Rays batter Red Sox to win 14-5
The Boston Red Sox likely felt good after taking a two run lead in the first inning thanks to a double by Victor Martinez. It ended up being the only lead the Red Sox had on the night as the Tampa Bay Rays offense hit five home runs en route to a 14-5 win Tuesday night.
Ben Zobrist got the first of the five home runs in the second inning. Jason Bartlett and Evan Longoria each added one in the fifth and Dan Johnson and B.J. Upton added one each in the sixth inning. Boston pitching had not given up a home run in the last six games.
As nice as it is to have it, David Price certainly did not need the run support. After giving up a double to Victor Martinez in the first inning that scored two, he only allowed one more hit on the day. Price continued to make his case for AL Cy Young consideration, pitching six innings of two-hit ball, striking out two and walking four while only allowing on earned run.
“Any win right now is huge,” Price said. “I didn’t even know we had lost three in a row. … Every game from here on out is going to have the same amount of emphasis on it.”
When Price left after the sixth inning the Rays were already up 14-2.
“…The lead is never comfortable, even when you’re up eight or nine. To be up where we were late in the game, it’s a good feeling,” Longoria said.
Boston was able to score three runs off Jeremy Hellickson to close the lead to 14-5 in the eighth, but could not muster any more offense after that.
With the win the Rays improved to 84-54 on the season. Since the New York Yankees lost the Rays were able to close the gap at the top of the AL East to just one and a half games. Tampa Bay has a firm hold on the AL wild card race with the Chicago White Sox the nearest competitor at seven games back and Boston seven and a half.
Matt Garza is scheduled to take the mound for the Rays in the third of the three game series with the Red Sox. Boston had been planing on starting Clay Buchholtz on short rest in order to sweep the series with the Rays and close the gap in the wild card race, but with the loss Tuesday night Tim Wakefield will be taking the mound Wednesday for Boston instead of Buchholz. With the series at one game apiece, Boston needs a win badly to try and close the gap between them and the Rays.
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