BOSTON, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Carlos Pena hit a three-run homer in the 14th inning Wednesday and Tampa Bay survived a scare in the bottom half of the inning to down Boston 4-2.
Fourteen pitchers saw action and neither side managed a tally from the third inning until the dramatic 14th -- during which the Rays staged a two-out rally and then held on after Boston loaded the bases with nobody out.
Tampa Bay increased its division lead over Boston to 2 1/2 games. The teams will face each other three more times in Florida.
After Javier Lopez struck out Gabe Gross to open the Tampa Bay 14th, Mike Timlin (4-4) was summoned from the bull pen and got Jason Bartlett to ground out. But Akinori Iwamura and Rocco Baldelli delivered hard-hit singles, after which Pena hit a 1-0 pitch over the wall in left for his 28th homer.
Troy Percival opened 14th, but gave up a lead-off double to Jacoby Ellsbury and walked Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz to load the bases. Jason Hammel replaced Percival and retired Kevin Youkilis on a sacrifice fly, Jason Bay on a strikeout and Alex Cora on a fly to center.
It was Hammel's first save and he preserved the win for Trever Miller (2-0), who had worked the 13th.
