Archives for July 17, 2026

FENWAY – (Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Wilyer Abreu hit home runs in back-to-back at-bats as the Red Sox won their 11th straight game and swept a day-night doubleheader, defeating the visiting first place Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 on Friday night.

Abreu cranked a two-run homer — the first of back-to-back shots with Willson Contreras — in the first inning before leading off the third with a go-ahead solo blast.

The victory came in a bullpen game for Boston, with six relievers combining to 6 2/3 scoreless innings with four hits behind Eduardo Rivera, who allowed three runs over the first 2 1/3 innings.

Greg Weissert (2-2) earned the win, while Aroldis Chapman pitched a clean ninth for his 20th save. Boston relievers faced the minimum over the final three innings.

Junior Caminero, who hit a solo home run in the third, and Jonny DeLuca both had multi-hit games for Tampa Bay.

The Rays scored a pair of two-out runs to jump out to a first-inning lead, forcing Rivera to throw 36 total pitches after the first two batters were retired on five. A Caminero single and two walks in succession loaded the bases for DeLuca to knock a two-run single past diving Boston shortstop Tsung-Che Cheng.

However, the visitors’ lead did not last long. After Ceddanne Rafaela hit a one-out double down the left field line, Abreu cleared the right-center-field bullpen for a game-tying two-run homer, and Contreras flipped the scoreboard with a solo shot over the Green Monster in the next at-bat.

The long ball trend continued for both teams in the third. Caminero knotted the score again with a one-out solo shot just inside the left field foul pole, but Abreu deposited the second pitch of the bottom half of the frame to deep right-center to put Boston back in front 4-3.

Tampa Bay starter Mason Englert (0-3) retired the next three batters after Caleb Durbin was caught stealing and then got two outs in the fourth, but the Red Sox expanded their lead as Cheng walked and scored from first on Anthony Seigler’s two-out double off the base of the wall in the right field corner.

Boston’s bullpen did the rest. After Weissert recorded the final two outs of the third, Jovani Moran had the longest outing of the bunch, throwing back-to-back 1-2-3 innings.

The Rays’ stable of relievers was also strong. Craig Kimbrel, Cole Sulser and Cam Booser did not allow a hit over three innings behind Englert, who was tagged for eight hits and five runs across the first five frames.

–Field Level Media

 

FENWAY – (Wire Service Preview) – The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays certainly hope their players had a restful MLB All-Star break.

It will be a busy return to play for the American League East rivals on Friday as they begin a four-game, three-day series with a day-night doubleheader in Boston. The Red Sox return to play with a nine-game winning streak that has brought them only a half-game outside the playoff picture.

Since a July 1 loss to the Washington Nationals, the Red Sox rolled to three straight road sweeps against the Los Angeles Angels, Chicago White Sox and New York Mets before the break. Incredibly, interim manager Chad Tracy’s club allowed more than two runs in only one of those nine games, including a pair of shutouts.

“When you’re winning, everything is good,” All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman said.

The Red Sox got timely hitting in Sunday’s final game in New York, winning when trailing after eight innings for the first time this season. Boston scored twice in the ninth to tie the game at 2-2 and Anthony Seigler delivered the game-winning RBI in the 10th inning.

Brayan Bello, who was recalled from Triple-A Worcester to join the bullpen, threw 4 1/3 crucial innings while piggybacking starter Payton Tolle to set the stage for the late-game combination of Chapman and Garrett Whitlock.

It was a good stretch, but important games are ahead. It all starts with the division-leading Rays, who have won four straight and five of the first six head-to-head meetings between the teams this season.

Heading into the break, Tracy’s message was simple.

“Let’s make sure we’re ready to go coming out of the break,” he said. “Do what needs to be done over the break to physically and mentally not let it slip too far from your mind. Make sure we’re ready.”

Tampa Bay went 13-5 in an 18-game span before the All-Star break, splitting a four-game set against the New York Yankees before taking two of three from the Seattle Mariners. Despite the latter series ending with an 8-2 loss, the Rays still boast the best record in the AL by three games.

Manager Kevin Cash had a scare during Tuesday’s All-Star Game. All-Star third baseman Junior Caminero was hit on the finger by a 97-mph pitch in the third inning, but appears to have avoided a major injury as the unofficial second half of the season begins.

“In the moment, I was just scared, right?” Caminero said through an interpreter. “Kind of in that situation, right there in the moment, you’re thinking the worst, and I honestly thought something might have been broken. But look, thank you to God that everything’s fine, and now it’s just a little bit sore, but we’re all good.”

Rumors have swirled that the Rays plan to be aggressive at the trade deadline in a few weeks, with Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal being among the targets.

“Know that (Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander) will do everything he can to improve our club, like he always does,” Cash said. “Definitely appreciative of the guys that are here right now and feel like we’ve got a very strong group with us right now.”

The Rays have righty Griffin Jax (5-6, 3.47 ERA) taking the ball against Red Sox southpaw Jake Bennett (4-3, 2.64) in Friday’s opening game. Neither team has announced a pitcher for the nightcap.

Jax has won four of his last five starts, with the lone loss coming in a July 6 outing against the Yankees in which he struck out 10 over five innings. He pitched five innings of one-run ball to beat the Mariners in his last start on Saturday.

Jax will look to turn around his career fortunes against the Red Sox, having posted a 0-1 record and 6.75 ERA in 15 career appearances. Only two of them have been starts, including a four-inning no-decision (two earned runs on four hits) on May 7 this season at Fenway Park.

The 25-year-old Bennett has won three straight starts, working at least seven innings in back-to-back victories over the Angels and White Sox. He held the Chicago to four hits over seven scoreless frames on July 8.

Bennett has lost two starts against the Rays this season, however, going 0-2 with a 6.97 ERA in 10 1/3 innings.

–Field Level Media