by Steve Carney

Roberto Hernandez gave up three runs in five innings, and Sean Rodriguez hit a two-run homer, but the Boston Red Sox got six insurance runs in the last four innings to beat the Rays 9-2 Saturday in Port Charlotte.

Boston got off to an early start against Hernandez, as Jose Iglesias and Jackie Bradley Jr. each singled with one out in the first.  Both runners moved up a base on a groundout by Ryan Lavarnway, and both men scored on a single by Lyle Overbay, who lined an 0-2 pitch into right.

Boston extended their lead in the second inning, as Juan Carlos Linares reached on a throwing error by third baseman Ryan Roberts, and scored on a single by Ronald Bermudez to make it 3-0.

Tampa Bay cut into the lead in the third, as Desmond Jennings dropped down a bunt single with one out in the inning, and Sean Rodriguez followed with a towering home run to left to make the deficit just a single run.

Boston got the lead back to two runs in the sixth, as consecutive one-out singles by Drew Sutton, Linares, and Bermudez off Jake McGee brought across another run.

The lead returned to three runs an inning later, as Iglesias tripled to start the seventh, and came home two batters later on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Lavarnway.

Dane De La Rosa allowed the final four runs in the ninth, two on a double by Blake Swihart, and two more when Mauro Gomez doubled off Matt Buschmann.

The Rays will complete this home-and-home series with Boston Sunday in Fort Myers, as Alex Cobb is scheduled to take on Jon Lester.  First pitch is scheduled for 1:35, with pregame coverage on 620 WDAE starting at 1:30.