FINAL: Red Sox 8, Rays 5 - Boston sweeps Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field

The Red Sox defeat the Tampa Bay Rays 8-5 at Tropicana Field on Wednesday night to complete the three-game series sweep. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• The Red Sox scored 5 runs in the fifth inning to take a 5-3 lead after trailing 3-0. Boston went on to score three more runs in the sixth inning and at that point, scored eight unanswered runs. 

• Jarren Duran is now riding an eight-game hit streak. 
• Connor Wong tied it up at three with an RBI single in the fifth. 

• Rob Refsnyder gave Boston their first lead with an RBI single in the fifth.  

• Brayan Bello struggled at the start on the mound, but finished with the win going 6 IP, 4 hits, 3 ER, 6Ks and 4 walks.

The Red Sox will begin a three-game weekend series versus the Milwaukee Brewers at Fenway Park on Friday night at 7:10 p.m. 

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WHO: Red Sox (25-24) at Tampa Bay Rays (25-25)
WHEN: 6:50 p.m. 
WHERE: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg. 
SERIES TO DATE: 2-0
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Brayan Bello (4-2) 3.96 ERA vs RHP Ryan Pepiot (3-2) 3.68 ERA
TV/RADIO: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7
LIVE BOX
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Duran LF
Abreu RF
Wong C
Devers 3B
Refsnyder DH
Smith 1B
Hamilton SS
Grissom 2B
Rafaela CF

SP Brayan Bello 
OPPONENT
Diaz 1B
Lowe CF
Arozarena LF
Lowe 2B
Paredes 3B
Aranda DH
Caballero SS
Palacios RF
Rortvedt C

SP Ryan Pepiot 
WHAT'S UP

• The Red Sox have won each of their last 3 games since snapping a 4-game losing streak.
•  The Sox are 3-2 on their 6-game road trip to STL and TB.
•  Boston is 6-5 in its last 11 games and 15-15 in its last 30.
• Boston has won the series at TB to improve to 8-7-1 in series play, including 4-4-1 on the road.
• The Sox snapped a 4-series losing streak on the road.
• This is the Red Sox’ first series victory at Tropicana Field since July 2019 (7/22-24)...Their last sweep at the venue was in April 2019 (3 games, 4/19-21).
• Rafael Devers currently owns an 11-game hitting streak, posting a 1.113 OPS with 11 R and 11 RBI over the span (13-for-44, 3 2B, 6 HR, 3 BB)...It is the 2nd-longest active streak in the AL (NYY’s Anthony Volpe-14 games).
• Jarren Duran owns an active 7-game hitting streak, over which 8 of his 10 hits have been XBH (4 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HR).
•  Duran last night became the 3rd Red Sox in the Expansion Era (since 1961) to hit a HR and steal home in the same game, joining Rico Petrocelli on 9/9/1967 vs. NYY and Mike Napoli on 6/22/14 at OAK (source: Elias).
• Duran leads MLB with 8 triples...23 of the other 29 MLB teams have 8 triples or fewer.
• He also ranks among AL leaders in SB (T-4th, 11), XBH (T-4th, 23), doubles (T-5th, 13), hits (8th, 54), and total bases (10th, 92).
•  Boston has homered in a season-high 9 consecutive games and 10 of its last 11 (16 total HR), compared to 3 of the previous 13 (5 HR).
• Since the start of 2020, the Sox have only had 3 streaks of 10+ games with a HR (18 games, 8/11-29/23; 10 games, 9/13-25/21; 10 games, 8/23-9/1/21).
• Boston hit multiple HR in each of its last 3 games (7 HR). 
• The Sox will be off tomorrow before starting a 3-game homestand (vs. MIL), followed by a 3-game road trip (at BAL).                    
• The Sox will play at home in 15 of their next 22 games, from 5/24-6/16.