ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- James Shields scattered five hits over 61/3 innings, and B.J. Upton and Gabe Gross homered last night, helping the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Boston Red Sox 5-4 to open a 1½-game lead in the American League East.

The Rays (50-32), surprising owners of the best record in baseball, have won six of seven and shrugged off a six-game losing streak to the Red Sox. It was the first meeting between the teams since their June 5 benches-clearing brawl at Fenway Park that led to the suspensions of eight players, including Shields (6-5).

Both managers said beforehand that they didn't anticipate any carryover from the melee that ensued after Shields hit Coco Crisp in the leg with a pitch during the second inning of a 7-1 Tampa Bay loss.

This time, the Rays' young right-hander stuck to pitching and limited Boston to two runs before Tampa Bay's bullpen barely held on, giving the Red Sox their first three-game losing streak in more than a month.

Grant Balfour bailed the Rays out of a jam in the seventh, and J.P. Howell got the final out of the ninth after Boston scored twice on Brandon Moss' RBI double and Jason Varitek's sacrifice fly off Troy Percival trimmed the Red Sox deficit to one run.

Percival limped off the mound after appearing to tweak a sore hamstring backing up the plate on Varitek's sacrifice fly. Percival had an animated argument with Rays manager Joe Maddon before leaving.

Howell earned his second save in three opportunities when Julio Lugo lined out to shortstop.

J.D. Drew hit his 16th homer for Boston, trimming Shields' lead to 4-2 in the sixth. Mike Lowell drove in Boston's first run with a fourth-inning single off Shields, who walked one and struck out five.