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Tigers Get Four in 10th to Win

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BOSTON – Detroit’s Wenceel Perez had three hits and scored twice while Javier Baez drove in two key insurance runs for the Tigers, who rattled off a four-run 10th inning to finish off a come-from-behind, 8-4 win over the Boston Red Sox on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park.

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Baez hit a two-run single that highlighted the go-ahead inning against Boston reliever Cam Booser (0-2), helping Detroit salvage a four-game series split.

Riley Greene, Matt Vierling and Carson Kelly all had two hits apiece as part of Detroit’s 14-hit effort. Andrew Chafin (1-1) recorded the last four outs to earn the win.

After Detroit climbed out of a 3-0 deficit with four straight runs between the fifth and seventh innings, Boston’s Rafael Devers hit a game-tying solo shot off Alex Faedo in the eighth, clearing the Green Monster in left-center field.

In the ninth, after a Rob Refsnyder two-out single through the right side and back-to-back walks issued by two Detroit relievers, Connor Wong’s deep fly ball was caught in right to force extras.

Mark Canha’s infield single started the Tigers’ go-ahead rally in the 10th. Ibanez’s pinch-hit double inside the third base line made it 5-4 before Baez stroked a two-run, two-out single to left and Kelly doubled off the Monster to add insurance.

Devers and Jarren Duran were both 2-for-4 for Boston.

Boston struck first as Enmanuel Valdez knocked a two-out RBI single into center. Wilyer Abreu’s one-out double sparked the rally.

The Red Sox built a 3-0 lead with single runs in each of the early innings.

In the second, back-to-back singles by David Hamilton and Jarren Duran allowed Boston to double its lead. Duran ripped a liner back past Tigers starter Casey Mize (four innings, five hits, two earned runs) on the mound to make it 2-0.

A leadoff walk to Dominic Smith and a Devers triple deep into the right field corner added the third Red Sox run in the third.

Boston starter Brayan Bello allowed just two hits across the first four innings and finished 6 1/3, but Detroit got on the board in a three-hit fifth which began with an Urshela double to center and Akil Baddoo single through the right-side hole. Urshela scored the first run on a wild pitch.

Urshela hit a sacrifice fly that helped get the Tigers within 3-2 in the sixth.

After back-to-back singles with one out in the seventh ended Bello’s day, Detroit flipped the score for the first time at 4-3 on Perez’s double and a Canha groundout. Bello was charged with four runs on eight hits, with three walks and five strikeouts.

One of Boston’s ninth-inning walks was drawn by Springfield, Mass., native Jamie Westbrook, who was making his MLB debut after spending more than a decade in the minor leagues.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox and Bello Go for Series Win

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox aim for their third straight win when they cap a four-game series against the visiting Detroit Tigers this afternoon. After Ceddanne Rafaela recorded his first career two-homer game on Friday, Enmanuel Valdez — who was just recalled from Triple-A Worcester — turned the trick in a 3-for-4 day. He also doubled, scored three runs and drove in three ini Saturday’s 6-3 win.

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The Red Sox overcame a first-inning deficit with a 10-hit attack and moved back above the .500 mark for the season. Valdez set the tone in a much-needed situation, especially with Vaughn Grissom going down with a hamstring strain Saturday and landing on the injured list.

“He’s a good player. He puts up good at-bats,” Cora said of Valdez. “Like I said when we sent him down, he didn’t do anything wrong. … When you look at the numbers, he’s hitting .180, but it doesn’t feel that way. He manages the at-bat just like (Wilyer Abreu). … Overall, a good (game).”

Brayan Bello (6-2, 4.18 ERA) looks to continue his winning run on the mound for the Red Sox. He earned his second straight win and fifth in six starts on Tuesday in Baltimore, striking out seven across five innings. He allowed three runs in the first inning and none thereafter.

“I like to come out with an aggressive mindset as opposed to being relaxed,” Bello said after that start. “I feel like when I come in relaxed, things don’t go the way that I want them to.”

However, Bello has not pitched at Fenway Park since May 12, when he held the Washington Nationals to two runs on four hits in five innings. His last three starts have been away from home.

The 25-year-old right-hander has made just one previous start against Detroit, and it didn’t go well. He took the loss last Aug. 12 after allowing four runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Following Saturday’s defeat, the Tigers have lost three of their last four games since a four-game win streak and have dropped six of their last seven on the road.

However, Gio Urshela’s two-run home run in the ninth inning extended Detroit’s streak of consecutive games with a homer to eight.

