Carl Crawford takes off for second en route to one of his six stolen bases in Sunday's game.

AP photo / Mike Carlson

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Anyone trying to take the pulse of both teams Sunday at Tropicana Field would have a hard time deciphering the truth.

In one corner sat the Tampa Bay Rays. They'd just finished taking three of four games from the Boston Red Sox. In their eyes, the last four days can serve as a season-changer, wiping away the memories of an uneven start to this season.

For the Red Sox, it was just a bad few days at the office.

Who's right? Only time will tell, but the Rays certainly played like the defending American League champions through the series. The latest example was a 5-3 win that gave the Rays just their second series win of this season, both which have come against Boston.

"We definitely picked up our intensity dial," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "What you've seen over the past three of four games is more reminiscent of what we're capable of."

With the exception of a 13-0 whitewash in the first game of the set, the Sox didn't play poorly through the series. They certainly had their chances Sunday, but James Shields and Carl Crawford had other ideas.

Shields, Tampa's starting pitcher, had lost three straight starts to the Red Sox, including two games in the 2008 ALCS and Opening Day of this season. But he threw seven strong innings in this game, limiting the Sox to two runs and six hits to raise his record to 3-2.

Crawford was as dynamic as any player in baseball could be. He reached base five times with four singles and a walk, scored twice and ran wild with six of his team's club record eight steals. The six thefts tied a modern-day major league record. The eight steals are the most the Red Sox have surrendered since 1915 and one shy of the record of nine set by the Washington Senators in 1913.

Shields squirmed out of a first-inning jam by getting Jason Bay to check-swing a third strike and Mike Lowell to fly out to leave the bases loaded. He cruised from there, retiring the Sox in order in each of the next three innings. He threw shutout ball over the next six and left with a 4-1 lead with one out in the eighth inning.

The Sox threatened with two runs in the eighth inning off reliever J.P. Howell, but couldn't get over the top.

"We were one or two hits away from changing things," said catcher Jason Varitek. "On the flip side, they had some key hits and were able to capitalize. Those things have to go your way a little bit, too."

The Sox weren't ready to read much in to the series defeat, even if they've dropped five of seven to the Rays this season.

"We have 140 games left. I don't think anybody's hitting the panic button over losing three out of four here," said Dustin Pedroia.

A few small plays helped do the Red Sox in. One came in the fourth inning, when the Rays scored twice to break a 1-1 tie. A walk and then a double just inside the left-field line by Akinori Iwamura put two runners on. Jason Bartlett followed with a broken bat single into left to score one run. Michel Hernandez chopped a made-to-order double-play ball to Pedroia, but Julio Lugo dropped the ball as he went to make a throw to first. The miscue -- which was called a fielder's choice and not an error - allowed Iwamura to score.

"I just dropped the ball," said Lugo. "I gave that one away. That's a big play for us. We turn that double play, it would've been different. For us to win games, we have to turn that play."

The Rays picked up single runs in the seventh and eighth innings. The run in the seventh hurt, and it rested solely on Manny Delcarmen's shoulders. Crawford singled and stole his fifth base of the day. Evan Longoria dumped a single into short right that held Crawford up at third. Delcarmen then hit Carlos Pena's foot with a pitch in the dirt to load the bases. Delcarmen's wildness continued as his first pitch to Pat Burrell plunked into the big man's side, forcing in a run to push the Rays' lead to 4-1.

kmcnamar@projo.com