The Red Sox saved their best for their last at-bat, rallying for six runs in the bottom of the eighth to swipe an 8-7 victory from the Tampa Bay Rays. It was Boston's eighth straight win and, correspondingly, Tampa's eighth straight defeat.
Trailing 7-2 with two out and one on, the Sox produced six straight hits off two Tampa relievers and staged their biggest comeback of the season.
The Rays had scored in every inning from the second through the seventh, chasing starter Eduardo Rodriguez in the fourth. Converted starters Brian Johnson and Hector Velazquez couldn't hold the Rays off, each allowing two runs.
But Mitch Moreland's run-scoring double in the eighth got things going, with Rafael Devers later adding a two-run double of his own down the left field line. A double by Andrew Benintendi, which eluded a twisting Mallex Smith on the warning track in front of the Wall, delivered Mookie Betts with the eventual winning run.
WHO: Red Sox vs. Rays
WHEN: 1:05 p.m.
WHERE: Fenway Park
TV/RADIO: NESN/WEEI 93.7 FM
STARTING PITCHERS: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Andrew Kittredge (0-2, 3.18)WHAT'S UP: Since losing on Opening Day, the Red Sox have ripped off seven straight wins and own the best record in the American League. They've won their first three series, regardless of what happens Sunday afternoon. The Rays, by contrast, are reeling, having lost every game since their opener. At 1-7, they own baseball's worst record.
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
4:44: It's a six-run rally for the Red Sox, who have grabbed the lead for the first time. It's their biggest inning of the season, capped by a run-scoring singles from Vazquez and Mookie Betts, with the go-ahead run scoring on a double -- a ball seemingly misplayed by Tampa left field Mallex Smith -- from Andrew Benintendi
4:33 Off the end of the bat double from Rafael Devers down the left field line scores two, and now the Red Sox have the potential tying run at the plate in Christian Vazquez. Alex Colome on for Tampa -- the guy against whom the Sox rallied for two runs in the home opener Thursday to tie the game in the ninth.
4:24: Move over, Giancarlo Stanton. The Yankee slugger heard the boos after a five-strikeout performance in the Yankee home opener. And now, J.D. Martinez, 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, hears them too from the home fans. On his way back to the dugout after his second straight whiff, Martinez gets an earful from a half-full Fenway.
4:14: Carson Smith began the inning with some promise, getting two quick groundouts. But he then loaded the bases with two walks sandwiched around a single before fanning David Robertson to end the inning. Smart move by Cora to try to get Smith going in a game already out of hand, but Smith struggled again.
3:44: Well, that looked troubling. Xander Bogaerts, retrieving an errant throw from the outfield, slid into the protective railing in front of the Rays dugout and appears to have suffered either a knee or ankle injury. He was limping and unable to bear much weight on the leg as he left the game. Brock Holt now at SS.
3:26: Alex Cora had to like the odds -- rookie lefty Bobby Poyner had twice faced Kevin Kiermaier in the first 10 days of the season and retired him both times: once on an infield popup (in Poyner's major league debut) and on Thursday, by strikeout. But Kiermaier got the best of the matchup this time, smacking a triple to the triangle for another Tampa Bay run.
3:01: Red Sox have had the leadoff man on in three of the first four innings, but with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth, this is their first real rally opportunity. Benintendi at the plate.
2:24: A lineout to J.D. Martinez leads to the second out, but Martinez, with a chance to double-up Brad Miller at second, badly overthrows second and the inning continues. That's all for Rodriguez, who throws 92 pitches in just 3.2 innings.
2:22: A bloop single from Adeiny Hechavarria -- with the infield in -- drops into shallow CF and scores a run. Andrew Benintendi seemed to get a slow start on that. Again, another ball that I believe Jackie Bradley Jr. would have caught had he been in center.
2:07: Rodriguez has seven strikeouts through three, but they're coming at a cost. He's also thrown as astonishing 73 pitches in those three innings, with only three of his 13 at-bats concluding in fewer than five pitches. This has been a career-long issue.
1:29: C.J. Cron wallops a four-seamer by Rodriguez into the center field bleachers and we're quickly tied at 1-1.
1:23: The Rays had the infield in three batters into the game, with Mookie Betts on third and one out. It looked like the strategy was going to pay off but Hanley Ramirez hit a chopper to short and Betts took off for the plate. But shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria determined that, because of the high hop, he was better off getting the out at first and Betts scored the game's first run.
1:15: In his first inning of work this season, Eduardo Rodriguez looks powerful and strikes out the side. His four-seamer was consistently at 94 mph, but he wasn't terribly efficient, falling behind to two of the three hitters he faced and needing 21 pitches to get through the first.
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Betts RF
Benintendi CF
Ramirez DH
Martinez LF
Bogaerts SS
Moreland 1B
Nunez 2B
Devers 3B
Vazquez C
RAYS
Duffy 3B
Kiermaier CF
Gomez RF
Cron DH
Robertson 2B
Miller 1B
Sucre C
Hechavarria SS
Refsnyder LF
NEWS AND NOTES:
- Alex Cora attributes the hot start for Xander Bogaerts to an aggressive yet disciplined approach at the plate. "He's swinging at strikes and doing damage with strikes,'' said Cora of the shortstop, who comes into Sunday with a slash line of .371/.405/.743. "I think people got caught up when I said at (the introductory) press conference that we were going to be aggressive early in the count. It doesn't mean that he's going to swing at anything that comes to the plate. It means he's going to stay away from marginal strikes, borderline pitchers that he can't do damage with. We're avoiding that. I read somewhere that we're in the top tier of teams barreling pitches in the middle of the plate. That's what we're trying to do and he's doing a good job.''
- The Sox have yet to make an error through the first eight games, which Cora attributes to some hard work in spring training. "It looks like they're taking pride in their defense,'' Cora said. "Are we perfect? No. I think we're still in the bottom (when it comes to) turning ground balls into outs still. But we're making the routine plays. Zack Scott (director of baseball information) is going an outstanding job with his team putting our guys into position to make plays. Sometimes, there's a ground balls that gets through; everyone notices that. It's normal. But not too many people are noticing the ones that get caught. And that's what we care about.''
- OF Andrew Benintendi is hitting just .154, but has been patient enough that his on-base percentage of .371 with a team high nine walks, including two Saturday. "He's not getting pitches to hit,'' said Cora. "Everything is down-and-away, down-and-away. Some of them are strikes, but there's nothing you can do with those pitches. He's staying in the zone. He's not expanding.
- Dustin Pedroia will start running the bases on Tuesday, the last step before he goes out on a rehab assignment. "I know it's tough for him to just watch and not be part of it,'' said Cora. "But he's helping out, too, in the dugout and clubhouse. He took ground balls (Saturday) and he looked a lot better than when I saw him in October. That's awesome. He was moving well, hopping and turning double plays. His batting practice is a lot better. He's driving the ball. Now, it's just a matter of running the bases and we'll see where we go after that. He's been hitting for a month already and taking ground balls, he's a full blast. He's moving well, going side-to-side. Now, it's all about running.''