Red Sox hammer division-leading Rays in Game 1 of doubleheader, run winning streak to 10
The pitching staff carried the Red Sox to a nine-game winning streak that put them back in contention for one of the American League’s wild-card spots.
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But coming out of the All-Star break, the offense kept the Sox hot with one of its biggest outbursts of the season at Fenway Park.
The Sox flashed power and leaned on some small ball to churn out 15 hits in a 10-0 win over the American League East-leading Tampa Bay Rays in the first game of a day-night doubleheader Friday.
Carlos Narváez went 3 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs. Masataka Yoshida went 3 for 5 with a homer, and starter Jake Bennett gave the Sox six shutout innings as Boston extended its winning streak to 10 games.
The Sox led, 3-0, through five innings thanks to a one-out sacrifice fly by Jarren Duran and a two-out RBI single by Narváez in the first, plus a solo homer by Yoshida in the fourth.
But a six-run sixth buried the Rays.
Rays starter Griffin Jax didn’t do himself any favors by plunking Caleb Durbin to lead off the inning, giving up a single to Yoshida, then walking Romy Gonzalez to load the bases before recording an out.
Duran looped a line drive to the right side of the infield that clipped the glove of second baseman Ben Williamson before dropping in for a single, plating Durbin and Yoshida and extending the lead to 5-0.
The flurry ended Jax’s afternoon.
But when Rays manager Kevin Cash replaced him with righthander Chris Roycroft, the Sox responded with some small ball.
Narváez dropped a bunt in front of the plate on Roycroft’s first pitch. Catcher Nick Fortes corralled it, but his throw to first sailed into right field.
Narváez reached safely, Gonzalez scored, and Duran moved to third.
Tsung-Che Cheng seized the chance to do the same thing when he stepped into the box a batter later. He tapped Roycroft’s next pitch softly down the third base line, and the Rays watched it flirt with foul territory but never roll foul.
In the meantime, Duran scored from third to push the lead to 7-0.
After Anthony Seigler grounded into a double play, Ceddanne Rafaela lined a stand-up double off the wall that scored Narváez.
With a chance to bat around, Durbin came back to the plate and sent a single through the right side that scored Rafaela and gave the Sox a 9-0 lead.
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Narváez’s solo homer in the eighth made it an even 10.
It was the second time the Sox have scored 10 runs at Fenway this season.
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