Boston Red Sox defeat Tampa Bay Rays, 3-1

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The last time J.D. Drew stepped in against David Price is seared in the memory of most Red Sox fans.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth inning of Game 7 of the 2008 American League Championship Series, the Rays rookie lefthander faced Drew with Tampa Bay ahead by two runs. Drew struck out.

Still, because the pair had never faced each other in the regular season, Drew’s line read 0 for 0 going into last night’s game. Then it was 1 for...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A final decision is not expected until Friday, but Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia seems resigned to the fact that he will need surgery to repair his broken left foot.

Pedroia would prefer to let his navicular bone heal on its own. But he is fearful of the possible consequences, given the lack of progress made to date. The surgery offers more of a guarantee.

“What if I wait until the whole offseason, I show up in spring training, I play t...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The person inside the doorway of the Red Sox clubhouse was a little short to be a major leaguer. He stood there, fist pounding the Sox as they walked in from the field, with Jon Lester beside him, towering over. And when Victor Martinez walked up, there was a special high five waiting for him.

Martinez accepted the greeting from son Victor Jose, hours from his sixth birthday, then got a hug from Lester. It could have been construed in some ways as...