ST. PETERSBURG -- Adrian Beltre overpowered the Rays on Wednesday night, drilling four hits -- including two homers and a triple -- and leading the Red Sox to an 11-3 victory that completed a key three-game sweep at Tropicana Field.
Beltre also drove in six runs, tying a career high, and finished just a double shy of the cycle.
For the Red Sox, it was the culmination of a thoroughly-satisfying 5-1 road trip -- the club's best six-game journey since May 2007. This one was particularly impressive, considering the opponents were Philadelphia and Tampa Bay.
By stifling the American League East-leading Rays the past three nights, the Sox have slimmed their deficit in the American League East to 5 1/2 games.
They've regained their swagger, these Red Sox, backed by a season-high winning streak of five games and a 16-7 record since May 3, the best in the AL over that span.
Aside from Beltre's heroics, the Sox also got a two-run shot from the red-hot David Ortiz and a rebound effort by John Lackey. All in all, the Sox avenged the four-game sweep that Tampa Bay handed them at Fenway from April 16-18.
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