Yandy Diaz homered and finished a triple shy of the cycle, and Mike Zunino and Randy Arozarena also homered to help the Tampa Bay Rays draw even in the loss column with the Boston Red Sox thanks to a 7-3 victory Friday night at Tropicana Field.
Tampa Bay wasted little time going after Red Sox starter Martin Perez, as Austin Meadows drew a two-out walk, and Diaz followed by crushing the next pitch to left-center for his seventh home run of the year, all coming since June 6.
The top of the order came through again in the third, with Nelson Cruz singling off Perez with one out, moving to second on a base hit by Diaz, and both runners scored on a double by Wander Franco.
Rays starter Josh Fleming kept Boston off the board through the first three innings, but Boston got on the board in the fourth with Xander Bogaerts reaching on an infield single, moving to second two batters later on a walk by Hunter Renfroe. Christian Vazquez drove in Bogaerts with a base hit, but was thrown out trying to advance to second base. Bobby Dalbec followed with a single to score Renfroe to make it 4-2, and Fleming would eventually load the bases before getting Enrique Hernandez to pop out to end the threat.
Tampa Bay used a pair of solo homers, an opposite-field blast by Zunino, his 20th of the year, and a line drive to left by Arozarena that cleared the seats and the councourse for his 14th of the season, pushing the lead back to 6-2.
Bogaerts and Renfroe combined again for a run in the fifth, with the right fielder’s double driving in the shortstop. But the Rays added on one final run in the bottom of the inning when Franco tripled off reliever Yacksel Rios and scored on a wild pitch.
Kevin cash used four relievers to finish off the game, with each getting an inning of work. Left-hander Ryan Sherriff worked a scoreless seventh, while the newest member of the Tampa Bay bullpen, JT Chargois, who came over in the trade with Seattle for Diego Castillo, put up a scoreless seventh. Louis Head struck out a pair in a scoreless eighth, and Jeffrey Springs worked a 1-2-3 top of the ninth to finish out the game.
The victory draws the Rays even in the loss column with the Red Sox, and just a game behind in wins at 62-42.
Tampa Bay can regain the lead in the American League East with a win in Saturday’s middle game of the series. Ryan Yarbrough (6-4, 4.38 ERA) will get the start, taking on Nathan Eovaldi (9-5, 3.49 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 6:10.
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
