Tampa Bay Rays

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.

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.

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.

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

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Tampa’s Yandy Diaz’s two-run single in the sixth inning was the difference as the Rays edged past the host Boston Red Sox 4-3 on Wednesday. The Diaz hit highlighted a three-run frame, and the relief trio of Shawn Armstrong, Pete Fairbanks and Kevin Kelly combined to throw three scoreless innings to finish the game.

Kelly recorded his first save of the season for Taj Bradley (1-1), who struck out six while allowing just two runs on four hits over the first five innings.

Jose Siri went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored for Tampa Bay, which has won two of the first three games in the four-game series.

Jarren Duran went 2-for-3 with two doubles and a run scored while Wilyer Abreu and Rafael Devers homered for the Red Sox.

Boston manufactured a go-ahead run right out of the gates in the first inning, as Duran lined a leadoff double off the Green Monster in center and scored on Connor Wong’s sacrifice fly two batters later.

Boston starter Tanner Houck (3-5) pitched a 1-2-3 first inning before working around baserunners in each of the next two frames, but the visitors knotted the score at 1-1 in the fourth.

After Jonathan Aranda walked and Isaac Paredes chopped a single down the third-base line with one out, Richie Palacios reached on Boston first baseman Garrett Cooper’s fielding error to get Tampa Bay on the scoreboard.

Abreu wasted no time giving the Red Sox a 2-1 lead back in their half of the fourth, launching a towering solo home run out to right.

The Rays didn’t take the lead back until Houck departed after allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits over 5 2/3 innings.

After Palacios and Jose Caballero hit consecutive singles and a strikeout of Ben Rortvedt ended Houck’s day in the sixth, Siri knocked a game-tying base hit through the left side. Palacios scored just ahead of catcher Wong’s tag.

Caballero swiped third before scoring ahead of Siri on Diaz’s single past diving shortstop Ceddanne Rafaela and into left.

The Red Sox got a run back in the last of the sixth when Devers lined a solo shot to straightaway center, but got no further as the final three Tampa Bay relievers recorded scoreless frames.

Despite the loss, Boston’s bullpen was also strong as Cam Booser and Chase Anderson combined to throw three scoreless and hitless innings after Weissert exited. Booser struck out four over two frames.

–Field Level Media

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Romy Gonzalez ripped a walk-off single just inside the first-base line in the bottom of the 12th inning as the Red Sox earned a 5-4 win over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.

Before scoring single runs in the 11th and 12th innings, the Red Sox had been held scoreless since Ceddanne Rafaela’s solo home run in the fifth.

Dominic Smith first put Boston ahead with a two-run double in the fourth.

Rafaela’s throwing error from shortstop on Isaac Paredes’ fielder’s choice scored Randy Arozarena to put Tampa Bay ahead in the 11th. The Red Sox answered in the bottom of the inning as Rob Refsnyder’s grounder back to the pitcher — which was unable to turn into an inning-ending double play — scored David Hamilton with Boston’s tying run.

The Red Sox then won it in the 12th after reliever Brennan Bernardino (2-1) caught Rays catcher Ben Rortvedt looking at strike three, stranding runners on the corners. Wong then scored the clinching run for Boston.

Josh Lowe (home run), Paredes and Amed Rosario all had multiple hits for Tampa Bay. Arozarena also went deep.

Manuel Rodriguez (0-1) took the loss.

After Tampa Bay tied the game at 3-3 in the sixth, strong relief pitching limited each team to just a single hit until the game reached extras.

Zack Kelly worked an impressive 10th, stranding the automatic runner at third with an inning-ending strikeout of Harold Ramirez. In the bottom half, Tampa Bay reliever Jason Adams turned a Vaughn Grissom liner into a double play to get through the frame.

The Rays struck first in the first inning for the second straight night, staking Aaron Civale to a 1-0 lead when Lowe took Pivetta deep to right-center field for a two-out solo home run.

Civale allowed only Rafael Devers’ leadoff single through the first three innings, but the Red Sox tagged him for two go-ahead runs in the fourth as Smith ripped a double past Lowe’s dive in right.

