BOSTON — Moral victories don’t help the Red Sox reduce their magic number. Silver linings don’t get them any closer to clinching their first division title since 1995.

Still, it was hard not to find a big positive in the Sox’ 1-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays last night.

Curt Schilling allowed only one run in six innings and turned in what might have been his best performance since coming off the disabled list five weeks ago yesterday.

“He was very good,” said manager Terry Francona after the Sox suffered their first home 1-0 loss in six years. “He didn’t force anything and he commanded very well. There wasn’t a lot of effort to get the ball to do what he wanted.”

“He pitched extremely well,” added catcher Jason Varitek of Schilling. “We just didn’t get him any runs. He found his (split-finger fastball) tonight – that was very encouraging.”

Schilling, predictably, found it difficult to take satisfaction from the outing.

“No, not now,” he said. “It’s September. It’s about winning and losing games, and tonight I got out-pitched … I hate getting out-pitched. I compete for a living; that’s what I get paid to do. When you get out-pitched, it’s disappointing, it’s frustrating. Again, it’s September. When people start talking about magic numbers, that means the season’s getting to a close. I want to continue to get better and win games, and I didn’t do that today.”

For that, he can thank Devil Rays lefty Scott Kazmir, who limited the Sox to just five hits in seven shutout inning. A makeshift lineup that was minus David Ortiz until a ninth-inning pinch-hit appearance and featured rookie Dustin Pedroia hitting third, Bobby Kielty hitting fifth and Julio Lugo as the DH was handcuffed by Kazmir, who fanned 10 to become the first Tampa Bay pitcher ever to top the 200-strikeout level in a season.

“Tonight,” said Schilling of his counterpart, “he was on. I thought this was the best game I’ve ever seen him pitch against us.”

Schilling was nearly as effective, allowing just five hits while walking one and striking out five. The lone run against him came in the fifth when he yielded a leadoff double to Greg Norton, a sacrifice bunt to Dioner Navarro and a sacrifice fly to Josh Wilson.

Two more singles — to Akinori Iwamura and Carl Crawford — extended the inning and ultimately cost Schilling the opportunity to pitch beyond the sixth. He left after 99 pitches.

“As a starting pitcher,” said Schilling, “you can’t get upset about not winning ballgames for whatever reason if you don’t get into the seventh or eighth (inning).”

Since returning from a seven-week stint on the DL in which he focused on strengthening his shoulder, Schilling has made steady progress.

In five of his last six starts, Schilling has given up three runs or fewer five times. In three of those starts, including last night, he’s allowed just one run. He’s compiled a 3.35 ERA in his seven post-DL starts and has walked just four batters combined in those seven outings.

Schilling is making the transition from power pitcher to one who must induce contact more often. It remains a work in progress.

“I think we’re getting better,” he acknowledged. “I’m becoming a little more comfortable in the new skin. I’m still working to tweak and fine-tune things to get better.”

What few chances his teammates had last night, they squandered. Four times in the first five innings against Kazmir, they put the leadoff man on, but never even advanced the runners to scoring position — never mind home.

In the seventh, a leadoff single by Kielty and a one-out walk from Varitek gave the Sox baserunners at first and second. But Kazmir fanned Jacoby Ellsbury and retired Alex Cora on a fielder’s choice to end the threat.

“His fastball looked like it was jumping out of his hand,” said Coco Crisp. “He had life on it, and his slider has great deception. The guy pitched tremendous.”

Which was what was needed on a night when Schilling was nearly as good.

smcadam@projo.com