Josh Beckett was outstanding for the Red Sox in his first start since spraining his ankle on Sept. 5. (AP)

Before Friday’s game, Rays skipper Joe Maddon – a veteran of a 1995 Angels team that endured one of the biggest pennant race collapses in big league history — noted that when a team is feeling the weight of a meltdown, all it needs is for one or two players to lift the weight off the whole team.

Josh Beckett proved to be that player for the Red Sox Friday, giving Boston its first quality start in nine games while also giving the Red Sox a chance to collect a sorely needed 4-3 win over the hard-charging Rays. The win put the Sox back up by four games in the wild card race, and ensured that Boston will have no worse than a two-game pad in the standings when the Rays leave town.

Beckett shined in his first outing since spraining his ankle 10 games ago against the Blue Jays. The righthander allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits while striking out seven and walking just one over six innings. With the win, Jon Lester can approach Saturday’s start as a chance to stick a dagger in the Rays’ playoff hopes, rather than as a game that the Sox must approach with desperation.

Here’s a look at what else went right (and what went wrong) for the Red Sox on Friday.

WHAT WENT RIGHT FOR THE RED SOX

- Daniel Bard did not allow a run in his eighth inning appearance, striking out two and holding the lead for the first time in four outings. He featured a dominant slider in an outing that will serve to offer significant reassurance after his recent struggles.

–In his first save opportunity since Aug. 18, Jonathan Papelbon pitched a scoreless ninth inning, working around a single by B.J. Upton to strike out the side. The Sox are now 74-0 when entering the ninth inning with a lead. With his 30th save now in the bank, he is now the first reliever in big league history to record 30 or more saves in each of his first six big league seasons.

- David Ortiz did not show any signs of his lingering back pain, instead continuing a tremendous season that has seen him serve as a consistent middle-of-the-order force. Ortiz hit a single off the wall in the first inning to drive in  Dustin Pedroia, tying the game at 2-2. In the third inning, Ortiz struck again, hitting a double off the bullpen wall to knock in Pedroia and tie the game at 3-3. He is now hitting .317 with a team-best .986 OPS, and with 12 games left, he has 94 RBI for the season.

-Jacoby Ellsbury hit a double in the first inning as he continues to lead the majors in extra-base hits since the All-Star break with 36.

- Mike Aviles hit a staggering home run off the Sports Authority sign in the fourth inning to give the Red Sox their first lead over Tampa Bay in 49 innings. The home run was Aviles’ first as a Red Sox, ending a stretch of 175 consecutive at-bats without going deep, dating to May 1.

- Beckett’s strikeout of Ben Zobrist in the sixth inning was the 1,000th strikeout of his Red Sox career.

- The Red Sox got a break in the eighth inning when Johnny Damon, who led off the inning against the struggling Bard, appeared to have been hit in the foot by a pitch. Instead, third base umpire Bob Davidson ruled that Damon swung and called him out on strikes, turning a one on with no outs situation into a none on with one out.

WHAT WENT WRONG FOR THE RED SOX

- A poor bunt by Aviles stunted a rally early in the game. After Rays starter James Shields walked Carl Crawford and Jason Varitek to open the second inning, Aviles attempted to lay a bunt down the left-field line. Instead, Aviles bunted straight into a 5-6-4 double play. Ellsbury subsequently grounded out to squander what had been a golden scoring opportunity.

- The Rays stole seven bases, most in a single game this year against the Sox and the the second time this month that a team stole five bases against Boston. Toronto accomplished the feat on Sept. 5 when they stole five bases. Varitek caught both games. The captain has struggled all season to throw out runners, as he is 10-for-77 in stolen base attempts.

- Adrian Gonzalez continued to struggle against Tampa Bay pitching. Gonzalez was hitting .154 against the Rays entering Friday’s game, his second-lowest batting average against an American League team. Gonzalez went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk Friday.