Boston needed only one bad inning from Tampa Bay to turn a tied game into a rout. A passed ball, a fielding error and a groundout all produced runs in the third, and the Red Sox never looked back in a 6-1 win at Fenway Park.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TB | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 |
| BOS | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 6 | 6 | 0 |
Sonny Gray was the difference on the mound. He worked six innings, allowing just one run on five hits with five strikeouts, and improved to 12-1 with the win, carrying a 2.48 ERA. The bullpen backed him with three scoreless innings, keeping Tampa Bay off the board the rest of the way.
Victor Mesa's homer to center gave the Rays an early 1-0 lead in the second, but Boston answered right away when Andruw Monasterio doubled to left to bring home Caleb Durbin and tie it. The game turned in the third. Jahmai Jones scored on a passed ball by Hunter Feduccia for a 2-1 lead, the play that put Boston ahead for good. Moments later, Durbin's grounder to third produced a run on a throwing error by Junior Caminero, and Romy González grounded out to plate another. By the time the inning ended, Boston led 4-1. Willson Contreras added insurance in the fifth with a two-run homer to right center, scoring Ceddanne Rafaela ahead of him and making it 6-1.
Shane McClanahan took the loss for Tampa Bay, allowing 6 runs (4 earned) over five innings with five hits, four walks and three strikeouts, falling to 8-6. The Rays committed two errors and could not generate any offense after Mesa's early homer, managing nothing else against Gray or Boston's bullpen.
Boston has won 13 straight and improved to 50-48, sitting third in the division. Tampa Bay, still atop the division at 56-42, has now dropped five in a row. McClanahan sits 13 innings shy of 500 career innings pitched.