MLB: Boston 2, Tampa Bay 0

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Clay Buchholz came off the disabled list to toss five scoreless innings Tuesday, staking the Boston Red Sox to a 2-0 whitewash of Tampa Bay.

Buchholz (10-0) made his first start in more than three months following a shoulder injury but showed few signs of rust, scattering three hits in the 74-pitch performance.

The right-hander issued one walk and struck out six for the American League East-leading Red Sox, who reeled off a ninth win in 11 games.

Craig Breslow and Junichi Tazawa combined for 2 2/3 scoreless relief innings and Koji Uehara notched a four-out save -- his 19th of the season -- as Boston evened its three-game series.

Jonny Gomes and Jarrod Saltalamacchia each provided a fifth-inning RBI in the victory.

Tampa Bay's David Price (8-8) was saddled with the loss, allowing two runs on just three hits over eight innings. He didn't issue a walk and struck out nine.

Despite the defeat, the Rays' lead for the second and final AL wild card spot remained at 1 1/2 games over Cleveland and Baltimore, each of whom also fell Tuesday.

Their advantage over New York, however, dwindled to two games after the Yankees' Tuesday win over the Orioles.