BOSTON -- The formula isn't always going to work. Particularly when the opponent is the Red Sox, a team that doesn't seem to lose.
And Boston did not break stride Friday night, taking a 7-3 win over the Rays in the first game of a three-game series at Fenway Park.
After taking two of three from the Yankees at Yankee Stadium, the Rays saw their two-game winning streak snapped as they moved to 62-60 on the season. Meanwhile, the Red Sox moved to 51 games over .500 at 87-36.
The Red Sox last had a losing record after Opening Day, when the Rays took a thrilling come-from-behind win at Tropicana Field. Since then, the Red Sox have put their foot on the accelerator in the American League East, while the Rays overhauled their roster and found modest success reaching for the future.

Part of that future is looking outside the box and trying new ideas. Thus, the Rays employed their "opener" de jour, Ryne Stanek, who has helped make successful the strategy of using relief pitchers to start games. On Friday night, the hard-throwing right-hander wasn't on top of his game.
C.J. Cron and Joey Wendle cobbled together back-to-back two-out doubles in the first and Carlos Gomez added an RBI single to stake Stanek and the Rays to a 3-0 lead. But Stanek struggled, as the Red Sox answered with two in the bottom of the first on Xander Bogaerts' two-run triple.

"My job at that point, with a lead like that, I gotta go out and throw more strikes and be in the zone," Stanek said. "... Just inconsistent on my part today."
Rays manager Kevin Cash called the bottom of the first a "frustrating inning because we'd come out and established ourselves and set a tone.
"Kind of gave them the momentum right back there," Cash said.
Cash cited the fact that Stanek's pitch count got elevated, as he needed 32 to get out of the inning.

"Ryne's done such a good job in that role," Cash said. "Today was just a hiccup."
Stanek didn't believe having a hiccup was acceptable.
"I mean, maybe [you have to expect a hiccup every now and then], but I would hope not," Stanek said. "I guess it is kind of the nature of the game. The game's hard enough as it is. Like getting behind like I was today against them, it's just a recipe for myself to not be in a good position to succeed."

Yonny Chirinos took over for Stanek in the second and managed to stem the tide with two scoreless frames before the Red Sox started chipping away, scoring runs in four consecutive innings to take a 7-3 lead after seven innings.
"I thought Yonny today, uncharacteristically was up in the zone," Cash said. "Left his fastball there. Really didn't have an offspeed pitch to go to. Every time he threw a slider or a split, it was strike up, or ball up. When you go limited weapons, the Red Sox are going to get you."
And that's what the Red Sox did Friday night.
SOUND SMART
The loss clinched the Rays' third consecutive season-series loss to the Red Sox, their first such streak since they dropped the season series each year from 2001-07. They have lost five of seven games played at Fenway Park.
YOU GOTTA SEE THIS
Tampa Bay led, 3-2, after two turns at bat. Chirinos entered the game to take over for Stanek, and he faced Eduardo Nunez to start the second. Nunez hit a fly down the right-field line that Mallex Smith charged after. The Rays right-fielder hauled the ball in just before crashing into the wall ribs first. Smith held on, but a contingent of Rays, including Cash went out to right field to check on Smith, who remained in the game.
The blow "just knocked the wind out of me," Smith said. "I just couldn't breathe for a minute. Nothing crazy."

MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAY
Tampa Bay challenged in the eighth when Smith was called out at first. After a 1-minute, 14-second review, the call was overturned. Boston then challenged when the next batter, Matt Duffy, got hit by a pitch thrown by Matt Barnes. After a review of 1 minute, 16 seconds, the call stood.

UP NEXT
Tyler Glasnow will start Saturday night when the Rays play the Red Sox in a 7:10 p.m. ET contest at Fenway Park. Tampa Bay acquired Glasnow from the Pirates in the Chris Archer trade on July 31, and he's thrived while stretching out his innings to be a starter. He's 0-0 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts with 20 strikeouts in 12 innings since his arrival. Left-hander -- and former Ray -- David Price will start for the Red Sox.