Final: Rays 5, Red Sox 4, (11)

Willy Adames slammed a game-winning single to left field, sending the Tampa Bay Rays to a 5-4 walkoff win in 11 innings over the Red Sox.

The Red Sox got two homers and four RBI from Mitch Moreland -- the first to take the lead in the seventh; the second to tie the game at 4-4 in the ninth -- but otherwise couldn't generate a lot of offense.

Trevor Kelley, the eighth Red Sox pitcher of the night, issued consecutive walks with two outs in the 11th, then allowed the game-winning single to Adames.

 

WHO: Red Sox (80-72) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (90-63)
WHEN: 7:10 p.m.
WHERE: Tropicana Field
SEASON SERIES: Tampa Bay 9-6
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Rick Porcello (13-12, 5.77) vs. RHP Charlie Morton (15-6, 3.16)
TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI 93.7 FM

 IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:

10:18   Moreland strikes again, this time to the opposite field. Down to their last two outs, the Red Sox rally to tie the game, drilling another two-run homer -- this one off Emilio Pagan.

10:05  An insurance run off Andrew Cashner - scoring on a double by Ji-Man Choi -- makes it a lot easier for the Rays as they head to the ninth. Four runs off the bullpen in two innings.

9:39   Christian Vazquez needs to a better job of keeping pitches in front of him. That's scored a wild pitch to Taylor, but Vazquez could have boxed that and prevented the go-ahead run from scoring.

9:35   Marcus Walden gets one out, but on a fielder's choice one run scores and then a run-scoring double ties the game. Josh Taylor inherits a mess with second-and-third and two out.

9:26   Darwinzon Hernandez, who has struggled with control for much of the season, walks to two in a row to fill the bases and is removed in favor or Marcus Walden.

9:08   Kevin Cash put his trust in Charlie Morton, only to have Morton leave a curveball up to Mitch Moreland, who hooks it to straightaway CF, snapping a scoreless tie

8:47   Porcello cruising now, having allowed just two hits through the first five innings. He's retired nine of the last 10, and he's done it by relying on his sinker more, along with the changeup.

8:07   Rick Porcello works out of a first-and-third mess, freezing two baserunners.

8:04  Fly ball wasn't deep enough to get  the run home from third as Gorkys Hernandez sets himself and makes a strong throw home, freezing Avisail Garcia at third.

7:42 That's a tough call for the umpires and replay crew given the path of the ball, but it looked like the Red Sox might have caught a break on the ball hit by Kevin Kiermaier.

 

 



LINEUPS:

RED SOX

Betts DH
Vazquez C
Devers 3B
Bogaerts SS
Benintendi LF
Holt RF
Moreland 1B
Bradley CF
M. Hernandez 2B

RAYS

Wendle 2B
Meadows LF
Pham DH
Choi 1B
D'arnaud C
Kiermaier CF
Garcia RF
Duffy 3B
Adames SS

WHAT'S UP: The Red Sox salvaged a game in their series with the Giants Thursday afternoon, and are 4-2 in the last six games...Technically, the Red Sox are still alive in the wild card chase, but one more loss or a win by Cleveland will eliminate them officially...The Red Sox carry the fifth-best road winning percentage into the weekend at .581....They also currently have a three-game winning streak on the road...Boston is 5-1 at Tropicana Field this season, but lost eight of nine to the Rays at Fenway...Of the last 31 games between the teams at Tropicana Field, 21 have been decided by a run or two...Four of the last five have been decided by a single run....The Sox have won six of their last seven series at the Trop and are 9-3-1 in the last 13....Rafael Devers has joined Alex Bregman as the only third baseman to have hit at least 30 homers and at least 50 doubles in the same season...Devers is also one double shy of tying Wade Boggs for most (51) in a season by a third baseman. Boggs set the mark in 1989....Xander Bogaerts is six doubles shy of tying Nomar Garciaparra for most doubles by a Red Sox shortstop and four extra-base hits shy of the franchise mark for most in a season. That, too, is held by Garciaparra...Andrew Benintendi collected his 40th double Thursday, giving the Red Sox four players with 40 more doubles for the first time in club history. Mookie Betts and Benintendi have 40 and Bogaerts and Devers have 50....Only four other teams have had four players with  40 or more doubles in the same season. The others: 2001 Kansas City Royals; 2006 Texas Rangers; 1932 Philadelphia Phillies; and the 1929 Detroit Tigers...The Sox are seven homers shy of tying the  club mark for the most homers in a season. They have 231; the record is 238 in 2003....Starter Rick Porcello is two wins shy of 150 for his career and seven strikeouts shy of 1,500....Avisail Garcia is hitting .400 (12-for-30) with two homers lifetime against Porcello and Austin Meadows is hitting .125 (1-for-8)….Bogaerts is hitting .348 (8-for-23) with a homer lifetime against Charlie Morton while Jackie Bradley Jr. is just 1-for-14 with seven strikeouts.