Final: Red Sox 6, Rays 5

The Red Sox hung on for a nail-biter, edging the Tampa Bay Rays, 6-5, after the Sox saw a one-run lead disappear in the eighth inning.

In the ninth, a sacrifice fly from Andrew Benintendi scored Jackie Bradley Jr. with the go-ahead run. Earlier, Benintendi had belted a grand slam to give the Red Sox a 5-0 lead.

Michael Chavis, making his major league debut, delivered a big double in the eighth, sending Bradley to third, from where he broke the tie.

The game ended with Christian Vazquez picking off Tommy Pham at first.

WHO: Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays
WHEN: 6:10 p.m.
WHERE: Tropicana Field
SERIES TO DATE: Red Sox won the opener, 6-4
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Rick Porcello (0-3, 11.12) vs. RHP Charlie Morton (2-0, 2.18)
TV/RADIO: NESN/WEEI 93.7 FM

IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:

8:58  Nice moment for Michael Chavis, who gets a 99 mph fastball from Jose Alvarado and slams a double over the head of Kevin Kiermaier, sending Jackie Bradley Jr. to third.

8:45  Barnes allows a game-tying homer to Yandy Diaz. The Red Sox didn't have a blown save in their first 18 games; they now have two in the last three.

8:25  Impressive appearance by Marcus Walden, who inherited a man on third and one out jam, but strikes out Tommy Pham (looking) and Willy Adames (swinging) to strand the runner and protect the one-run lead.

8:20 Hard to imagine a worse pitch than the one thrown by Bobby Poyner -- ahead 1-and-2 to Austin Meadows, he throw a fastball over the heart of the plate and saw hit it smacked to right for a two-run triple.

8:05  After their biggest scoring inning of the season -- five runs in the second -- the offense has been shutdown for the Sox, with just two baserunners since that inning.

7:54 That's it for Porcello, who pitches into the sixth inning for the first time this season. Also walked just one, a big improvement over his first three outings.

7:42 That's the beauty of the sinker -- which Porcello doesn't throw as much as he did a few years ago. Needing a double play with first-and-second and one out, Porcello's first pitch, a two-seamer, is hit to third for a double play.

7:33  Morton has pitched Martinez effectively, getting him to chase breaking balls at the bottom of the zone -- and lower.

7:29  Missed location for Porcello in that at-bat to Lowe, who gives the Rays their second triple in the span of three hitters -- scoring a run in the process.

7:03   The injuries continue to pile up -- Mitch Moreland comes out with back spasms, replaced at first base by Steve Pearce.

6:49  Avisail Garcia came into tonight with success (7-for-22) against Porcello and continued that with a nice inside-out swing that sent a four-seamer over the wall in RF

6:42  Rough start for the Rays, who need length from Morton tonight, given their bullpen usage over the previous three nights. He trails 5-0 early and has already thrown a lot of pitches.

6:36 Red Sox take full advantage of Charlie Morton's wildness (two walks, hit batsman) with a grand slam by Andrew Benintendi. Umpires review the call, with the possibility of fan interference, but the call stands.

 

LINEUPS



RED SOX

Benintendi LF
Betts RF
Moreland 1B
Martinez DH
Bogaerts SS
Devers 3B
Bradley CF
Lin 2B
Leon C

RAYS

Meadows RF
Pham LF
Choi 1B
Diaz 3B
Lowe 2B
Garcia DH
Kiermaier CF
Robertson SS
Perez C

WHAT'S UP: Red Sox snapped a three-game losing streak with a 6-4 win Friday night...It marked only the second time this season that the Red Sox won the opener of a series...They've yet to win any of their first six series this season...The Sox have hit five homers in the last two games after hitting just seven in their previous nine contests..When the Sox homer this year, they're 7-6; when they don't, they're 0-7...Christian Vazquez has three homers in his last five games, or as many as he hit in 80 games in 2018...He has four homers for the season, one shy of his career high of five, set in 2017...Vazquez also has knocked in eight runs in his last five games...He's the first Red Sox catcher to hit at least four homers before May 1 since Jarrod Saltalamacchia in 2012...The Sox' starting rotation continues to trend up. After posting a collective ERA of 8.79 in their first 13 games,, over the last seven games, the rotation is pitching to a 3.16 ERA....Moreover, after allowing a staggering 18 homer in the first 13 games, they've since allowed just three in the last seven...Reliever Matt Barnes has struck out exactly half of the batters he's faced this season -- 14 of 28...J.D. Martinez remains one homer shy of 200 for his career...Martinez has hit safely in nine straight games and has reached base in 19 of 20 games this season...Only two Red Sox players in history have hit safely in at least 19 of the team's first 20 games -- Carl Reynolds in 1934 and Eddie Bressoud in 1964...This year marks the first time in his career that Mitch Moreland has hit five or more homers in the month of April. He leads the Sox with six...Starter Rick Porcello has more wins against the Rays (14) than any other opponent...His career ERA of 2.86 is the lowest for him in any ballpark in which he's made at least three starts...Avisail Garcia has had success (8-for-22, one homer, six RBI) against Porcello in the past...Meanwhile, Kevin Kiermaier is just 11-for-47 against him...Martinez (2-for-12) has struggled against Charlie Morton while Xander Bogaerts is 6-for-12 with a homer and two RBI...