Brett Sullivan‘s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning broke a 2-2 tie, and snapped the Tampa Bay Rays’ five-game spring losing streak with a 3-2 win over the Boston Red Sox Monday at Charlotte Sports Park.
Sullivan, pinch-hitting for Mike Zunino, brought in Tristan Gray, who led off the inning against Josh Taylor with a base hit, moving to second on a walk to Miles Mastrobuoni and taking third on a fielder’s choice grounder from Garrett Whitley.
Tampa Bay originally took a first-inning lead two batters into the game when Brandon Lowe‘s RBI single scored Randy Arozarena.
Minor-leaguer Joe Ryan worked a scoreless top of the first, but Boston was able to get to reliever Hunter Strickland in the second, as Michael Chavis hit a solo home run to tie the game, and after Strickland loaded the bases, a fielding error by Yandy Diaz gave the Red Sox a 2-1 lead.
Tampa Bay tied the game in the fifth off Hirokazu Sawamura, who loaded the bases with nobody out, but after striking our Arozarena and Lowe, walked Diaz to force in a run.
Shane McClanahan struck out the side in his only inning of work, and Josh Fleming allowed just one hit in two innings of work. Pete Fairbanks earned the win pitching a scoreless sixth, and Ryan Thompson worked a scoreless seventh. David Hess and Kenny Rosenberg each allowed a pair of hits, but no runs to end the game.
The Rays will host the Baltimore Orioles at Charlotte Sports Park Tuesday, with Ryan Yarbrough (0-0, 0.00 ERA) starting against Felix Hernandez (0-1, 9.64 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 1:05.
Notes
After the game, Rosenberg was reassigned to minor-league camp, joining nine other minor-leaguers who were reassigned prior to the contest.