BOSTON—Jon Lester pitched into the eighth inning, Jason Bay homered in a three-run first and the surging Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-0 on Monday night to move within a half-game of the struggling AL East leaders.

Playing before their 456th straight regular-season sellout crowd, a new major league record, the Red Sox closed within a half-game of the division lead for the first time since July 23.

Boston improved to 6-1 in its last seven games while Tampa Bay is 1-6 in that same stretch after losing its fourth straight. The Rays were shut out for the second c...

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