yankees.
A two-run homerun by Rookie of the Year candidate Delmon Young put the D-Rays on top 2-0 in the second inning and they stayed there for good.
Wakefield earned the loss on 5 innings pitched, seven hits, four runs, three walks, and five strikeouts.
Boston came close to coming from behind to win two consecutive games, but an eighth inning solo homerun by Alex Cora putting the score at 5-4 was all that was left in the tank as Al Reyes finished off the ninth inning for his 25th save of the season.
Edwin Jackson (5-15) picked up the win pitching for 5 1/3 innings, on five hits, three runs, three walks, and five strikeouts.
After being down 4-0 into the sixth inning, Boston scored three runs in the inning on a David Ortiz RBI infield single, a bases loaded walk, and a Coco Crisp RBI single to center field.
Josh Wilson added a sacrifice fly in the bottom frame of the sixth giving the Devil Rays a 5-3 lead.
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