"Getting the chocolate whipped cream, applied oh-so-expertly by David Price in a postgame facial, out of his eyes and ears was about the only thing James Shields really had trouble with Tuesday night.

Otherwise, Shields pretty much had his way, shutting down and shutting out the red-hot Red Sox and returning Carl Crawford with a five-hit complete game to lead the Rays to a 4-0 victory.

"That was one of my better games, that's for sure," Shields said. "No doubt about it as far as the magnitude goes."

It was Shields' major league-leading third shutout and American League-high fourth complete game in his remarkable bounce-back season and furthered his bid for a spot on the All-Star team with a 6-4, 2.60 record.

More importantly, it gave the Rays a victory in the opener of a three-game series that clearly means a lot to them based on what they did leading up to it, shuffling their rotation so Shields pitched Tuesday, and what they said.

"I think this was a big game for us," said Shields, who threw 110 pitches. "I knew going into the series it was going to be a big series."

His weary teammates — who improved to 36-31 and moved within 3½ games of the division-leading Red Sox — gave him what help he needed before a crowd of just 20,972.

Justin Ruggiano — one of the five replacements for Crawford the Rays have tried in leftfield — continued his inspired play with a homer and a pair of big catches. Evan Longoria helped manufacture a pair of runs, and Casey Kotchman and John Jaso each knocked one in. There was the usual assortment of dazzling defense, including three double plays.

It was an impressive effort for a Rays team coming off a grueling 11-game, 12-day country-crossing road trip that ended with a controversial walkoff loss in Detroit on Monday night and an arrival home around 4 a.m. It was even more so against a Red Sox team coming in on a nine-game winning streak — having scored 35 runs during their weekend in Toronto — and having enjoyed a leisurely off day Monday in Tampa. "