Boston trailed with two outs to go in a game that had swung back and forth all night, and then it didn't anymore. The Red Sox erupted for four runs in the seventh inning, capped by Wilyer Abreu's second home run of the game, to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-6 at Fenway Park.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TB | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 1 |
| BOS | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | X | 7 | 6 | 2 |
Abreu carried the offense all night. He went 2-for-3 with two home runs, three RBIs and a walk. His first homer, a solo shot in the third inning, put Boston ahead 3-2. His second, a two-run drive to right center in the seventh that scored Ceddanne Rafaela, turned a 6-5 deficit into a 7-6 lead. Abreu is hitting .266 this season with 15 home runs and 50 RBIs.
The seventh inning decided it. Jonny DeLuca had put Tampa Bay up 6-3 with a solo homer to left center, but Boston answered immediately. Masataka Yoshida grounded out to shortstop to bring home Andruw Monasterio, Rafaela doubled to center to score Jarren Duran, and then Abreu's homer sent Rafaela home as well, flipping a 6-5 deficit into the decisive 7-6 lead.
Tampa Bay's offense had done plenty of damage of its own. Chandler Simpson scored on a throwing error by second baseman Anthony Seigler in the second inning, and Nick Fortes drove in Simpson later that frame. In the fourth, Simpson scored again on a throwing error by catcher Narváez, and Victor Mesa Jr. homered to right to put the Rays ahead 4-3 before Richie Palacios scored on a single by Yandy Díaz. Rays starter Ian Seymour lasted three innings, allowing 3 runs on 2 hits with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts, and reliever Garrett Cleavinger took the loss after allowing 1 run in just 0.1 innings, falling to 2-3 on the season with a 3.86 ERA.
Boston starter Patrick Sandoval allowed 5 runs (4 earned) on 9 hits over 5.0 innings. Ryan Watson picked up his first win of the season after tossing 2.0 scoreless-turned-one-run innings in relief, and Aroldis Chapman worked around two walks for his 21st save, striking out none but keeping the Rays off the board in the ninth. The victory extended Boston's winning streak to 12 games, improving the Red Sox to 49-48. Tampa Bay, which lost its fourth straight, fell to 56-41.