ST PETERSBURG // The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 overnight to level the best-of-seven World Series at 1-1. The Rays cashed in on their scoring opportunities while the Phillies failed to hit in the clutch against Tampa Bay's gritty right-hander James Shields. Tampa Bay scored two runs in the first inning on ground outs, and another in the fourth on a squeeze bunt by Jason Bartlett on the way to building a 4-0 lead off Phillies starter Brett Myers.
Shields pitched 5-2/3 innings for the win, allowing seven hits and walking two. Rookie David Price followed reliever Dan Wheeler to the mound and went the last 2-1/3 innings, yielding a solo home run to Eric Bruntlett in the eighth and pitching out of trouble in the ninth. B.J. Upton, Dioner Navarro and Jason Bartlett had two hits apiece for the Rays, who are trying to become the first team to win the series a season after registering the worst record in Major League Baseball.
The series now shifts to Philadelphia where the Phillies host Tampa Bay for the next three contests with Game Three scheduled for Saturday. *Reuters
