All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' win over the Rays, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Sale labors through six: This was not a typical Chris Sale performance. He had just three strikeouts and didn't record a 1-2-3 inning until the fifth. He also had bits of wildness, walking two and hitting another. But he also managed to limit the damage over six innings, with the only runs against him coming on a two-run homer by Tampa Bay shortstop Wander Franco, who tomahawked a pitch up and away in the second and hit out to right. Sale threw 95 pitches over six -- both his pitch count and innings were season highs -- and kept the Sox in the game. There were times that he difficulty spotting both his changeup and slider, and his velocity remained in the 93-mph neighborhood until late in the game when he channeled some frustration over his inability to command better and amped up with his fastball.
Duran delivers game-winner: For the first eight innings, it wasn't the best of nights for rookie outfielder Jarren Duran. He struck out in two of his first three plate appearances and flied to center on another. In center, he seemed to take the wrong route on a ball hit by Joey Wendle that fell in on the warning track for a leadoff double in the eighth, But in the top of the night, with Rafael Devers on second, Duran made up for his earlier struggles and slapped a ball to right side that snaked through the infield, scoring Devers with what turned into the game-winning run.
Defense much improved: After one of their sloppiest games of the season on Tuesday, the Red Sox cleaned it up in big way during Wednesday's win. The newly minted double-play combination of Jonathan Arauz and Jack Lopez turned three double plays behind Sale. But the biggest plays came in the seventh and eighth innings. Both times, the Rays had baserunners at third base with less than one out. Both times, the Red Sox played the infield in. And both times, the Sox cut down the runner at home. In the seventh, Christian Vazquez dug out on a low throw from Rafael Devers to apply the tag on Joey Wendle; an inning later, it was a more on-target throw from Arauz that enabled them to make the tag.
TURNING POINT
The power has been missing from Christian Vazquez's game this season. Entering Wednesday's game, he had just five homers, a far cry from the 23 he hit in 2019, his last full season. But the one he hit in the seventh inning couldn't have been bigger. The Sox had trailed 2-1 since the third inning and had just three hits -- all singles -- in the previous four innings. There was frustration setting in that they were about to waste a solid start from Chris Sale, when Vazquez jumped on a hanging slider from Collin McHugh, tying the game and injecting new life into the Red Sox dugout.
TWO UP
Christian Vazquez: The catcher knocked in each of two runs -- the first on a single and the second with a game-tying homer in the seventh and also made two huge putouts at the plate in the seventh and eighth.
Garrett Whitlock: The rookie righthander provided two shutout innings, serving as a bridge between Sale and closer Adam Ottavino.
TWO DOWN
J.D. Martinez: It was rough night at the plate for Martinez, who was 0-for-4, hitting into a double play and striking out twice.
Carlos Febles: The third base coach made a strange call when he sent Christian Vazquez home on a single to right in the fifth inning, with Vazquez out at the plate by a good 15 feet.
QUOTE OF NOTE:
"There's no doubt we've had some gut punches over the last week. But to know that we've got some fight left in us, we've got some kick. No one in here's giving up.'' Chris Sale.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* The homer by Christian Vazquez extended the team's games with at least one homer to 10 straight.
* The win snapped a seven-game losing streak for the Red Sox at Tropicana Field.
* Chris Sale has allowed six earned runs over four starts and every one has been scored as the result of a home run.
* Red Sox pitchers hit two more batters, bringing the total to five over the last two games.
UP NEXT:
The Red Sox and Rays wrap up their four-game series Thursday at 7:10 with LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (10-7, 5.12) vs. LHP Shane McClanahan (9-4 3.59)