The Tampa Bay Rays (63-42) defeated the Boston Red Sox (63-43) 9-5 on Saturday night at Tropicana Field. With the win, the Rays took over first place in the AL East by a half game over Boston with a key Sunday Night Baseball matchup coming up on Sunday night.
The day started with bad news for the Rays, who learned Tyler Glasnow will likely need Tommy John surgery which would sideline him for the remainder of the season and the majority, if not all, of 2022. Then the game began on Saturday night with Boston putting up a three-spot in the top of the first inning for an early 3-0 lead.
The Rays responded with five unanswered runs, including a two-run home run from Ji-Man Choi in the first and a two-run homer from Francisco Mejia in the fourth. When the Red Sox rallied to tie the game in the top of the fifth, the Rays took the lead back in the bottom of the sixth with a Wander Franco RBI triple. Tampa Bay added three huge runs of insurance in the eighth with RBIs from Wander Franco and Francisco Mejia to make it 9-5.
Ryan Yarbrough allowed five earned runs on four hits in the start, while Andrew Kittredge (7-1, 1.40) picked up the win out of the bullpen. Former Ray Nathan Eovaldi (9-6, 3.71) took the loss for the Red Sox.
The Rays now look to sweep the Red Sox in a huge Sunday Night Baseball matchup. First pitch in the ballgame is scheduled for 7:08 PM - coverage begins at 5:30 PM with Neil Solondz and This Week In Rays Baseball on 95.3 WDAE & AM 620.
PHOTO COURTESY GETTY IMAGES