Rafaela upped Boston’s lead to 3-1 in the fifth, taking a one-out pitch deep down the left-field line for a solo homer.

After Arozarena homered to left-center to end Pivetta’s outing, Justin Slaten came out of the Boston bullpen and allowed a Lowe double to center and then Paredes dumped a single into shallow right to make it 3-3.

Aside from the homers, Pivetta allowed just two other hits and struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings.

A product of nearby Northeastern University, Civale finished the first Fenway Park start of his MLB career with six strikeouts and three runs allowed on five hits across the first five innings.

–Field Level Media

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Tampa Bay Rays probably won’t have to worry about Kenley Jansen when they visit the Boston Red Sox on today for the start of a four-game series.

Jansen, Boston’s closer, pitched in each of his team’s past three games, and he earned the save in the Red Sox’s victories on Saturday and Sunday.

“It’s good, man,” Jansen said following Boston’s 3-2 series-clinching triumph over Washington on Sunday. “It’s fun. Coming out there more often is better. I’m gonna be sharper. Last three in a row. Now I’m going to go on vacation (Monday), but I’ll come back the next day. Feel great.

“We’re showing that we can pitch. We just have to keep playing and give the hitters a chance to win ballgames.”

Jansen has seven saves this season and 427 in his career — fifth most in major league history. Sunday marked the first time he pitched three days in a row this year.

“That means he feels good, right?” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We didn’t see that last year early in the season. … Glad that he was available. Glad he got the save.”

Despite losing two of three games against the New York Yankees over the weekend, Tampa Bay is coming off a 6-3 homestand.

The Rays surrendered five home runs during Sunday’s 10-6 setback.

“I thought we played really well the first two (games), and then I still think we did some really good things (Sunday),” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “Would have liked to find a way to win the series, but I feel like we’re heading into the road trip a better team than when we came here.”

The Yankees took a 6-0 lead on Sunday, but Tampa Bay was within a run following a five-run seventh inning that included a grand slam from Jose Siri.

“Encouraged and happy for (Siri),” Cash said. “He has been going through it a little bit. That was a big hit in the moment to get us right back in the ballgame with one swing of the bat. Took a lot of good at-bats to get there.”

Kutter Crawford (2-1, 1.75 ERA) is listed as Boston’s probable starter on Monday, opposing fellow right-hander Zach Eflin (2-4, 3.75).

Crawford has gone at least six innings in each of his past four starts. He allowed two runs on five hits, walked two and struck out six in six innings in his most recent outing, a no-decision against Atlanta last Tuesday.

Crawford is 1-0 with a 3.75 ERA in six career appearances (three starts) against Tampa Bay. He’s recorded 29 strikeouts in 24 innings against the Rays.

Eflin is coming off a seven-inning outing, earning a win against the visiting Chicago White Sox last Tuesday. He gave up a run on six hits, struck out three and didn’t issue a walk.

Eflin is 1-0 with a 6.16 ERA in his career against the Red Sox. He’s faced Boston four times (all starts) and has given up 23 hits (including five home runs) and 13 runs in 19 innings. He also has 25 strikeouts.

Boston and Tampa Bay will meet seven times in the next 10 days.

–Field Level Media

TAMPA – ST PETE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Tamps starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow matched his career high with 14 strikeouts as the Tampa Bay Rays topped the Boston Red Sox 3-1 on Wednesday in the rubber game of a three-game series.

Across six innings in a 103-pitch outing, Glasnow (8-5) yielded one run on three hits and one walk.

The 6-foot-8 right-hander rounded out his start by fanning six consecutive batters in the fifth and sixth innings. Glasnow’s only previous 14-K game came against the Texas Rangers on April 12, 2021.

Brandon Lowe and Isaac Paredes both homered and Harold Ramirez doubled home a run as Tampa Bay (85-55) improved to 9-2 this season against the Red Sox (72-68).

Pete Fairbanks struck out two in a scoreless ninth for his 20th save in 22 chances.

The Rays added to their sterling home record against Boston, beating their division rival for the 15th time in the past 16 matchups in the dome.

For the Red Sox, Connor Wong had an RBI triple, but the visitors produced only five hits and fanned 17 times, including seven straight midgame.

