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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Matt Joyce sent a message with his bat. Joyce hit one of three homers off Jon Lester to help the Tampa Bay Rays beat the AL East-leading Boston Red Sox 8-3 on Tuesday night. Joyce, one day after being hit by a pitch that sparked a bench-clearing scrum, put the Rays up 7-3 on a two-run shot in the fifth that ended Lesters night. "Its a great feeling, especially to help your team win," Joyce said. "Ive never really been the type of person to talk a lot of trash, so I wanted, of course, to come out and play a good game. Play the game the right way and win the ballgame." Desmond Jennings homered twice, while Evan Longoria also went deep for the Rays. Roberto Hernandez (4-6) allowed three runs and seven hits over seven-plus innings. Lester (6-3) had his winless streak reach five starts, including three losses, since beating the Rays on May 15. The left-hander gave up seven runs, eight hits and seven walks in 4 2-3 innings. "Over the last two or three, I think Ive thrown the ball better than what the linescore showed," Lester said. "This one, obviously, it is what it is. Its just terrible. I did a terrible job of helping our bullpen out, a terrible job of keeping the ball down in the zone. The list goes on. This is solely on me. I just flat out didnt get it done." The teams were coming off a testy 14-inning game Monday night won by the Red Sox 10-8 that took 5 hours, 24 minutes. An on-field scrum took place in the sixth after Bostons John Lackey hit Joyce in the centre of the back with a pitch. Lackey insisted he meant no harm, though the Rays hardly were convinced of that as Joyce and Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon both said it was intentional. "Im sure he was, definitely, mentally involved in this game," Maddon said of Joyce. "He had himself a nice night." Hernandez hit Dustin Pedroia, who was leading off the eighth Tuesday, with a pitch that got away from the right-hander. Pedroia immediately ran to first base and nothing else ensued. The Rays grabbed a 4-3 lead during the third on run-scoring singles by Ryan Roberts and Jose Molina. Longoria made it 5-3 on a solo shot in the fourth. Tampa Bay took a 2-1 advantage on Jennings solo homer in the second. He also had a solo drive off Jose De La Torre in the fifth for his third career multihomer game. "Anytime they get over the fence it feels pretty good," Jennings said. Mike Napoli had a two-run single in the third that put Boston ahead 3-2. After Pedroia gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead in the first with a sacrifice fly, Tampa Bay tied it in the bottom half when James Loney walked with bases loaded on the fourth free pass of the inning issued by Lester. "The first inning kind of sums up the whole night," Lester said. "I was not able to repeat whatever pitch it may be, fastball, curveball, changeup, cutter. I just was not able to repeat, whether it be a location or just the pitch itself. Its not good." Bostons Jose Iglesias extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a single in the third. Pedroia had his 14-game hitting streak end. NOTES: Joyce is 4 for 8 with two homers against Lester. ... The Rays have hit four or more homers in consecutive games for the first time in team history. ... Boston RHP Clay Buchholz (neck stiffness) will have his next start on Friday pushed back at least two days. ... Tampa Bay LHP David Price (strained left triceps) will throw in a simulated game Thursday. ... Maddon said RHP Kyle Farnsworth, who left Mondays game with right elbow soreness, felt pretty good Tuesday. The reliever played catch before the game and said he was available to pitch Tuesday Wholesale Jerseys .C. -- While the Milwaukee Bucks are in the playoffs for the first time in three seasons, getting out of the first round will be a huge challenge given their recent poor play and a difficult first-round opponent. Cheap NFL Jerseys . -- Jered Weaver spent a long stretch of his 100th career victory in the batting cage and the tunnel below Angel Stadium, playing catch to keep his arm warm while the Los Angeles Angels batted around in an eight-run fourth inning. http://www.cheapwholesalejerseys.biz/ . This week, they discuss the decisions of Glendale city council, Forbes Magazine and the NHL, Christine Sinclairs FIFA snub and Mariano Riveras potential comeback. Cheap Jerseys Wholesale . France has lost several key players from the team that lost 8-7 to New Zealand in the 2011 final, and coach Philippe Saint-Andres side showed its limitations in defeats to Italy, Wales and England before scraping a 13-13 draw against Ireland. The team needed to overcome a 6-0 halftime deficit on Saturday to edge out Scotland thanks to second-half tries from centre Wesley Fofana and winger Maxime Medard. Wholesale cheap Jerseys . The Australian teenager beat No. 7-ranked Tomas Berdych in his opening match and then controlled the first and third sets against Monfils in his second match at the invitational tournament. Hell next meet the winner of Fridays semifinal between American Mardy Fish and Austrias Jurgen Melzer.DUNEDIN, Florida – Monday marked John Farrells return to Florida Auto Exchange Stadium but it was Blue Jays manager John Gibbons who had the line of the day. "Are we supposed to go out there and have a wrestling match or something," joked Gibbons. "Hes a little bigger than I am." What about a steel cage match, asked one reporter. "Steel cage? (How about) MMA?" There lies one of the contrasts between the Blue Jays once and current manager, Gibbons, and Farrell, the man he replaced. Gibbons, shooting the breeze with the assembled mass