Rays cut Boston's lead to three games

Three games out. Eleven left to play. And the Tampa Bay Rays mean it when they say the next one is the most important of all.

"We are definitely playing playoff baseball right now and we're not even in the playoffs yet," manager Joe Maddon said yesterday after the Rays beat Boston, 4-3, to trim the Red Sox's lead in the AL wild-card race to three games.

"I love the fact that we do have a bunch of tough guys . . . When you're playing this time of year for all the marbles, you can't be intimidated by the opponent or the venue," he said.

Ben Zobrist hit a two-run homer off Jon Lester, and Jeff Niemann (11-7) pitched five solid innings to give Tampa Bay its seventh win in its last eight games against Boston, including two of three so far in this weekend's four-game series.

The Red Sox have lost 10 of their last 13 games since Sept. 3, when they led the wild-card race by nine games.

Tim Wakefield faces Tampa Bay's David Price in the series finale today.

"Of course the sweep was a great thought, and we lost that possibility [Friday]," Maddon said. "But three out of four ain't bad, either. I think that Mr. Meat Loaf intended the song to say that."

With a victory over Boston today, the Rays would trail by two heading into the final 10 games. But they have seven of their last 11 against the first-place Yankees, and Boston has seven of its remaining games against the last-place Baltimore Orioles.

"This isn't our first go-round at this," Lester said. "We've got plenty of guys in that clubhouse that have been through it. It's easier when you're coming from behind than where we're at. There's no pressure. Obviously, they're doing a good job. We've just got to grind it out. That's the attitude in that clubhouse. We've got to stay working and grind.

"We can't worry about what's being said about us or what's going on."

Lester (15-8) went just four innings against Tampa Bay last Sunday, giving up four runs but throwing 111 pitches to lose for the first time in six starts. He was better this time, allowing four runs, five hits and four walks and striking out five in seven innings.

But the result was the same.