ST. PETERSBURG - As outs and tension mounted, as innings melted away, forgotten was the Tampa Bay Rays' 8-14 start. Forgotten were all those hits and runs for the home team. Forgotten was the opponent, though it was the Boston Red Sox, back at Tropicana Field for the first time since Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. The Sox stared out at the same man on the mound. So did everyone else. For six innings, it made perfect sense.

His name is Matthew Scott Garza and Thursday night, for six innings he dared to throw a perfect game. He had the stuff for it. On any night, he can have the stuff for it.

"Even when he's off, he's good," Rays third baseman Evan Longoria said. "And when he's on, he's electric."

It ended to start the seventh. Boston leadoff hitter Jacoby Ellsbury, the fastest man on the Red Sox, hit a squibber past Garza, who was headed the other way in his follow through. Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett made a great barehand catch and throw, but it was too late.

So Garza settled for what he hopes will be the tone for this series, and beyond, with 72-3 innings of one-hit Baseball to snap a bad road trip as the Rays trounced the Sox 13-0 in the opener of a four-game series.

"Some days the stars line up," Garza said.

There were other happenings, like those bats come to life. Josh Beckett, who beat the Rays on Opening Day at Fenway Park, was no match. Longoria cleared all three bases with an opposite-field double and later homered. Rays catcher Michel Hernandez, of all people, had four hits and three RBIs, including his first major-league homer.

But when the stars lined up, Garza was first in line. He dominated much as he did in the ALCS, when he won twice and was named MVP. In Game 7, he struck out nine and gave up only two hits in seven innings. Garza is 7-1 lifetime against the Red Sox with a 2.51 ERA, including a win a couple of weeks ago in Boston. The Sox arrived having won 12 of 13 and were positively bashing the ball. The big guy likes the moment, doesn't he?

"He's amped up just when he wakes up in the morning," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "But he might get a little more amped up just pitching against these guys."

Forget that Garza was 0-2 with an 8.97 ERA in his last two starts with nine walks. On any night, when his fastball, curve and slider are on, he can be unhittable.

It was like that at the Marlins last season, when he took a no-hitter into the seventh. It was like that in August at Texas, where Garza shut out the Rangers on two hits. At one point, Rangers clubber Josh Hamilton turned to Rays catcher Shawn Riggans and said, "I hate hitting against this guy."

That's the way it can be when Garza is on, when his body and mind are right. He was on and on Thursday. He struck out 10 and walked one and gave up that one bleeder hit. Maybe he stopped some of the Rays' bleeding as April turns to May.

It was just what this team needed, that and a hit or two or 18, as it turned out.

Whether it ends tonight with Andy Sonnanstine getting rocked again and Rays bats going silent again remains to be seen. The Rays have had a hard time stringing together good games this season. They've won three of four from Boston and lost six consecutive series in between. You figure these cats out. Maybe tonight will be different.

We only know that there were about 20,000 people at the Trop, but 200,000 would have claimed to have been there if Matt Garza had gone perfect. He was perfect enough given the start to this Rays season. He acted like he had no choice, and pitched like the Red Sox had no chance.

They didn't.

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