ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Carl Crawford tied a modern major league record with six stolen bases to help Tampa Bay beat Boston 5-3 today for its first series win in nearly a month.

Crawford was 4-for-4 with an RBI and became the fourth player to swipe six bases in a game, joining Eddie Collins, Otis Nixon, and Eric Young.

James Shields shrugged off a shaky start to pitch into the eighth inning, and Tampa Bay won three of four, outscoring the Red Sox 30-15 and improving to 5-2 against its AL East rivals. The Rays had dropped six consecutive series since taking two of three from Boston when the teams met at Fenway Park the opening week of the season.

Shields (3-2), who has been tough on the Red Sox at Tropicana Field, allowed one run and six hits in 7 1-3 innings. He is 3-1 in six career starts against Boston at home, compared to 0-4 with a 9.56 ERA in four starts at Fenway, where Josh Beckett beat him on opening day.

Carlos Pena, Jason Bartlett and Michel Hernandez drove in runs off Brad Penny (2-1) for Tampa Bay.

The speedy Crawford's second infield single of the day drove in an insurance run in the eighth, then stole second for the fifth time, bringing the crowd of 32,332 to its feet. The last player to steal six bases in a game was Young for Colorado on June 30, 1996.

Shields yielded a bases-loaded single to J.D. Drew in the first, but worked through the jam and didn't allow another runner past second base. The right-hander struck out six and walked two before being replaced by J.P. Howell with one on and one out in the eighth.

Howell retired struggling David Ortiz on a grounder back to the mound, then gave up a two-run homer to Kevin Youkilis, trimming Tampa Bay's lead to 4-3. J.D. Drew singled and Jason Bay walked, however the Red Sox stranded the potential tying run at second when Dan Wheeler got Mike Lowell fly out.

Closer Troy Percival worked the ninth for his third save in three opportunities.

The Rays scored on Pena's RBI double in the first and Bartlett's broken-bat bloop single in the fourth before going up 3-1 when Akinori Iwamura sprinted home as Hernandez grounded into a force play at second base.

Boston loaded the bases on two singles and a walk in the first. J.D. Drew's RBI single gave them a 2-1 lead, but Shields avoided further damage by striking out Jason Bay and getting Mike Lowell to fly to left field.

The Red Sox didn't many more opportunities.

Shields allowed three hits and a walk over his last 6 1-3 innings. Jacoby Ellsbury singled with two outs in the second and was thrown out trying to steal second, and Drew was stranded after doubling with two outs in the sixth.

Penny allowed three runs and six hits in six innings for Boston. The Rays added a run in the seventh off Manny Delcarmen, when the reliever hit Pat Burrell with a pitch with the bases loaded.