Roman Anthony powers Red Sox past Rays, 4-2, as postseason berth draws closer

The Red Sox finally carried some momentum from one night into the next.

Less than 24 hours after Trevor Story’s dramatic three-run homer rescued them from a sweep in Texas, Boston came out swinging Friday night at Tropicana Field. 

Roman Anthony drove in the first three runs, Jahmai Jones added a solo homer, and the Red Sox held on for a 4-2 victory over the first-place Rays.

Boston’s second straight win improved the Red Sox to 84-70 and reduced their postseason magic number to two, with the possibility of it falling to one pending the Rangers’ result later Friday.

Ranger Suarez battled command issues throughout an uneven start, Wyatt Olds flirted with disaster in the sixth and Erik Miller made the ninth far more adventurous than necessary. But after spending much of the series in Texas waiting for its offense to come alive, Boston gave its pitching staff an early cushion.

Leading off the game, Anthony crushed the third pitch he saw from Rays left-hander Ian Seymour to straightaway center. The ball traveled 438 feet, landing just shy of the tank beyond the center-field wall and giving Boston an immediate 1-0 lead.

“Taking that first one is big,” Anthony told NESN’s Jahmai Webster postgame. “Any win you can get against a team like that is a great win, so it’s a great day.”

Anthony came through again an inning later, this time after Boston turned to some small ball. 

With the game tied, 1-1, Isiah Kiner-Falefa dropped down a sacrifice bunt with two aboard and nobody out. Nate Eaton followed with a walk to load the bases before Connor Wong struck out.

That brought Anthony to the plate with two outs and after working the count full, Anthony ripped a hard-hit single into right to score two. The base-knock gave him three RBI through his first two plate appearances and put Boston back in front, 3-1.

Anthony’s performance was particularly encouraging given the rut he had been trying to escape. After initially swinging the bat well upon returning from the injured list, he entered Friday hitting just .137 with one extra-base hit over his previous 12 games.

“I’ve been grinding, but that’s the beauty of this team,” Anthony said. “You’re never down and you’re never out.”

The sequence was noteworthy given Chad Tracy’s pregame comments about the Red Sox getting away from some of the small-ball tactics that helped fuel their remarkable 32-5 run earlier this season. Tracy noted that playing from behind by multiple runs so frequently over the last month has made sacrificing outs more difficult.

Jones added another run in the third, adding to his run with the Red Sox as a weapon against left-handed pitching. He had cooled considerably, entering Friday with just four hits in 24 at-bats since Aug. 25.

Facing another lefty in Seymour, Jones reminded the Red Sox what he can provide. He led off the third with a solo homer, extending Boston’s lead to 4-1 and strengthening his case for a postseason role. 

Jones’ ability to punish lefties gives Tracy a useful bench option in October, and a strong finish could put him in the conversation for starts at designated hitter against left-handed pitching.

The early offense helped Suarez navigate a night when he was far from his sharpest.

The left-hander limited Tampa Bay to one run over 5 2/3 innings, but traffic was constant. Suarez issued a walk in each of the first three innings and finished with a career-high five. He needed 69 pitches to complete four innings and 98 to record 17 outs.

That represented a significant departure from the version of Suarez the Red Sox had seen recently. He entered Friday having allowed only one run over 13 innings in his previous two starts.

Suarez settled down as the night progressed, but the Red Sox will want more efficiency and better command as they begin lining up their pitching for a potential postseason series.

Olds made things interesting after replacing Suarez in the sixth.

The rookie reliever issued consecutive walks and uncorked a wild pitch, loading the bases and putting Boston’s three-run advantage in jeopardy. But after falling behind pinch-hitter Jake Fraley, 3-1, Olds battled back to strike him out and escape without allowing a run.

It was another uneven appearance for Olds, who allowed two hits while recording two outs Tuesday in Texas. After an impressive start to his major league career, the right-hander may be dealing with late-season fatigue after pitching deeper into September than he has during his professional career.

Connor Wong, who has seen his playing time diminish since the Red Sox acquired Adley Rutschman, snapped out of a prolonged funk with a leadoff single in the fourth. Wong entered the night just 3-for-30 (.100) over his previous 30 at-bats and had struck out in his first trip to the plate.

The Red Sox carried their 4-1 advantage into the ninth, when Miller made the finish anything but comfortable.

With Aroldis Chapman unavailable due to lat tightness and Garrett Whitlock having closed Thursday’s win, Miller was tasked with protecting the lead.

Miller barely held onto the lead when he walked two, and threw three wild pitches and allowed a run before finally closing out the 4-2 victory and earning the save.

The win was Boston’s first at Tropicana Field this season, and more important games could be ahead. The Rays remain firmly in control of the AL East and, barring a late collapse, appear headed toward the American League’s top seed and a first-round bye.

If Boston advances past the Yankees in the Wild Card Series, they would come back to St. Petersburg to face the Rays in the ALDS. It would serve as a potential rematch of the clubs’ 2021 postseason series.

Boston continues its three-game series Saturday at 4:10 p.m. ET, with Brayan Bello (6-7, 4.74 ERA) expected to pitch in some fashion, most likely as a conventional starter. Tampa Bay will counter with Freddy Peralta (9-11, 4.67 ERA), acquired from the Mets at the trade deadline.