All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Rays' 4-2 victory over the Red Sox, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Kutter Crawford pitched three innings in the loss on Saturday. He allowed one run, two hits and no walks while striking out three batters. Crawford threw 40 pitches, 29 for strikes while also getting 21 swings and eight whiffs.
“There were a lot of guys down,” Alex Cora said postgame. “It’s one of those, you do the math and we had only a handful of pitchers. We almost pulled it out. (Crawford’s) velocity was great. I know I said more than four (innings) but you’ve got to take care of him. It’s more about him, he pitched two days ago and obviously is coming off the IL, so you’ve got to take care of him. He did a great job and gave us a chance to win.”
TURNING POINT
The Red Sox were able to chase Rays starter Tyler Glasnow from Game 2 after he tossed 5 2/3 innings with his team leading by a run. Boston tied the game in the seventh inning after Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe dropped a Rafael Devers pop up with two outs. Connor Wong scored from first base on the error.
Even though the Sox had a little bit of help from Mother Nature on that pop up, the taxed bullpen wasn’t able to keep the game tied and the Rays took the lead in the ninth inning.
Rays’ Harold Ramírez was the star of the game, he went 3-for-5 with a two-run double. He recorded his 11th career go-ahead RBI in the ninth inning or later.
UP
How to break out of a slump?: Triston Casas has been scuffling at the plate, he’s hitting a putrid .158 (5-for-18) over his five games with eight strikeouts. The second game of the doubleheader Casas finally showed some life at the plate. Casas collected two hits, a double and a triple (first career) and one RBI in the loss. Alex Cora told reporters earlier that Casas needed to focus on hitting the ball the other way.
“Left center, that’s a good sign, that’s something that we saw last year when he got here, being able to hit the ball the other way. Those were two good swings,” Cora told reporters postgame.
His double in the second inning snapped an 0-for-13 stretch at the plate. Casas has five multi-hit games this season and this was his third game with multiple extra base hits.
Southpaws step up: Ryan Sherriff and Brennan Bernardino pitched in high-leverage spots on Saturday night. Sherriff replaced Justin Garza with one out in the top of the fifth inning. After allowing a base hit to Francisco Mejía, the Sox lefty was able to escape a bases-loaded jam by getting Yandy Díaz to ground out and then striking out Brandon Lowe. A visibly excited Sherriff pumped his fist up and down as he walked off the filed to the Sox dugout.
Sherriff pitched himself into a jam in the sixth, Jose Siri doubled home a run to give the Rays the lead. The 33-year-old tossed 37 pitches in Game 2, tossing 1 1/3 innings and allowing one run, three hits, one walk and striking out one.
Bernardino threw two scoreless innings, giving up two hits and striking out four. The lefty has recorded his ninth outing in 13 appearances without allowing an earned run. He was designated as the 27th man on the roster for the doubleheader.
“Sherriff and (Brennan) Bernardino were amazing. (Justin) Garza too” Cora said postgame. “It is what it is. Kutter did a great job and we had a chance in the ninth inning.”
DOWN
Kenley Jansen, who pitched in Game 1, blew a ninth-inning hold attempt. Ramírez doubled into the right field gap, allowing two runs to score.
“It sucks, but I thought I threw the ball well,” Jansen said postgame. “Honestly, I felt great.”
Joely Rodríguez was warming up in the bullpen alongside Sherriff but was stopped after feeling something in his bicep, said Cora. The team is not sure yet if this will require an injured list stint.
“Joely got up, but we had to get him down,” said Cora said. “We’re checking on him now. He’s not feeling right, so we were one inning short. You map it out, but the game is the game. They’re checking on him, it’s probably his bicep. It’s right around that area. It was when he was warming up.”
UP NEXT
Sunday: RHP Tanner Houck (3-4, 5.30 ERA) vs. RHP Taj Bradley (3-2, 3.60 ERA) 1:35 p.m. NESN/WEEI 93.7 FM
Monday: RHP Brayan Bello (3-3, 3.89) vs. TBD