Boston ? The Los Angeles Angels showed a little emotion and escaped Boston with their AL West lead intact.

Paul Byrd combined with two stomach-churning relievers to shut out the Red Sox, 3-0, Thursday night, avoiding a sweep. Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia and hitting coach Mickey Hatcher were ejected – Scioscia for the second straight night.

“I think we feed off that,” said Byrd, who allowed four hits in seven innings before Scot Shields and Francisco Rodriguez each pitched out of bases-loaded jams. “These games count. That (emotion) is the way it should be.”

Los Angeles, which moves on to play the Central-leading Chicago White Sox, opened a one-game lead over idle Oakland in the AL West after losing the first two games of the series.

Despite getting shut out for the fourth time this year, the Red Sox maintained a four-game lead in the AL East over the second-place Yankees, who lost to Tampa Bay, 7-4. The Red Sox open a three-game series in New York tonight with the knowledge that they still will be in first when they leave.

“In the past, we always knew we had to make up ground,” center fielder Johnny Damon said. “Now, we need to extend our ground. Hopefully, that starts tomorrow night.”

Scioscia and Hatcher were ejected after Orlando Cabrera was called out for leaving second base too early on a fly ball. Replays indicated his foot still was on the base when right fielder Trot Nixon caught the ball.

Devil Rays 7, Yankees 4

New York – Carl Crawford hit a two-run double and scored three times, Mark Hendrickson won his fifth straight decision, and Tampa Bay held off New York.

Jonny Gomes and Jorge Cantu also drove in two runs apiece, helping the last-place Devil Rays build a 6-0 lead and improve to 11-5 against New York this season.

The Yankees dropped two of three in this series – not the way they wanted to head into three big games in the Bronx against AL East-leading Boston this weekend.

Indians 4, Tigers 2

Cleveland – Aaron Boone hit a two-run homer, Casey Blake and Coco Crisp added solo shots, and Cleveland defeated Detroit.

Boone’s homer off Nate Robertson (6-13) tied it 2-2 in the fifth inning before Blake and Crisp connected in the sixth. Cleveland’s last 15 runs have all come via homers.

Cleveland’s homers – the Indians have 31 in their last 16 games – wouldn’t have meant anything, though, if not for starter Kevin Millwood’s tenacity. The right-hander made two Houdini-like escapes, wiggling out of jams in the first and third innings.