Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka rubs a new ball after giving up a solo home run to the Devil Rays’ Carlos Pena during the fourth inning of last night’s game.

AP / Steve Nesius

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — For sheer unpredictability, it might not have been a match for the Blue Jays-Yankees extra-inning tussle in New York completed earlier in the day, but still, there was drama enough at Tropicana Field last night.

Two innings after squandering a two-run lead, the Red Sox used a game-tying solo homer from Jason Varitek and a two-run homer by Julio Lugo in the ninth to overtake the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 8-6, and secure themselves a postseason berth for the fourth time in the last five seasons.

Both homers came off Tampa Bay closer Al Reyes, who also gave up David Ortiz’s walk-off game-winner at Fenway on Sept. 12.

Jonathan Papelbon, roughed up in his two previous appearances, nailed down the win with his 36th save.

The Sox had gotten some help earlier in the evening when Kansas City beat Detroit, 7-4. Coupled with the Red Sox’ win, those games eliminated the Tigers, last year’s A.L. champs, from playoff contention.

The Sox’ playoff appearance will be the 18th in franchise history. Terry Francona, who guided them to a world championship in his first season, becomes the first manager to take them to the postseason on three different occasions.

The victory also enabled the Sox to maintain their 2 ½-game margin over the Yankees and dropped their their magic number for clinching their first division title since 1995 to six with seven games remaining.

Things had looked quite so rosy in the seventh when Carlos Pena’s three-run homer off Javier Lopez, Pena’s second homer of the evening, cost Daisuke Matsuzaka an opportunity to notch his 15th win of the season. Given extra time to refresh his arm and body —he was pitching with the benefit of seven days’ rest — Matsuzaka’s command was sharper. He had walked only hitter (Pena) through the first six innings and had struck out seven.

But Matsuzaka apparently grew fatigued in the seventh. After retiring the first two hitters of the inning on routine flyouts to right, he issued consecutive walks to fellow countryman Akinori Matsuzaka and then Jorge Velandia. Those baserunners proved costly when Pena jumped on the full-count off-speed offering from Lopez and put the Rays ahead for the first time all night.

A two-run homer from J.D. Drew in the sixth, his first with a man on base since June 8 in Arizona, had given the Sox a 5-2 lead. It was Drew’s third homer in the last 12 games and gave him double figures (10) for the season. He finished the night with three RBI, his highest single-game output since June 15.

The Sox struck first against Devil Rays starter Andy Sonnanstine, nicking him for a solo run in the third. After Coco Crisp bunted his way on base, he went to second on a sacrifice by Lugo and rode home on Jacoby Ellsbury’s line drive to single to center. Ellsbury has now hit safely in 18 of his last 19 games.

In the fourth, the Sox extended the lead. Lowell walked and scored when Drew laced a double to the wall in left-center.

Varitek, who had homered Friday night, drove a single through the shortstop hole to score Drew and the Sox led, 3-0.

The Devil Rays, who came into last night 3-1 against Matsuzaka, began clawing back in the bottom of the fourth.

Pena led off the inning with a homer to right, getting Tampa Bay on the scoreboard. One out later, Delmon Young singled, stole second and scored on Greg Norton’s single to center.

Following Drew’s belt to right in the top of the sixth, the Rays countered with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning. With B.J. Upton called safe at first on a fielder’s choice — replays indicated he was out — he stole second and was knocked in by Norton’s second RBI single to center. This one fell just a few feet in front of Coco Crisp. The Sox had early chances against Sonnanstine, but failed to fully capitalize.

A two-out double by Ortiz in the first was erased when Ortiz was throw out at third on an apparent botched hit-and-run. In the second, a leadoff single by Lowell and a one-out walk to Varitek gave the Sox two runners on and one out, but Eric Hinske’s grounder to third forced Lowell for the final out of the inning.

smcadam@projo.com