ST. PETERSBURG -- Veteran left-hander Erik Bedard held the Indians scoreless on one hit over the first six innings Saturday night as the Rays, who had been struggling offensively, snapped their four-game losing streak with a resounding 7-1 win.It marked the first time in the 35-year-old Bedard's 12-year career that he has thrown six shutout innings while allowing only one hit.The Indians' lone hit off Bedard came in the second inning, when Ryan Raburn doubled with one away. Bedard also walked three and struck out four before 29,212 at Tropicana Field. 
Designated hitter David DeJesus, batting in the leadoff spot for the second straight day, put the Rays on the board in the third inning with a two-out single to right off starter Zach McAllister, scoring Desmond Jennings, who had singled and stole second. The base hit was DeJesus' fifth in two games and his 18th in his last 16 games.Cleveland threatened in the second, when Raburn legged out a double with one away, and again in the fourth, when Nick Swisher and Michael Brantley walked to begin the inning. But each time, Bedard escaped unscathed.Tampa Bay upped its advantage to 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth when James Loney singled, Wil Myers doubled over left fielder Mike Aviles' head and Matt Joyce lofted a sacrifice fly. After Jennings walked, Yunel Escobar lined a single to right to give the Rays, who had squandered 14 leads in their last 14 games, a three-run cushion.Evan Longoria's double to deep right-center field drove in Ben Zobrist and Loney's single down the right-field line made it 5-0 in the fifth, ending McAllister's efforts for the evening.In his last two starts against the Yankees and Indians, Bedard has allowed just one run on seven hits while striking out seven over 12 innings.Saturday's game marked just the eighth time in their last 25 games that the Rays' starters have gone six innings or more.Loney singled home Zobrist and Joyce delivered another sacrifice fly in the seventh to make it 7-0 for the Rays, who had managed to score just 10 runs in their previous four games, all losses.Grant Balfour entered in the ninth, allowing two hits, a walk and a sac fly to Raburn before closing it out.Jim Hawkins / Special to MLB.com
Designated hitter David DeJesus, batting in the leadoff spot for the second straight day, put the Rays on the board in the third inning with a two-out single to right off starter Zach McAllister, scoring Desmond Jennings, who had singled and stole second. The base hit was DeJesus' fifth in two games and his 18th in his last 16 games.Cleveland threatened in the second, when Raburn legged out a double with one away, and again in the fourth, when Nick Swisher and Michael Brantley walked to begin the inning. But each time, Bedard escaped unscathed.Tampa Bay upped its advantage to 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth when James Loney singled, Wil Myers doubled over left fielder Mike Aviles' head and Matt Joyce lofted a sacrifice fly. After Jennings walked, Yunel Escobar lined a single to right to give the Rays, who had squandered 14 leads in their last 14 games, a three-run cushion.Evan Longoria's double to deep right-center field drove in Ben Zobrist and Loney's single down the right-field line made it 5-0 in the fifth, ending McAllister's efforts for the evening.In his last two starts against the Yankees and Indians, Bedard has allowed just one run on seven hits while striking out seven over 12 innings.Saturday's game marked just the eighth time in their last 25 games that the Rays' starters have gone six innings or more.Loney singled home Zobrist and Joyce delivered another sacrifice fly in the seventh to make it 7-0 for the Rays, who had managed to score just 10 runs in their previous four games, all losses.Grant Balfour entered in the ninth, allowing two hits, a walk and a sac fly to Raburn before closing it out.Jim Hawkins / Special to MLB.com
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