“We did get a few good swings. Matt Vierling swung the bat very well,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said, noting Vierling’s two doubles. “But not enough in this park when you’ve got to create offense.”

Tigers righty Casey Mize (1-3, 4.71) is winless in six starts since beating the Twins in Minnesota on April 21. On May 26 against Toronto, he gave up three runs in 4 1/3 innings for a no-decision in a 14-11 Detroit win. He allowed eight hits and two walks.

Five days earlier, Mize was whacked for nine hits and six runs in just 1 2/3 innings at Kansas City.

Mize is 0-1 with a 4.09 career ERA in two starts covering 11 innings against Boston. Both starts came in 2021. He missed most of 2022 and all of 2023 following Tommy John and back surgeries.

On Saturday, Hinch also offered an update on outfielder Kerry Carpenter’s lumbar spine stress fracture. However, there is no update on his return.

“There’s a lot of unknowns still in terms of timetable, which is why we don’t put one on it,” Hinch said. “We’re going to kind of go week-by-week with him and continue to check in on what the best next step is for him.”

–Field Level Media

Red Sox: Rafaela Powers Sox to Win

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BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox will look to get the upper hand in a four-game series against the visiting Detroit Tigers this afternoon. Ceddanne Rafaela homered twice in his first career multi-homer game while leading the Red Sox to a 7-3 win Friday night that evened the series at 1-1. Boston recorded 12 hits and snapped a two-game skid.

Rafaela, a 23-year-old rookie who had gone back-to-back games without a hit after a four-game hitting streak, drove in five runs.

“We just (have) to make sure (Rafaela) understands that it takes time to adjust,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “It’s not about instant results.”

Amid the rookie ups and downs, which included a 2-for-12 slump entering Friday, Rafaela has led all major league rookies and the Red Sox with 33 RBIs this season.

“It’s difficult for me to get frustrated. I don’t get frustrated that (easily),” he said.

On Friday, David Hamilton went 3-for-4 while Dominic Smith and Connor Wong each finished 2-for-3 for Boston.

Red Sox right-hander Cooper Criswell (2-2, 3.96 ERA) will start on Saturday. In his last start, he allowed seven runs in four innings in Boston’s 11-3 to the Baltimore Orioles on Monday.

Criswell will make his first career start against Detroit.

The Red Sox had won five of Criswell’s first six starts but now have lost two of the past three.

On Friday, Detroit took a 1-0 lead in the first but recorded just five hits after that inning. Riley Greene went 2-for-4 with a double, while Colt Keith hit a two-run home run in the eighth.

Designated hitter Mark Canha was scratched from Friday’s lineup with hip soreness.

Spencer Torkelson, who was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Thursday, has slumped of late. He is hitless in eight of his past nine games.

“I appreciate his consistency in caring about the team win first and his performance second, even though I know it’s eating him up to not be a more central part of our offense,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said.

Tigers right-hander Reese Olson (1-5, 1.92 ERA) will start on Saturday. He has received some tough luck this season but finally earned his first win of the year last Saturday over the Toronto Blue Jays. He gave up just one unearned run on three hits in 6 1/3 innings in Detroit’s 2-1 victory.

“I just try to do my job every time I go out there,” Olson said.

Entering his first career start against Boston, Olson has allowed 12 earned runs in 10 starts this season, six of which he allowed April 8 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“He’s going to make you beat him,” Hinch said. “He’s not going to concede with any pitch.”

–Field Level Media

 

Rafaela Homers Twice in 7-3 Victory

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela recorded his first career multi-homer game and drove in five as the host Boston Red Sox pulled away from the Detroit Tigers for a 7-3 win on Friday.

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David Hamilton went 3-for-4 while Dominic Smith and Connor Wong each had two hits as the Red Sox finished with 12 hits.

Boston starter Tanner Houck (5-5) gave up one run on three hits with six strikeouts and two walks in seven innings. He lowered his ERA to 1.85.

Riley Greene went 2-for-4 with a double, and Colt Keith hit a two-run home run for the Tigers.

Detroit jumped out to a first-inning lead. Greene lined a one-out single to center, stole second and scored on Gio Urshela’s single to right.

Houck quickly settled in after that, retiring six straight batters and working around Greene’s two-out double in the third.

The Red Sox broke through against Detroit’s Kenta Maeda (2-2) in the fourth. Rafael Devers started the rally with a leadoff double to center before scoring the tying run on Smith’s double into the left field corner. Rafaela hit a three-run homer to left later in the inning to give Boston a 4-1 lead.

