FENWAY – (Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox are in unfamiliar territory, and they’ll hope to remain there Sunday when they wrap up a four-game series against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays.
Boston’s 7-6 victory over Tampa Bay on Saturday extended the team’s winning streak to 12 games and moved Boston’s record to 49-48. It’s the first time the Red Sox have been over the .500 mark this season since they beat Cincinnati on opening day.
Boston pitching held opponents to 17 runs during the first 11 games of the team’s winning streak, but it was power at the plate that produced Saturday’s win. Wilyer Abreu homered twice, including a two-run shot off Garrett Cleavinger that gave Boston a 7-6 lead in the seventh inning. Tampa Bay led 6-3 entering the bottom of the seventh.
“Never a doubt,” Boston interim manager Chad Tracy said with a laugh after the game. “Electric. It was awesome. Once again, we didn’t get a ton of hits early, but the ones we got mattered. The at-bats late, Wilyer obviously, just (an) electric win.”
The winning streak has moved Boston from the bottom of the American League East standings into third place. The Red Sox trail the division-leading Rays by seven games.
“They feel good about themselves and another game that shows, at the moment, they don’t feel like they’re out of it,” Tracy said. “If you keep it close, they feel like they’re gonna make a run at it, so it was awesome, awesome to watch that.”
Abreu, who hit a solo home run to give the Red Sox a 3-2 lead, has 15 home runs this season, including four in his last two games.
“When (Abreu is) not hot, he still takes quality at-bats,” Tracy said. “When he hits a homer or two, you feel like they come in bunches, and they certainly are right now and they’ve been in big spots.”
The Rays enter Sunday’s matchup looking to end a four-game losing streak.
“(The Red Sox are) having a bunch of good at-bats right now,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “We fell behind Abreu right there (in the seventh), who’s as hot as anybody maybe in the game. I think we threw him three fastballs in a row and on the third one he capitalized.”
The Rays outhit the Red Sox 10-6 in the loss, but five of Boston’s six hits went for extra bases. In addition to Abreu’s two home runs, Jahmai Jones hit a two-run homer for the Red Sox. It was his second game with Boston since he was acquired from Detroit.
Tampa Bay received solo home runs from Victor Mesa Jr., and Jonny DeLuca.
“We did some good things offensively,” Cash said. “That was encouraging. Hopefully, we can build off that.”
Sunday’s pitching matchup will feature Tampa Bay left-hander Shane McClanahan (8-5, 2.83 ERA) and Boston righty Sonny Gray (11-1, 2.54).
McClanahan has a 5-1 record and a 2.23 ERA in seven career starts against the Red Sox. Gray is 6-6 with a 4.14 ERA in 17 career appearances (15 starts) against Tampa Bay.
–Field Level Media