ST. PETERSBURG (620 WDAE) -- Boston scored three time in the top of the ninth inning off Tampa Bay closer Alex Colome, breaking a 1-1 tie en route to a 4-1 victory over the Rays Wednesday at Tropicana Field.
Fans were treated to a pitchers' duel between Chris Archer and David Price through the first five innings Wednesday, with both sides doing what was needed to keep the game scoreless. That included in the top of the fifth when a relay throw from Johnny Field to Willy Adames to Jesus Sucre ended up gunning down Eduardo Nunez at the plate to end the inning.
Boston eventually got on the board first in the sixth inning, as Archer loaded the bases with nobody out on a single by Christian Vazquez and walks to Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi. Hanley Ramirez grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, but Vazquez crossed the plate for a 1-0 advantage.
Tampa Bay would counter in the bottom of the inning, with Denard Span working a leadoff walk off Price and C.J. Cron coming within inches of his 12th home run of the year, having to settle for an RBI double to tie the game.
Both Archer and Price would exit after the sixth inning, and both bullpens would keep the game knotted until the ninth, when an throwing error by Adames on a J.D. Martinez ground ball allowed him to move into scoring position and break the tie on a Xander Bogaerts double off Colome.
The Rays closer then walked Devers and allowed both runners to move up a base on a wild pitch. A sacrifice fly by Nunez scored Bogaerts to make it 3-1, and Devers would make it 4-1 after scampering home on a passed ball by Sucre.
THURSDAY'S MATCHUP
Tampa Bay Rays (22-25) vs. Boston Red Sox (34-16), 7:10 p.m. first pitch, with coverage on WDAE starting at 6:00 with The Inside Pitch presented by Crown Eurocars
Rays starter - LHP Blake Snell (5-3, 3.07 ERA)
Red Sox starter - RHP Rick Porcello (6-1, 3.39 ERA)