JD Martinez had two hits and three RBI, and Nick Pivetta pitched a very strong 5.0 innings on Monday night as the Boston Red Sox won for the first time in the 2021 season with an 11-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park.
Boston (1-3), after a three game sweep at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles over the weekend, broke the game open with two runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings to take a 7-0 lead. Hunter Renfroe had a sacrifice RBI fly and Franchy Cordero an RBI groundout in the fourth, Xander Bogaerts a two run double in the fifth, and then Enrique Hernandez added an RBI double and Alex Verdugo a sacrifice RBI fly in the sixth. Martinez wrapped a three run homerun around the foul pole in right in the eighth inning, his second of the early season as the Sox had 16 hits on the night.
Pivetta (1-0) allowed no runs on two hits with four walks and four strikeouts in his 5.0 inning start. Matt Andriese, Darwinzon Hernandez, Adam Ottavino, and Phillips Valdez also all pitched for Boston. Ottavino got a hold in a bases loaded situation in a 7-2 game in the top of the eighth. Bogaerts had four hits, while Martinez, Vedugo, Christian Vazquez, Renfroe, and Cordero all had two a piece. Martinez had the three RBI and Verdugo and Cordero had two each. Randy Arozarena and Brandon Lowe had two hits each for Tampa Bay (2-2), and Michael Wacha (0-1) lost on the mound for the Rays allowing four runs on eight hits in 5.0 innings.