In the fifth, Rob Refsnyder increased the lead to 5-1 on his two-out double that plated Wong, who reached on a double.

Rafaela’s second homer of the game — and seventh of the season — pushed the lead to 7-1. David Hamilton reached on a one-out infield single, stole second and came around to score on Rafaela’s blast to left-center.

Keith hit a two-run shot in the eighth inning off Boston reliever Greg Weissert to trim Detroit’s deficit to 7-3.

Maeda allowed eight hits and five runs in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out six and walked two.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Avoid Sweep by Brewers

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Jarren Duran delivered a tiebreaking RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning to help the Red Sox avoid a three-game sweep by beating the visiting Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 on Sunday.

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After Ceddanne Rafaela led off the inning with a double, Duran singled against reliever Elvis Peguero (4-2) on the next pitch.

Kenley Jansen pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his ninth save of the season. Justin Slaten (3-2) got the win by striking out the side in the eighth.

The victory came after Milwaukee prevailed 7-2 on Friday and 6-3 Saturday. It improved Boston’s record to 9-0 on Sundays.

After the top of the seventh, Red Sox reliever Chris Martin and Brewers first base coach Quintin Berry got into a heated discussion, causing the benches and bullpen to spill out onto the field near first base. No punches were thrown and no ejections occurred.

Wilyer Abreu collected three of Boston’s nine hits and scored a run. Rafaela went 2-for-3.

Gary Sanchez had a single and a double and was the only Milwaukee player with more than one hit. The Brewers struck out nine times.

Boston received a strong start from Tanner Houck, who limited the Brewers to one run on seven hits in six innings. Houck recorded seven strikeouts and walked one.

Milwaukee starting pitcher Tobias Myers allowed a run on six hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out four and didn’t walk a batter.

The Red Sox opened the scoring in the fourth. Abreu led off with a triple and scored when Rafael Devers hit a sacrifice fly to right field.

Milwaukee tied the game at 1 in the fifth when Oliver Dunn singled, stole second and scored on a William Contreras single to center.

Boston outfielder Tyler O’Neill, who left Saturday’s game with a sore knee, did not play Sunday.

It was the finale of a nine-game road trip for Milwaukee, which went 4-5.

–Field Level Media

Brewers’ Five Run 3rd Inning Downs Sox

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Milwaukee Brewers benefitted from a solo home run from second baseman Brice Turang and scored five runs in the third inning en route to a 6-3 road victory Saturday in Boston over the Red Sox.

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Turang’s homer, his third of the season, came against Zack Kelly and increased Milwaukee’s lead to 6-2 in the eighth.

The five-run third featured two doubles, three singles and a walk.

After Christian Yelich doubled and Willy Adames drew a walk, the Brewers received RBI singles from Jake Bauers, Gary Sanchez and Sal Frelick to build a 3-0 lead. Joey Ortiz followed with a two-run double that drove in Bauers and Frelick to increase the lead to 5-0.

Six consecutive batters reached base with two outs.

All five runs were scored against Boston starting pitcher Nick Pivetta (2-3), who exited the mound with one out in the fourth. He gave up seven hits, struck out three and walked three.

The Brewers used Jared Koenig as an opener for the second straight game. He threw 15 pitches Saturday after throwing 12 pitches during Milwaukee’s 7-2 victory on Friday night.

Colin Rea (4-2) replaced Koenig on the mound with one out in the second. Rea limited Boston to two runs on three hits in 5 2/3 innings. Trevor Megill struck out David Hamilton with two runners on base to end the game and earn his eighth save.

Bauers, Frelick and Ortiz each collected two hits for the Brewers, who outhit Boston 11-5.

The Red Sox didn’t get a hit until Rafael Devers led off the seventh with a double against Rea. Devers scored on Wilyer Abreu’s one-out double to trim Milwaukee’s lead to 5-1, and then Ceddanne Rafaela’s two-out single drove in Abreu to make it 5-2.

After Turang’s homer pushed Milwaukee’s lead to 6-2, Rafaela drove in Devers with a two-out single in the ninth to complete the scoring.

Devers had two of Boston’s five hits. Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran entered Saturday’s contest with a nine-game hitting streak, but that ended after he went 0 for 4.

Boston’s Tyler O’Neill left Saturday’s game with right knee soreness.

