The Tampa Bay Rays blasted a season-high seventeen hits off David Price and the Boston Red Sox Saturday, using a seven-run barrage in the late innings to pull away from a 12-6 victory Saturday and stretching their season-long winning streak to eight games.
Rays starter Yonny Chirinos had his worst start of his young career Saturday, starting with loading the bases in the bottom of the first inning with nobody out, but limiting the damage to just a single run on a sacrifice fly by Xander Bogaerts, but Tampa Bay jumped on David Price in the top of the second, as Wilson Ramos doubled on the first pitch of the frame, and Denard Span's hit to center was overran by Jackie Bradley Jr., and the Rays outfielder rounded the bases for his second home run of the season.
Chirinos allowed Boston to tie the game in the bottom of the inning on a double-play grounder by Christian Vazquez, but Wilson Ramos untied the game on an 0-2 count with two away in the third, his third straight game with a home run.
Boston again used single runs in the third and fourth to draw even, but Price would load the bases in the fifth and issue a four-pitch walk to Daniel Robertson, again giving the Rays the lead
Rafael Devers homered off Ryan Yarbrough (1-1) in the fifth, but the Rays would take the lead for good in the sixth, when a throwing error by Eduardo Nunez on a chopper from Matt Duffy allowed Adeiny Hechavarria to make it 6-5.
Carlos Gomez added a solo homer in the eighth to give Tampa Bay some breathing room, and Jesus Sucre's RBI double in the eighth made it an 8-5 contest. Brad Miller made it 9-5 in the ninth with an RBI single and Johnny Field's three-run homer, his first in the big leagues, pushed the Rays to a 12-5 lead.
RAMOS LEAVES WITH LEG TIGHTNESS: After a base hit in the seventh inning, his third hit of the night, Ramos would come out of Saturday's game with what the team called bilateral leg tightness. Manager Kevin Cash said after the game that Ramos, who was not expected to play Sunday, should be fine, and could catch in an emergency basis.
SUNDAY'S CONTEST
Rays at Boston Red Sox, 1:05 p.m. first pitch, coverage on WDAE begins at 11:00 a.m. with The Inside Pitch presented by Crown Eurocars.
Rays Starter - RHP Matt Andriese (0-0, 5.40 ERA)
Red Sox Starter - RHP Rick Porcello (4-0, 1.93 ERA)