The Sports Xchange
Sep 16, 2017
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Deven Marrero had a two-run double as part of a seven-run outburst in the top of the 15th inning as the Boston Red Sox earned a 13-6 win against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Friday.
Boston (84-63) maintained a three-game lead over the New York Yankees in the American League East Division. The Red Sox magic number to reach the postseason dropped to seven.
Tampa Bay (72-76) has lost three of its past four games and remains 5 1/2 games behind the Minnesota Twins for the second AL wild card.
Jackie Bradley Jr. scored on an error by Rays second baseman Brad Miller to give Boston a 7-6 lead in the 15th. Andrew Benintendi and Mitch Moreland added RBI singles to make it 9-6.
Brandon Workman (1-1) picked up the win for Boston, while Austin Pruitt (7-5), the 11th of 12 pitchers used by the Rays, took the loss.
Adeiny Hechavarria had a home run for the Rays in the sixth inning, his seventh of the year, to put Tampa Bay ahead 4-2.
Wilson Ramos gave the Rays a 5-2 lead in the eighth inning with his second home run of the game, an opposing field shot to right off Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes.
The Red Sox rallied for three runs in the top of the ninth against Rays closer Alex Colome. Moreland led off the inning with a walk and scored on an error by Rays second baseman Danny Espinosa. Sandy Leon and Xander Bogaerts followed with RBI singles to tie the game at 5-5.
Mookie Betts scored on an RBI single by Rafael Devers to give the Red Sox a 6-5 lead in the top of the 14th inning.
But Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier tied the game with a solo homer to right field in the bottom of the 14th.
Red Sox starter Chris Sale gave up four runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out nine batters but gave up two crucial home runs.
Ramos gave the Rays a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning with a two-run homer to right field off Sale.
Boston had taken a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth behind a solo home run from Moreland off Rays starter Matt Andriese.
The two teams traded runs in the first inning. Benintendi had an RBI single for the Red Sox that scored Bogaerts, while Evan Longoria had an RBI single to plate Kiermaier for Tampa Bay.
Andriese gave up two runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out three.
NOTES: Red Sox SS Xander Bogaerts was hit by a pitch near his elbow by Rays RHP Matt Andriese. Bogaerts was examined by the team's trainers and remained in the game. ... Rays RHP Jake Faria (left abdominal strain) was activated from 10-day disabled list. ...Red Sox 1B/DH Hanley Ramirez (shoulder) was out of the lineup and will await an MRI. ...The Red Sox were fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Baseball for "sending electronic communications from their video replay room to an athletic trainer in the dugout for the purpose of stealing signals."