TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Trevor Story hit a tiebreaking single in a three-run ninth inning and the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-3 on Saturday night to keep pace in a crowded American League playoff race.
Boston remained two games behind the New York Yankees for the top AL wild card and is a game ahead of Cleveland and Houston for the second of those three spots.
Tampa Bay has dropped four consecutive series, and eight straight games to the Red Sox.
Rays third baseman Junior Caminero committed
his second error of the game in the ninth. Ceddanne Rafaela reached second when Caminero mishandled a grounder, setting up Story’s go-ahead single off Jesse Scholtens (0-1).
Masataka Yoshida added an insurance run with a single, and Romy Gonzalez drove in another with a sacrifice fly.
Alex Bregman and Yoshida each had two hits and an RBI, and Nathaniel Lowe added a sacrifice fly.
Garrett Whitlock (7-3) worked a scoreless eighth for the win. Aroldis Chapman earned his 31st save.
Kyle Harrison, acquired from San Francisco in June as part of the trade package for Rafael Devers, made his first start for the Red Sox. The left-hander allowed one run on four hits and struck out five over five innings.
Yandy Diaz extended his recent tear with two hits for the Rays, including an RBI single that tied the score in the seventh. Nick Fortes doubled in a run and Jake Mangum singled in another.
Jarren Duran produced Boston’s first run in the third by hitting a single, stealing second and coming around on two wild pitches.
The Red Sox improved to 12-4 in their last 16 road games.
Boston rookie left-hander Connelly Early (1–0, 0.87 ERA) starts the series finale Sunday night against RHP Joe Boyle (1-3, 4.64).
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