Red Sox - 010 002 000 - 3 7 2 Rays - 000 000 010 - 1 5 0The Red Sox's bullpen pitched more than nine innings in Friday's 15-inning victory, so the team needed a strong start from Rick Porcello - and he delivered. Porcello (7-5-1-1-3, 94) pitched into the eighth inning and the one run charged to him crossed the plate after he had left the game, and was unearned.
Mookie Betts drove in Boston's first two runs, with a second-inning home run and a one-out single in the sixth. Betts later scored on Rafael Devers's double. Betts leads the team with 90 RBI.
The win kept the Red Sox's AL East lead at three games, as the Yankees beat the Orioles 9-3. Both Boston and New York have 14 games remaining in the season. Fangraphs' odds for making the postseason: Red Sox (100%), Yankees (99.9%).
After Betts led off the second with a line drive solo shot to left off Alex Cobb (5.1-6-3-0-5, 94), Mitch Moreland doubled. Cobb got the next three batters, however, striking the last two (Devers and Brock Holt).
Tampa Bay's first threat came in the fourth. Evan Longoria doubled with two outs and stole third. But Porcello got Lucas Duda to foul out to first.
In the sixth, Christian Vazquez - batting #2, though he had never previously started a game batting higher than #6 - singled to right-center and was forced at second by Andrew Benintendi. With Betts at the plate, Benintendi took second on a balk and then (three pitches later) stole third. Betts singled him in - and Cobb was replaced by Dan Jennings. Moreland walked and Young struck out, before Devers doubled to left. Holt grounded to shortstop and stranded Young at third.
Tampa Bay had a runner at first to begin the bottom of the sixth because of an error by Devers, but Porcello kept Mallex Smith from advancing as he got three straight fly outs.
Adeiny Hechavarria doubled to open the Rays' half of the eighth. After Brad Miller popped out, Porcello walked Smith, with Hechavarria going to third on ball 4 (which was also a passed ball). Addison Reed took over. Kevin Kiermaier grounded to first, but Moreland committed a throwing error that allowed Hechavarria to score. Smith went to third, but Reed ended the threat by striking out Steven Souza.
Craig Kimbrel retired the side in order in the ninth, fanning Longoria and Duda and getting Wilson Ramos to ground to shortstop.
Bogaerts, SSWEEI's John Tomase is worried about Chris Sale's effectiveness in October. Since August 1, Sale has a 4.25 ERA.
Vazquez, C
Benintendi, LF
Betts, RF
Moreland, 1B
Young, DH
Devers, 3B
Holt, 2B
Bradley, CF
MFY Watch: The Yankees are 3 GB. ... BAL/MFY, 4 PM.
If old friend John Lackey did not want robots behind the plate before, he might be rethinking his stance after this blown call by Jordan Baker in Chicago yesterday:
After going 9-for-13 in his previous four games, Pedroia went 0-for-9 last night.
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