Sox take stand, fend off pesky Rays

BOSTON — An electrifying grand slam by Hanley Ramirez was a stepping stone for the Red Sox to secure a victory in their series finale against the Rays on Wednesday at Fenway Park. After Tampa Bay tied the game in the eighth, the Sox sparked some extra offense to seal an 8-6 win on the final day of a six-game homestand.

Aaron Hill snapped an 0-for-20 skid with a one-out, go-ahead single in the eighth, scoring Ramirez from third to put Boston ahead, 7-6. Moments later, Jackie Bradley Jr. drove a sharp liner down the right-field line for an insurance run. Craig Kimbrel pitched a 1-2-3 ninth on just 10 pitches to earn his 24th save of the season .

“This time in the season, physically, everything hurts. Mentally, nothing hurts,” Ramirez said. “You gotta be tough mentally and go out there and give everything you got. I gotta give credit to guys on the bench, my teammates, they keep pushing me all the way to the limit. That motivates us. That’s the little things that we’re really going to need in this stretch now.”

At 74-59, the Red Sox are 1 1/2 games back of the Blue Jays in the American League East, and Boston could gain another half-game pending the result of Toronto’s game vs. the Orioles on Wednesday night. Boston also leads Baltimore by 1 1/2 games for the top spot in the AL Wild Card standings.

Rays starter Drew Smyly saw his scoreless-innings streak against the Red Sox end in the first inning, giving up a solo shot to Xander Bogaerts. Smyly lasted just five innings, allowing seven hits (two home runs) and five earned runs.

“I feel like I threw the ball better than the results,” said Smyly, who received a no-decision. “Give Hanley credit. He jumped on a first-pitch fastball. I missed my spot. I was trying to go in and left it out over the plate. That changed the …

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