Boston 4, Tampa 3

Well that was a big freakin' win.

Bard, three strikeouts in scoreless 8th. Beckett six pretty strong innings, only one run after the first. They beat Shields.

And most importantly, Tampa now cannot catch them without help - the Rays will leave town, done with head-to-head, and still be two games back. AT LEAST two games back.

Just huge...

Boston's magic number is now 9, with 12 games to play.