Devil Rays Regain Winning Feeling

No one could have blamed the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for feeling awkward. They hadn’t won in so long they nearly forgot how to celebrate.

“We were kidding in the dugout about how this is how it feels to shake hands,” Manager Larry Rothschild said after Tuesday’s 5-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox snapped an 11-game losing streak.

“We’ve been in every game and had a chance to win a lot of them,” he said. “At some point we’re going to learn how to get the extra hit in those games.”

Miguel Cairo drove in the winning run with a ninth-inning single. The Devil Rays were shut out five times during their losing streak, which tied the longest in the majors this season.

Cairo lined a pitch from Carlos Reyes up the middle after Bobby Smith had singled and Paul Sorrento had doubled off Ron Mahay (1-1). Sorrento’s double was a line shot that appeared to go between the legs of first baseman Mo Vaughn.

“I don’t know where it was hit,” Vaughn said. “I’m just glad I didn’t get killed.”

Sorrento, who had four hits, homered off Bret Saberhagen for Tampa Bay’s first run in the fifth inning. Albie Lopez (5-2) pitched two innings to get the victory.

The loss was the fourth in five games since the All-Star break for the Red Sox, who led, 3-0, before Saberhagen gave up Sorrento’s homer and three more runs in the sixth.

The Devil Rays, who hit .206 as a team during their losing streak, didn’t show any signs of life offensively until Sorrento homered with two out in the fifth.

The real breakthrough came in the sixth.

Mike DiFelice led off with a single. After Kevin Stocker popped to short, center fielder Randy Winn singled to begin a string of four hits that chased Saberhagen.

The last three hits of the rally--singles by Wade Boggs, Quinton McCracken and Dave Martinez -- brought in runs for a short-lived 4-3 lead.

The Red Sox loaded the bases with none out in the seventh on a walk, an error and Damon Buford’s bunt single before tying the score when Darren Lewis grounded into a double play.