Trip to Florida Cures Red Sox

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — There was nothing wrong with the Boston Red Sox that starting a series against the struggling Tampa Bay Devil Rays couldn’t fix.

The Red Sox won for the first time since the All-Star break, ending a four-game losing streak by sending the expansion Devil Rays to their 11th consecutive loss, 2-0, Monday night.

“Thank God,” first baseman Mo Vaughn said. “I still maintain that after three days off, it’s tough to get back into form. It was a tight game, but to get a win is big. You’ve just got to get that feeling of success.”

The Devil Rays were shut out for the third time in five games by identical 2-0 scores to match the longest losing streak in the majors this season.

Cincinnati and Florida also dropped 11 in a row.

“It’s been a tough streak because we’ve been in so many of the games,” Tampa Bay Manager Larry Rothschild said. “You keep thinking you’ll get a hit here or there that will turn one around.”

Steve Avery (6-2) and three relievers combined on a seven-hitter, while Darren Bragg and Troy O’Leary had RBI singles to help the Red Sox rebound from a four-game sweep at Baltimore.

“We didn’t play poorly in Baltimore,” Vaughn said. “We faced some tough pitching, and nothing went our way.”

The Devil Rays have been shut out a major league-leading 13 times, including five of the last nine. They are two for 40 with runners in scoring position during their current homestand, and neither of those hits drove in a run.

“I think every game we’ve had against this team has been just about like tonight’s, where a base hit one way of the other can change the verdict,” Boston Manager Jimy Williams said.