while Farrell, always professorial with his on-the-record dialogue, remained stoic, almost unemotional. "I appreciate people might have differing opinions," said Farrell of his departure from Toronto for Boston. "All I can do is go about my work day in and day out. People are going to form their own impressions and I certainly cant control that." A large contingent of Blue Jays fans felt spurned by Farrell, who orchestrated his trade to Boston shortly after last season ended. Those in attendance on Monday let him hear their displeasure, booing him lustily when starting lineups were announced. Its likely a small sample of what will greet Farrell on April 5 when his Red Sox arrive in Toronto for a weekend series. "April will get here when it does," said Farrell. "Weve got a lot of work to do here right now. Im certainly not looking too far ahead. How that unfolds, well see. I fully respect (the Blue Jays,) theyve got a darn good team and Im looking forward to competing against them." Farrells time in Toronto is marked by the sense he never was fully invested in the organization. Having come from Boston where he had served as pitching coach, Farrell led the Blue Jays to an 81-81 record in 2011. After the season he quietly expressed interest in Bostons managerial job when Terry Francona was fired following an infamous September collapse. The Blue Jays declined Farrell permission to speak to the Red Sox and the job eventually was given to Bobby Valentine. The 2012 season unfolded in such a way, if you tend to believe in destiny, youd buy the notion it was the Red Soxs and Farrells fate to come together. The Blue Jays finished 73-89, better only than Boston in the American League East, after injuries decimated the starting rotation and prematurely ended Jose Bautistas season. In Boston, Valentines one year cameo was doomed almost from the get-go when, in April, he questioned Kevin Youkilis commitment and was quickly rebuked by clubhouse leader Dustin Pedroia. The Red Soxs 69 wins were the franchises fewest in a season since 1965. Farrells frustration with the Blue Jays grew as injuries and losses mounted. Rumblings are his working relationship with general manager Alex Anthopoulos began to suffer. When Valentine was fired in Boston upon last seasons conclusion, Farrell made it clear to Anthopoulos he wanted out of Toronto, believing the grass to be greener at Fenway Park. Farrell prefers not to use hindsight when asked whether he would have remained in Toronto had he known the off-season moves Anthopoulos would make. "They felt it was thhe right thing to do for the organization and I fully respect what their needs were and the approach that they took," said Farrell.dddddddddddd "A lot of good players were brought in." Monday also marked the return to Dunedin of Brian Butterfield, who left with Farrell after serving 11 years as the Blue Jays third base coach and infield instructor. "Oh sure," said Butterfield of whether Farrell was downplaying his anticipation of his returns to Dunedin and, eventually, Toronto. "Even today it feels a little bit different. We bussed in on the other side and were in the visitors clubhouse. Johns cool about it but I think there will be some butterflies early in the season when we start in New York and then get to Toronto." NOTES: - The Blue Jays have claimed 1B Lars Anderson off waivers from the Chicago White Sox. Anderson, 25, has played in 30 major league games, all with Boston, batting .167 with four RBI. Anderson has a .272 batting average with 76 home runs and 415 RBI in 748 career minor league games. - Blue Jays left-fielder Melky Cabrera, playing his first game before a home crowd, was roundly cheered before each of his at-bats. Cabrera smacked two doubles, one down each line, in his first two times to the plate. He drove in Torontos first run of the afternoon in the third inning. The 28-year-old signed a two-year, $16-million deal with Toronto in November. He served a 50-game suspension last season for testing positive for enhanced levels of testosterone. - Major League Baseball Players Association president Michael Weiner is making his annual spring training rounds. He stopped by Dunedin on Monday to meet with the Blue Jays. Drug testing was among a list of topics discussed. Asked whether Cabrera could face additional sanctions, including suspension, should the leagues investigation into Biogenesis prove evidence of wrongdoing, Weiner said its too early in the process to know. "Its a tough and complicated legal question. I think the commissioners office could take the position that if they had evidence of a separate violation, conceivably they could seek additional discipline. We might challenge that. The players association has an obligation to represent any player who is subject to discipline but also has an obligation to the vast majority of players who want a clean game." Cabreras name is linked to Biogenesis, a now-defunct Miami anti-aging clinic alleged to have peddled performance enhancing drugs to a number of high-profile major league players. Weiner says the union will speak to each player whose name has surfaced in the initial report, in the Miami New Times, and subsequent reports. Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and Milwaukees Ryan Braun, the 2011 National League MVP, are among the group with alleged ties to Biogenesis. - The Blue Jays host the Twins, Tuesday, 1:05 ET at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Ricky Romero (9-14, 5.77 in 2012) will make his first start of spring training. Romero is scheduled to pitch two innings. Mike Pelfrey, signed by Minnesota in the off-season and coming off Tommy John surgery, gets the start for the Twins. ' ' '
