Randy Arozarena had a game winning RBI single as part of a seven run fifth inning Thursday afternoon, as the Tampa Bay Rays swept a four game series from the Boston Red Sox with a 9-3 win at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. Tampa is now 13-0, matching the 1982 Atlanta Braves and 1987 Milwaukee Brewers for the best start to a season ever and also breaking a club record for consecutive victories (12 in June 2004).
The teams swapped a run each in the first inning as Rob Refsnyder and Yandy Diaz both hit solo homeruns. Boston (5-8) took a 3-1 lead when Kike Hernandez grounded into a forceout allowing Justin Turner to score in the fourth, and Turner drove in Christian Arroyo with a single in the fifth. Things imploded for the Red Sox in the last of the fifth. Harold Ramirez led off with a double to left field, and after Taylor Walls grounded out, Josh Lowe walked. Francisco Mejia singled to score Ramirez to cut it to 3-2, and then Diaz lined out to Alex Verdugo in right for the second out as Verdugo made a great catch. That would chase starter Corey Kluber from the game. Richard Bleier came on to pitch and was greeted by a tying single from Brandon Lowe, and then Arozarena singled to right for the game winner. Wander Franco followed by getting hit with a pitch, Manuel Margo laid down a perfect bunt that Bleier had no play on that scored a run, and Ramirez who led off the inning cleared the bases with a three-run double to make it 8-3 Rays. Brandon Lowe capped off the scoring with a solo homerun in the seventh, as Tampa Bay now owns a 4.5 game lead over second place New York and Toronto and an eight game lead over last place Boston in the American League East after just 13 games.
Kluber (0-3) allowed four runs on four hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in 4.2 innings in taking the pitching loss. Turner had two hits. Ramirez led Tampa Bay with three hits and three RBI, while Brandon Lowe added two hits and a pair of RBI in the victory. Kevin Kelly (1-0) earned the win on the mound in relief of starter Jeffrey Springs. Braden Bristo got his first save by pitching the final 3.0 innings. Springs left the game with an apparent arm injury with no outs in the fourth inning. The left hander has only allowed one earned run in 16.0 innings so far on the season with 24 strikeouts. Boston limps back home to open up a four game series at Fenway Park with the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night. Tanner Houck (2-0, 4.50 ERA) takes to the hill for the Sox in the opener, to be opposed by lefty Patrick Sandoval (1-0, 1.64). The Rays look to break the record when they start a three game series in Toronto against the Blue Jays Friday.
Story by Chris Lessner
