Boston, MA -- (Sports Network) - B.J. Upton and Rocco Baldelli each hit a three- run homer as Tampa Bay crushed Boston, 9-1, in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series at Fenway Park.

Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena also went deep for the Rays, who took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series with the four-homer attack. The suddenly high-powered Tampa Bay bats have slammed seven homers in the last two contests.

"Every time we go out, we want to win," Pena said. "It just feels nice to actually accomplish that, especially when the stakes are so high at the moment."

Matt Garza (1-1) earned the win by going six-plus innings and scattering six hits and allowing the one run, with five strikeouts and three walks.

Jacoby Ellsbury knocked in the lone run for the Red Sox, who have dropped the last two games in the set, including a marathon 9-8, 11-inning defeat Saturday night. Dustin Pedroia and Mark Kotsay each collected two hits in the loss.

"We've been here before. We've got to come out and play better baseball," Pedroia admitted. "There's no excuses, obviously. They played great, we didn't. This was just a straight up (butt) kicking."

Jon Lester (1-1) was shelled for eight hits and five runs -- four earned -- over 5 2/3 innings. The left-hander fanned seven and walked two but surrendered a pair of home runs.

Game 4 is scheduled for Tuesday night, again at Fenway Park. Boston's Tim Wakefield and the Rays' Andy Sonnanstine are scheduled to take the mound.

Tampa Bay cruised to the win thanks to a big third inning.

Jason Bartlett led off with a base hit and moved up two bases on Akinori Iwamura's double. Upton then blasted one over the seats atop the Green Monster for a 4-0 lead. After Pena fanned, Longoria drilled a solo shot to left-center before Lester recovered to retire the next two batters.

Pedroia singled with one out in the home half, but Garza bore down once more and got the final two outs.

Lester departed with two outs in the sixth after issuing a walk to Baldelli, and Paul Byrd came on to retire Bartlett to line out to end the inning.

"They've always been an aggressive team against me and I threw the ball pretty well," Lester offered of his outing. "Two pitches got away from me, didn't execute them and didn't stay away from the big inning."

Jason Varitek walked and Alex Cora singled him to third to start the home seventh, and Garza was pulled for J.P. Howell. Ellsbury's fly to left scored Varitek before Pedroia grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Baldelli's three-run blast in the eighth pushed the Rays' lead to 8-1, and Pena's one-out homer in the ninth gave Tampa Bay an eight-run cushion.

"When Rocco hit that home run," Longoria said when asked when he felt his club had the game in hand. "Five-1 is still not a secure lead in Fenway Park against the Red Sox. But when it was 8-1 and you saw the fans heading for the exits, it felt like, 'We got this one in the bag.'"

Howell allowed a two-out single to J.D. Drew in the eighth, but kept the Sox off the board. Edwin Jackson closed out the game by retiring the side in order.

In the first, Pedroia doubled with one out off the very top of the Monster but the Sox didn't get him home.

Tampa Bay's at-bat in the second saw Longoria work a leadoff walk and Willy Aybar single to center. A passed ball moved both runners up before Dioner Navarro's groundout plated Longoria for the game's first run.

Jason Bay singled with one down in the home half and Kotsay followed with a double, but the Varitek struck out and Cora flew out to squash the rally.

Game Notes

Upton recorded his fifth postseason home run, after slugging only nine in the regular season...It was the worst home playoff loss for Boston since a 19-8 setback to the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the 2004 ALCS...Iwamura has at least one hit in all seven of Tampa Bay's postseason games, and is 11-for-31 overall...Byrd made his first playoff relief appearance since 2004, when he pitched for the Atlanta Braves. He was charged with five hits and four runs, two by the long ball, with two strikeouts over the final 3 1/3 frames.