G22: Red Sox 4, Rays 3 (11)

Red Sox - 000 102 000 01 - 4  8  0
Rays    - 002 000 010 00 - 3  7  0

After Christian Vazquez's sacrifice fly to deep right-center scored Rafael Devers in the top of the eleventh, Ryan Brasier, pitching for the fourth consecutive game (over five days), set down the Rays in order as the Red Sox swept Tampa Bay.

Boston beat Jose Alvarado for the second straight day. After Diego Castillo dominated in the ninth and tenth innings, striking out five, Alvarado gave up a hit to Devers that Kevin Kiermaier may have lost sight of in short center. He ran in and then stopped and waited for the ball to bounce. Michael Chavis walked on five pitches and Jackie Bradley bunted the runners to third and second.

Bradley was thrown out by the pitcher on an extremely close play, but the Red Sox did not challenge the call (and NESN provided zero replays). Vazquez drove a ball to deep right-center and Kiermaier ran it down. Devers scored easily and Chavis went to third. Andrew Benintendi was called out on a close play on a slow grounder to second. Again, a questionable call, but no challenge (and no replays from NESN).

Brasier offered no drama, needing only 10 pitches to pitch a clean eleventh (K, F8, 3U). It was the Red Sox's 100th victory at the noisy dump known as the Trop. No visiting team has more wins.

The Red Sox return to Fenway Park for a 10-game homestand with a 9-13 record. They are 7-5 in their last 12 games. They will play four games against the Tigers and three each against the Rays and Athletics.

David Price (5-5-2-2-10, 100) turned in another good start, though his pitch count was not overly efficient (22-14-25 19-20). His only two walks came in the first inning and a double play got him out of that small mess. Price gave up two singles to start the third and struck out the next two Rays, but David Robertson lined a double to right-center that went to the wall. That was where Tampa Bay's four triples were hit last night, so Robertson getting only two bases was a minor triumph. Still, Tampa Bay led 2-0.

Mitch Moreland hit his seventh home run of the year in the fourth inning. Tyler Glasnow was pulled (5.1-3-2-3-5, 76) after giving up a one-out single to Mookie Betts in the sixth. (His possibly premature exit prompted some very silly comments from radio voice Joe Castiglione, about which I will post later). Lefty Adam Kolarek came in and walked Moreland. That was his only batter. Chaz Roe followed - and he walked J.D. Martinez, loading the bases. Xander Bogaerts wasted no time, smacking Roe's first pitch to right-center, scoring two runs. Boston led 3-2. Devers also walked, but Chavis grounded into a double play.

Brandon Workman and Colten Brewer each threw a perfect inning of relief. Matt Barnes got the first man in the eighth, but Tommy Pham lined a rope to right that cleared the fence, tying the game 3-3. Barnes was not sharp, and he followed the homer with a walk, but he rebounded to strike out Avisail Garcia and Joey Wendle.

Marcus Walden has become a big asset to the bullpen. He pitched a clean ninth and gave up a one-out single in the tenth before getting two groundouts to Bogaerts at shortstop. The bullpen was (Barnes's mistake aside, nearly perfect): 6-2-1-1-7.

Advertising: Listening to WEEI, I chuckled when I heard in the early innings that some company is "the official tankless water heater of the Boston Red Sox".

AL East: The Yankees blew a 5-0 lead, as their completely dominant bullpen allowed six runs in the eighth inning. Unfortunately, New York tied the game and won in extra innings. The Post's Joel Sherman quipped that the MFY's long list of injuries left the team "with the kind of lineup Sunday that an opposing spring training team complains does not have the required number of starters". ... Aaron Judge's oblique strain was termed "pretty significant" by his manager, so that's some good news.

David Price / Tyler Glasnow

Benintendi, LF
Betts, RF
Moreland, 1B
Martinez, DH
Bogaerts, SS
Devers, 3B
Chavis, 2B
Bradley, CF
Vázquez, C

Two wins in two games against the division leaders ... why not three-for-three?

Elias: Yesterday's win was the first Red Sox victory in the Expansion Era (1961-present) that ended with a catcher's pickoff.

Michael Chavis is the sixth Red Sox hitter since 1908 with a pinch-hit extra-base hit in his first major league at-bat, but the only one to get his hit in a Red Sox win.

Bunny Madden     June 3, 1909          Triple
Cleo Carlyle     May 16, 1927          Double
Tom Wright       September 15, 1948    Triple
Gene Stephens    April 16, 1952        Double
Bryce Brantz     September 17, 2014    Double
Michael Chavis   April 20, 2019        Double

Chavis was also the first of 39 batters to get an extra-base hit off José Alvarado this season. ... In only 11 spring training games, Chavis led the team in home runs (4) and RBI (10).

J.D. Martinez has hit safely in 20 of the team's 21 games. The only other Boston players to hit safely in 20+ of the team's first 21 games are Carl Reynolds (1934) and Eddie Bressoud (1964).

Martinez has reached base in each of the Red Sox's 21 games. Since 1967, the only other Boston hitters to reach base in each of the team's first 21+ games are Wade Boggs (27, 1983) and Manny Ramirez (23 , 2001).

Starting Pitchers

First 13 games: 8.79 ERA, .329 opponent AVG, 1.024 opponent OPS
Next 8 games: 3.16 ERA, .230 opponent AVG, .693 opponent OPS

Mookie Betts is 4-for-8 over his last two games. In his previous 10 games, he was 3-for-32.

Rafael Devers is 10-for-33 (.303) in his last 10 games.

Huh ... it sounds good to me!

Dan Martin, Post:

Just when it seemed like the worst of the Yankees' injury woes were behind them, they lost their most important player. ...

The right fielder would be the 14th player sent there by the Yankees this season ...