BOSTON (AP) -- One day after the Red Sox couldn't muster up any support for Pedro Martinez, Boston's hitters gave Jeff Fassero more than enough runs to work with.

Trot Nixon, Troy O'Leary and Carl Everett each homered to give the Red Sox a 9-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Sunday.

	Fassero

No one could Saturday, when the Red Sox spoiled Martinez's 17-strikeout performance in a 1-0 loss to Tampa Bay.

Fassero, who allowed three runs and nine hits in six innings in his longest start of the season, was the beneficiary of the offensive breakout.

The left-hander, who went 5-14 in 1999, has nearly matched his win total from last year in just six starts.

"He's more consistent," Red Sox manager Jimy Williams said. "He's kept the ball down and changed speeds. I thought he threw a good game for us today."

The Red Sox trailed 3-1 in the third when Nixon blasted a two-run homer, his fifth, off Bryan Rekar (0-1) into the right-field bleachers to tie the score at 3. One out later, O'Leary also hit his fifth homer to put Boston up 4-3.

Everett added a three-run homer in the fifth to give Boston an 8-3 lead. It was Everett's 10th homer of the season.

"It's time for somebody to step up," Tampa Bay manager Larry Rothschild said. "(Steve) Trachsel did it (Saturday), but once a week is not enough. There have been enough opportunities for everybody, so there are no excuses."

The Devil Rays closed to 8-7 in the eighth inning when Vinny Castilla and Bubba Trammell hit two-run homers off Rheal Cormier.

"We're a team that's not going to give up and keeps battling," Trammell said. "It's very frustrating. You get so close there at the end of the game, thinking you're going to get back in."

Nomar Garciaparra, who did not start for the second straight game because of a strained left hamstring, hit a pinch-hit RBI single in the eighth. He lined a ball off reliever Roberto Hernandez's right elbow, scoring Jose Offerman. Hernandez was replaced by Albie Lopez.

Hernandez was scheduled to have X-rays on his right elbow Sunday night.

Derek Lowe got four outs for his seventh save.

The Devil Rays are winless in five games against left-handed starters this season and are 8-28 over the past two years.

Offerman's RBI single in the fourth knocked Rekar out of the game and gave the Red Sox a 5-3 lead. The single scored Jason Varitek, who ran around John Flaherty's tag for the score.

Rekar allowed five runs -- three earned -- and six hits in 3 2/3 innings in his first start of the season.

Fassero got off to a shaky start, giving up a two-run double to Jose Canseco in the first. The Devils Rays, who have won 10 of their last 14 against the Red Sox, took a 3-1 lead in the third on an RBI single by Fred McGriff.

Game notes
Garciaparra was replaced with a pinch runner after his RBI in the eighth. ... Boston's Pedro Martinez, who lost 1-0 Saturday despite striking out 17 batters, began serving his five game suspension after dropping his appeal. Martinez was suspended for hitting Cleveland's Roberto Alomar with a pitch April 30. ... Stocker snapped an 0-for-15 streak with a double to left in the second inning. ... Brian Daubach's stolen base in the second inning was the first of his career.