-Field Level Media

Red Sox Sweep Tampa Bay

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ST. PETERSBURG – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Wilyer Abreu and Connor Wong each drove in a pair of runs as the Red Sox completed a three-game sweep of the host Tampa Bay Rays with an 8-5 win on Wednesday.

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Rob Refsnyder’s leadoff single was the lone Boston hit through four innings against Tampa Bay starter Ryan Pepiot, but a five-run, five-hit fifth inning against three pitchers flipped the script of the game for good.

Abreu hit a two-run home run in the big inning. Refsnyder matched him with a 2-for-4 performance. Ceddanne Rafaela crossed the plate twice.

Brayan Bello (5-2) struck out six across six innings of four-hit, three-run ball to earn the win for the Red Sox, who secured their first road sweep of the Rays since April 2019.

Tampa Bay’s Jose Caballero and Richie Palacios each had two hits and scored a run.

Caballero and Yandy Diaz each drove in two.

A walk and a hit batter set the table for Rafaela’s ground-ball single to left to put the Red Sox on the board in the fifth and end the day of Pepiot, who was charged with three runs on two hits and four walks over the first four-plus innings.

Pepiot’s ledger grew with Richard Lovelady (0-2) on in relief after Wilyer Abreu singled and Connor Wong knocked a two-run base hit to left that tied the game.

Red Sox Pick Up the Pieces

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ST PETERBURG – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – After clinching their first series win at Tropicana Field since July 2019, the Boston Red Sox will aim for a sweep of their three-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday evening in Florida.  The Red Sox picked up Tuesday’s series-clinching victory in exciting fashion, scoring three runs over the final two innings to record a 5-2 win.

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Jarren Duran was one of Boston’s stars, hitting a game-tying solo home run in the sixth inning before stealing home in the eighth to deliver a crucial insurance run. He now has hit safely in seven straight games.

“He can run. He can hit it out of the ballpark. He’s a good defender. And I’m glad he’s our leadoff guy,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.

The series also has featured some history for third baseman Rafael Devers, who set a Red Sox record by homering in six consecutive games before going 1-for-3 on Tuesday.

Right-hander Brayan Bello (4-2, 3.96 ERA) will take the mound for Boston on Wednesday after he just missed facing Tampa Bay in last week’s series at Fenway Park, having his three-game win streak snapped in a Friday outing at St. Louis. The Cardinals tagged him for five runs on seven hits, three of which were home runs.

Before his last start, Bello had worked at least five innings and issued two or walks or less in six consecutive outings dating to last season.

“The team did everything possible to score runs,” Bello said of his most recent start, a 10-6 loss to the Cardinals. “They gave me some run support, but I wasn’t able to make the adjustment tonight, and it was a bad outing for me.”

Bello is 1-3 with a 6.92 ERA in five career starts vs. Tampa Bay.

The Rays will look to avoid a season-high fourth straight loss and a sweep on Wednesday, though Isaac Paredes enjoyed a 3-for-4 night with a double and two RBI on Tuesday.

Paredes has a team-high 18 multi-hit games and has reached base in 19 of his last 20 overall.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s just part of his continued development in being a really good major league hitter,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said last week. “I think (the recent run is) a credit to just him being selective at the plate, getting pitches that he can handle and not swinging at pitches that he can’t.”

Cash’s club will need more from the third baseman, as it has scored just four runs over the last three games.

Tampa Bay right-hander Ryan Pepiot (3-2, 3.68 ERA) will be activated off the 15-day injured list to make his first career start against Boston on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old left his May 5 start against the New York Mets with a lower left leg contusion after being hit by a line drive. He allowed three runs in two innings before the injury.

Pepiot threw three simulated innings last Friday in Toronto, touching 95 miles per hour.

“It was what, 15 days? So, basically, just like missing two starts kind of, so there (weren’t) really a lot of factors into (making a rehab start),” Pepiot said. “It was a lot of just based on when I did touch the mound and how it felt and how it responded.”

Pepiot earned his most recent win on April 29 at Milwaukee, tossing six shutout, two-hit innings with seven strikeouts.

–Field Level Media

Sox: Three in 8th Is Enough

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ST. PETERSBURG – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox scored three runs over the eighth and ninth innings en route to a 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday in Florida Jarren Duran and Reese McGuire both homered as Boston took the first two games of the three-game series, giving the Red Sox their first series win at Tropicana Field since 2019.

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Boston got to Rays reliever Jason Adam (2-1) for two decisive runs in the eighth inning, which began with Ceddanne Rafaela singling and stealing second before scoring on Wilyer Abreu’s base hit into center.

