The Associated Press

BOSTON - Jason Varitek and Bill Mueller each had two hits and drove in a pair of runs to lead the Boston Red Sox over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 8-4 Tuesday night for their third win in four games.

Varitek, Orlando Cabrera, Mueller and Kevin Youkilis - the bottom four hitters in Boston's lineup - drove in two each. The Red Sox improved to 8-3 against Tampa Bay this season.

Bronson Arroyo (5-8) allowed three runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings, striking out six and walking two.

Manny Ramirez started in left field and went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts after missing three straight games because of the flu. He batted third for just the second time this season.

Tampa Bay was looking to win two straight on the road for the first time since July 6-7 at Baltimore. Jorge Sosa (3-1), a converted outfielder in just his fourth season as a pitcher, started with four perfect innings but wound up giving up seven runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Jose Cruz Jr.'s sacrifice fly put the Devil Rays ahead in the fourth, but Boston took a 3-1 lead in the fifth on Varitek's RBI double, Cabrera's run-scoring grounder and Mueller's RBI single.

Rocco Baldelli's two-run triple tied the score in the sixth, but Varitek hit a go-ahead single with two outs in the bottom half and Cabrera's run-scoring single chased Sosa.

Mueller greeted Bobby Seay with another RBI single, and Youkilis hit a two-run double off the wall in left-center.

Indians 2, Blue Jays 0

CLEVELAND - Chad Durbin struck out a career-high seven and Ronnie Belliard hit a two-run double for Cleveland.

Durbin (5-4) allowed four hits and three walks in seven innings as Cleveland, second to Minnesota in the AL Central, won for the sixth time in seven games. He was helped by good fielding plays from shortstop Omar Vizquel and left fielder Coco Crisp.

Bob Howry pitched the eighth and Bob Wickman finished the five-hitter for his fifth save in six chances.

Cleveland (59-55) moved four games over .500 this late in the season for the first time since 2001. The Indians are 41-29 since May 27

White Sox 9, Royals 3

CHICAGO - Willie Harris went 5-for-5, Carlos Lee hit a three-run homer and Paul Konerko added a two-run shot to lead Chicago to a win.

Joe Crede also hit a two-run homer for Chicago, which won for only the fourth time in 16 games. Harris has reached base safely in nine straight plate appearances.

Kansas City has lost five straight to fall a season-low 33 games under .500 at 39-72, the worst record after 111 games in the franchise's 36-year history.