Support lacking by Sox

Matsuzaka gave up just two hits in six innings, but one was a two-run home run to B.J. Upton in the sixth inning, the difference in a 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who vanquish the Red Sox only when Matsuzaka is pitching. The D-Rays have beaten the Sox just three times in a dozen meetings, this season and all of their wins have come against Matsuzaka. He's the only pitcher in the bigs to have lost three times to the Devil Rays this season.

The Sox, who had gained two games in two nights on the Yankees in the AL East and had climbed 26 games over .500 for the first time this season, lost ground again to New York, which beat the Angels in Anaheim to cut the deficit to five games.

The Sox had the potential tying run on base in each of the last three innings and the potential winning run on base in the ninth, when David Ortiz walked with one out and J.D. Drew singled with two outs off Devil Rays closer Al Reyes. But Reyes, who in three previous outings against the Sox had a save, a loss, a blown save, and a 7.36 ERA, retired Jason Varitek on a fly ball to left to end the game.

"It starts with me tonight," said Varitek, who made the last out in four innings, each time with two runners on base. "I left a lot of guys on base tonight. I personally had a lot of opportunities and I didn't get it done."

The Sox, who loaded the bases in the third with no outs but scored just once, and had Ortiz thrown out at the plate in the fifth, were 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position and left 14 runners on base.

There's been a tendency for that to happen when Matsuzaka is pitching. In his last 11 starts dating to June 27, the Sox have scored 29 runs while Matsuzaka has been in the game.

That includes last night, when Matsuzaka clung to a 1-0 lead until the sixth, when he walked Carlos Peña with one out and was taken deep by Upton, who hit his 18th home run of the season one day after turning 23. Upton was batting cleanup for the first time this season, Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon having flip-flopped him with Peña.

"I think I wasted a lot of pitches, and got myself in trouble," said Matsuzaka, who struck out eight, walked four, and was dismissed after throwing 111 pitches in six innings.