Injured on Sunday, Boston outfielder Alex Verdugo (left hamstring tightness) did not play and missed the entire series.

In the third inning, Boston went up 1-0 with no outs on Wong’s triple, a high shot into the right field corner that plated Enmanuel Valdez, who had singled.

Glasnow, who had recorded five strikeouts in the first two frames, left Wong stranded at third after a diving stop by shortstop Osleivis Basabe was surrounded by Wilyer Abreu and Justin Turner both looking at third strikes.

Lowe, the hero on Tuesday with a walk-off homer in a 8-6, 11-inning win, went deep on a four-seam fastball from Nick Pivetta (9-8) with two outs in the bottom of the first on Wednesday.

He ripped his game-tying 19th long ball out to right-center at 109.2 mph at 416 feet, giving him 18 homers in 53 career games against Boston.

Paredes took Pivetta deep with two outs in the fourth, hammering a 3-2 four-seamer for his 28th homer and 87th RBI for a 2-1 lead.

The Rays made Pivetta pay for wildness in the fifth. After two walks, Ramirez’s two-out double off the center field wall sent home Yandy Diaz and chased Pivetta after 4 2/3 innings. The right-hander yielded three runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five.

–Field Level Media

TAMPA – ST. PETE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – As Tampa Bay prepares to conclude a three-game series with the Boston Red Sox, there is a good chance a lot of momentum will be on the Rays’ side in the Wednesday night finale at Tampa Bay.

On Tuesday night, the Rays fought back for a dramatic win when Brandon Lowe swatted a three-run homer to beat Boston 8-6 in 11 innings.

Tampa Bay (84-55) almost got the win in the 10th — then it almost didn’t happen at all.

With one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th, Josh Lowe, representing the potential winning run, was doubled up at home on Christian Bethancourt’s fly to right. Adam Duvall’s throw was up the third base line but in time enough for catcher Connor Wong to tag the speedy Lowe.

The Red Sox (72-67) took a one-run lead into the bottom of the 11th when Luis Urias dropped a flare into right over the Rays’ drawn-in infield. Brandon Lowe appeared to catch the ball, bobbled it and saw it fall to the ground as Rob Refsnyder came home with the go-ahead run.

Though Urias was credited with a hit, Brandon Lowe atoned for his inability to make the play by crushing his game-winning homer to right off Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen after Yandy Diaz walked.

“It felt great, honestly, with us being up early and kind of playing some shoddy defense there in that inning,” said Lowe, who also made an error at second base in the seventh when Boston scored twice to tie it at 5. “I guarantee you half of our infield and some of our other guys felt horrible.

“Feeling that off (homer) the bat kind of relieved all that pressure from the stank of that inning.”

The Red Sox saw their three-game winning streak end and failed to clinch the series. They will try again on Wednesday, likely with outfielder Alex Verdugo (left hamstring tightness) on the bench.

“He’s doing OK,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We’ll take it day by day, obviously. Playing here (on artificial turf) doesn’t help, obviously. We’ll see how he responds to treatment.”

Cora did not rule out the availability of Verdugo for the series finale but stressed that a return later in the week was more realistic.

“Maybe Wednesday, and then hopefully, he can get better throughout the week and be ready for Friday,” Cora said.

The left-handed-hitting Verdugo is batting .278 with 13 homers and 53 RBIs in 124 games.

On Wednesday, Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow (7-5, 3.17 ERA) will make his 10th career appearance (all starts) against the Red Sox. He look to improve on his 2-1 record and 3.59 ERA vs. Boston. Glasnow got a no-decision against the Red Sox on June 3 after giving up one run in 5 1/3 innings.

Boston has hit .215 against the Newhall, Calif., native and stolen 12 bases — the most by any team against him.

The Red Sox will send out Nick Pivetta (9-7, 4.49 ERA) in an effort to leave the Sunshine State with a series-clinching victory.

In 10 career appearances (nine starts) against the Rays, the right-hander is 1-5 with a 4.44 ERA and a .214 opponents’ batting average. He has no decisions and a 1.59 ERA in two games (one start) vs. Tampa Bay this year.

–Field Level Media