Red Sox and Rays locked in AL East battle
Boston and Tampa Bay split the first two games of a pivotal division series.
The Boston Red Sox and are tied 1-1 in their series, with the Rays sitting atop the AL East and the Red Sox struggling to find consistency. Boston took Game 1 behind a strong pitching performance, but Tampa Bay answered back in Game 2 with timely hitting and defensive plays that exposed the Red Sox's recent lapses. The split leaves the Rays with a narrow lead in the division, while the Red Sox are desperate to string together wins after a stretch of uneven play.
