The Tampa Bay Rays spotted the Boston Red Sox a 7-1 lead after two innings, but rallied to force extra innings, and with two runs in the top of the tenth inning, hold on for a 11-10 victory Monday afternoon at Fenway Park.
Tampa Bay got out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, as Wander Franco tripled, extending his on-base streak to 36 games, and scored on a base hit by Nelson Cruz.
But Boston got the run back from Ryan Yarbrough in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by J.D. Martinez, then scored six more runs in the bottom of the second inning on a double by Taylor Motter, a two-base hit by Hunter Renfroe, an RBI single by Rafael Devers, a two-run double by Bobby Dalbec, and a sacrifice fly by Alex Verdugo.
Shawn Armstrong took over for Yarbrough to start the third and kept Boston from adding on, allowing the Rays bats to get back into the game. In the fourth, Taylor Walls started a two-out rally with a infield base hit, and Randy Arozarena and Franco followed with singles to load the bases. Cruz then lifted a fly ball to center that Verdugo lost in the sun, deflecting off his glove and landing for a three-base error that allowed all three runs to score, and when Motter airmailed the throw to third base into the seats, Cruz scored to make it 7-5.
Tampa Bay would chase Sale before the inning was done, as he departed having thrown 86 pitches in just 3 2/3 innings.
The Rays cut the deficit back to one run in the sixth, as Franco’s one-out single was followed by a two-out base hit by Yandy Diaz, and Jordan Luplow’s single brought in the 20-year-old.
The two sides then began trading runs, with Renfroe stretching the lead back to two with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single, but Arozarena’s RBI single in the top of the seventhmade it 8-7. Jonathan Arauz then hit a solo homer off J.P. Feyereisen, his third of the season, to make it 9-7, but Cruz responded with a solo shot of his own off Adam Ottavino, his 28th of the year.
The Rays finally pulled even again in the ninth, as Austin Meadows hit an inside the park home run off Garrett Whitlock, his 24th home run of the season.
Collin McHugh’s scoreless bottom of the ninth forced extra innings, and Tampa Bay was able to take the lead for the first time since the top of the first, when Cruz’s RBI single scored Arozarena, and Lowe followed with a base hit of his own that brought in Cruz to make it 11-9.
McHugh allowed a RBI single to Jose Iglesias in the bottom of the tenth, and ended up loading the bases before getting Kevin Plawecki to ground out to end the game.
The win allows the Rays to add another game between themselves and the rest of the division thanks to Toronto defeating the New York Yankees. Tampa Bay now leads the Yankees by 8 1/2 games, with Boston now trailing by 9 games.
Drew Rasmussen (1-1, 3.38 ERA) will look to ensure a series win with a victory Tuesday night, taking on Eduardo Rodriguez (11-7, 4.88 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 7:10.