Abreu was later tagged out overrunning second base on a steal, but Duran soon swiped home as part of a double steal with Rafael Devers, who had been intentionally walked. Devers’ six-game home run streak ended on Tuesday.

McGuire then homered to right-center in the ninth to close the scoring.

Greg Weissert (2-1) earned the win, and Kenley Jansen worked around a leadoff double in the ninth for his eighth save.

Isaac Paredes went 3-for-4 with both Tampa Bay RBIs.

The Rays recorded just three hits after the first inning.

After being shut out in Monday’s series opener, the Rays came out swinging and scored two runs during a four-hit first inning to take the lead. Josh Lowe’s leadoff single and a Randy Arozarena double set the table for Paredes to drive home both runners with a single.

The Red Sox got right back in the game on Vaughn Grissom’s run-scoring single in the second.

Boston starter Cooper Criswell settled in after the shaky start, allowing two runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out six.

After Jose Siri led off the home half of the second with a single, Criswell retired nine straight batters before walking Alex Jackson with one out in the fifth.

Criswell’s fine work allowed the Red Sox to come back and tie the game when Duran launched a solo homer to center in the sixth.

Tampa Bay starter Zack Littell struck out seven in 5 2/3 innings, allowing only three hits and two runs. He walked one.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox and Rays Meet Again

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TAMPA-ST.PETE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Tampa Bay Rays will play an 11th straight game against an American League East foe on Monday evening when they open a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox in Florida.

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The Rays are a combined 6-4 against the New York Yankees, Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays in the 10-game stretch. They took three of four last week from the Red Sox and have had the upper hand over the past five-plus seasons against Boston.

Manager Kevin Cash’s squad sports a 57-31 mark against the Red Sox since 2019, although Boston claimed the most important triumphs when it won three of four games in the 2021 AL Division Series.

Last week in their first matchups between the teams in 2024, Tampa Bay overcame an awful gaffe before posting a series win. With two outs and Jason Adam trying to close a series-clinching win, the reliever yielded a walk to Rob Refsnyder and a single to Rafael Devers, prompting a mound visit from Rays pitching coach Kyle Snyder.

However, the Rays were out of visits — a fact noted on the Fenway Park scoreboard — and Adam was removed for swingman Erasmo Ramirez, who prevented further embarrassment by getting a game-ending comebacker.

“Hundred percent on me. I let the mound visits slip in my mind,” Cash said. “I screwed up, and I’m glad that it didn’t cost us a ballgame.”

With left-handed reliever Colin Poche (back) on the injured list, the Rays made a trade Saturday for southpaw Richard Lovelady. He specializes in retiring left-handed hitters, with a .235 career average against him.

Garrett Cleavinger currently is the only bullpen option from that side.

Tampa Bay’s seven-game road trip ended on a sour note as the Blue Jays topped the Rays 5-2 on Sunday.

Isaac Paredes homered with two outs in the ninth to keep the Rays from being blanked for the second time this season as Tampa Bay lost for the first time in the past five games.

“Awesome, we’re rolling,” said catcher Ben Rortvedt, who had one of his team’s four hits. “We didn’t end the road trip the way we should have, but we feel good.”

Boston snapped a four-game losing streak Sunday by way of six excellent innings of one-hit, one-run ball from starter Nick Pivetta and homers from Tyler O’Neill and Devers in an 11-3 win at the St. Louis Cardinals.

O’Neill, a former Cardinals player, rocked a 439-foot shot in the first inning. Devers stepped up in the sixth, tying Bobby Dalbec’s franchise record with a homer in his fifth straight game.

“Pretty special weekend for me and my family,” O’Neill told The Roku Channel. “Circled this one on the calendar for a long time coming.”

Monday’s meeting will be a rematch between Tanner Houck and Taj Bradley, who squared off Wednesday in the Rays’ 4-3 victory.

Houck (3.15, 2.17 ERA) allowed three runs, only one earned, and five hits in 5 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts en route to dropping his fourth straight decision.

Across 58 innings, the right-hander has allowed 14 earned runs and 48 hits. He has surrendered one home run, and his 1.02 WHIP and .219 batting average against are elite.

In six career appearances (four starts) against the Rays, Houck is 0-4 with a 5.91 ERA.

Bradley (1-1, 2.45 ERA) won Wednesday’s game with five innings of two-run ball on four hits with six strikeouts.

The right-hander is 3-0 with a 4.20 ERA in three career starts against the Red Sox.

–Field Level Media