ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Chris Archer called his start against Boston "bizarre."
The Tampa Bay ace struck out 10, but also allowed a career-high three homers in the Rays' 5-3 loss Sunday to the Red Sox.
"I've actually never pitched in a game like I had and I've never had the outcome where I'm pretty much commanding my stuff and give up that many runs, and then have that many strikeouts," Archer said.
"I could have made it not bizarre if I would have executed just a tad better," he said.
David Ortiz, Pablo Sandoval and Alejandro De Aza homered to back the pitching of Justin Masterson. The last-place Red Sox clinched a series win and stopped Archer's career-best six-game winning streak.
"The home runs just kind of beat us up a little bit," Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said.
Archer (9-5) began the day with an AL-best 2.01 ERA. He gave up five runs and five hits over six innings.
His 1-6 record in nine career starts against Boston is his worst against any opponent, and saw his ERA this season climb to 2.31.
Ortiz hit a two-run shot off Archer in the fourth inning, the slugger's 31st career homer at Tropicana Field, more than any visiting player.
Sandoval and De Aza, who homered for the third time in four days, went deep in the second inning for a 2-0 lead. Sandoval also drove in a sixth-inning run with a sacrifice fly that made it 5-1.
"He's a great pitcher, but we had a bat in our hands, so if you make a mistake we're going to take advantage," Sandoval said.
Masterson (3-2) allowed an unearned run and five hits over five innings to win for the first time since beating Baltimore at Fenway Park on April 20. The start was the right-hander's first since a six-week stint on the disabled list with tendinitis in his pitching shoulder.
Relievers Alexi Ogando, Jonathan Aro, Junichi Tazawa and Koji Uehara followed Masterson. Uehara worked the ninth for his 16th save in 18 opportunities.
Grady Sizemore got three hits with a seventh-inning RBI single off Tazawa in his debut for Tampa Bay. The Rays signed him to a minor league contract after the three-time AL All-Star was released by the Philadelphia Phillies earlier this month.
Asdrubal Cabrera drove in two runs for the Rays with a fifth-inning single off Masterson and a seventh-inning triple off Aro.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Red Sox: LF Hanley Ramirez (left hand) missed his fourth straight game and has returned to Boston to have an MRI exam. ... C Ryan Hanigan (broken right hand) is expected back Wednesday.
Rays: Cash said CF Kevin Kiermaier was out of the lineup for the second straight game because "his legs are a little drained." He struck out as a pinch-hitter in the ninth... 1B James Loney (broken left middle finger) took on-field batting practice.
NUMBERS GAME
Ortiz tied Chipper Jones for 25th place on the all-time extra-base hit list with 1,055. ... The series drew 63,347, making it the biggest three-game home series for the Rays this season. ... The Rays are 21-23 at home, compared to a road record of 21-12. ... Archer is 3-5 at home.
UP NEXT
Red Sox: Begin a four-game series at Toronto, with RHP Clay Buchholz (5-6, 3.68 ERA) facing Blue Jays RHP R.A Dickey (3-7, 4.88).
Rays: Rookie RHP Nathan Karns (4-3), who took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning Wednesday against Toronto, will face Cleveland RHP Cody Anderson (0-0) in the opener of a four-game series at Tropicana Field. Anderson is coming off pitching 7 2-3 scoreless innings against Tampa Bay in his major league debut on June 21.
