BOSTON (AP) — Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela hit solo home runs in back-to-back innings, Connelly Early struck out eight and the Boston Red Sox snapped the Tampa Bay Rays seven-game winning streak with a 2-0 victory on Friday night.
Boston had only four hits, but Tampa Bay didn’t have a base runner after the sixth inning and was shut out for the first time this season.
After tying his shortest outing of the season last week at Houston when he exited
after four innings, Early (3-2) allowed four hits and walked one n seven innings, throwing a career-high 96 pitches.
Aroldis Chapman struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth and remained perfect in eight save chances.
Nick Fortes had two oits.
Rays starter Jesse Scholtens (3-2) was pulled after 4 2/3 innings, having allowed only the two home runs, while walking four and striking out four.
Boston was hitless until the third inning with Abreu connected on Scholtens’ 86 mph slider and drove it into the right field seats above the Rays’ bullpen for his sixth homer this season.
An inning later, Rafaela jumped on Scholtens’ first pitch slider and hit a 379-foot line drive that ricocheted off the seats atop the Green Monster for his third home run this season.
Boston had been homerless in its previous two games.
Red Sox greats Carl Yastrzemski, Wade Boggs, Carlton Fisk, Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz and Jim Rice were on hand to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the club’s first home game, a 12-4 victory on May 8, 1901.
Tampa Bay RHP Nick Martinez (3-1, 1.71 ERA) and Red Sox LHP Payton Tolle (1-1, 2.04) start Saturday in the third game of the four-game series.
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