Jon Lester

B.J. Upton and the Tampa Bay Rays played the bumbling Boston Red Sox at the perfect time. Upton capped a five-run third inning with a three-run homer and visiting Tampa Bay completed a four-game sweep of the Red Sox at Fenway Park with an 8-2 victory yesterday in the annual Patriots Day game. The Rays won their seventh in a row, all on the road, and matched the team record for the longest winning streak away from Tropicana Field in one season. Tampa Bay (10-3) completed its first sweep at Fenway Park in a series of three or more games.

Red Sox ace Josh Beckett agreed to a $68 million, 4-year contract extension through the 2014 season, solidifying one of baseball's best rotations. The former World Series MVP and Cy Young Award runner-up said he did not press for a fifth year like the Red Sox gave free agent John Lackey, because he was happy to stay with a team that will be competitive. "This is a special place," Beckett said yesterday at Fenway Park news conference, a day after pitching the season opener against the visiting New York Yankees.

Red Sox extend Beckett's contract The Boston Red Sox secured their rotation for the next few years, giving No. 1 starter Josh Beckett a four-year, $68 million contract extension Monday. That should keep him pitching alongside John Lackey through 2014. Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz also are on board for five more seasons, and Daisuke Matsusaka is signed through 2012. "When you have that starting pitching, you don't want to let it get away," said general manager Theo Epstein.

The Yankees really bruised the Red Sox. Jon Lester was knocked out by a line drive near his right knee last night, when Joba Chamberlain led New York over visiting Boston, 9-5, for his first win in 1 1/2 months. Alex Rodriguez homered, drove in four runs and tied a career high with three steals as the Yankees, already assured of a playoff berth, lowered to three the magic number for their first AL East title since 2006. New York has won seven of eight against Boston, including a four-game sweep at Yankee Stadium from Aug. 6-9, after starting the season 0-8 against the Red Sox. Rodriguez's two-run homer in the third was New York's team-record 127th at new Yankee Stadium.

With J.D. Drew rested and refreshed, the Boston Red Sox are on a roll. Drew homered twice last night, Jon Lester pitched eight strong innings and the visiting Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 8-1, to complete a three-game sweep. Victor Martinez connected for the second straight night for the Red Sox, who have hit two or more homers in five consecutive games, nine of 10 and 15 of 19. Hampered by a sore groin, Drew did not play Saturday and Sunday as the Red Sox lost twice in Texas, briefly dropping behind the Rangers in the wild card.

Dustin Pedroia doubled in a run in the eighth inning, Jon Lester outdueled Brian Bannister and the Boston Red Sox beat the visiting Kansas City Royals, 1-0, last night. Lester (8-6) allowed four hits through eight innings, but Bannister (6-7) gave up only one hit through seven. Then Mark Kotsay, playing with a calf injury, led off the bottom of the eighth with a clean single to center. Aaron Bates, called up to the majors for the first time on Monday, pinch ran and took second on Nick Green's sacrifice bunt.

For eight innings, the story of Friday's game was a great pitchers' duel, with Joe Blanton holding the dangerous Red Sox to two runs on two solo homers, and Jon Lester flat-out dominating the Phillies. Until the bottom of the ninth, when Ryan Howard hit a titanic blast into the right-field seats, tying the game at 2-2 and sending the contest to extras. Then, in the bottom of the 11th, with two outs, Greg Dobbs hit what could have been a home run over the right-field foul pole.

Zack Greinke struck out eight while pitching his fifth complete game and Mitch Maier drove in three runs after coming off the bench, leading the Kansas City Royals past the visiting Detroit Tigers last night, 6-1. Greinke (8-1), who leads the majors in ERA, complete games and shutouts (two), allowed six hits and one first-inning run. For the rest of the night, his varied assortment of 98-mph fastballs and corner-biting breaking pitches held in check a Detroit lineup that had scored 13 runs the day before.

The Fenway Park faithful were as silent as the Boston Red Sox' bats. There was very little atmosphere and even less Boston offense yesterday at the old ballpark. As a result, any talk of the Red Sox settling matters in Boston has vanished after the Tampa Bay Rays earned the upper hand in the American League Championship Series with a surprisingly easy 9-1 victory. Tampa is ahead, two games to one, in the best-of-seven series, and if Boston is to advance to the World Series, it will have to do it on enemy (artificial)

BOSTON - The theory goes that a series doesn't start until one team wins on the road. So what does it mean when the road team wins two of the first three in a seven-game series? It means things have gotten really intriguing if you are the surprising Tampa Bay Rays, and sort of desperate if you are the reigning World Series champion Boston Red Sox. If the Rays didn't get the attention of Boston-proper by beating out its beloved Sox for the American League East title, they certainly have it after yesterday's stunning, 9-1 win at Fenway Park in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.