Amed Rosario doubled, tripled and factored into four of the Tampa Bay Rays’ runs in a 5-3 win over the host Boston Red Sox on Monday.
Rosario drove in three runs, Yandy Diaz went 3-for-5 and Jose Caballero also had a pair of hits, with each scoring a run for the Rays.
Both teams scored three runs in the first inning, but Tampa Bay went ahead in the fourth and added on in the eighth. By taking the opener of a four-game series, the Rays shook off a 1-3 slump.
Wilyer Abreu went 2-for-3 while Tyler O’Neill hit a three-run home run for the Red Sox, who had won their previous two games following a three-game skid.
The Rays began well against Red Sox starter Kutter Crawford (2-2), scoring three two-out runs on four hits during a 35-pitch first inning.
A Rosario triple off diving Boston center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela’s glove drove in the first two Tampa Bay runs — including Diaz, who had hit a leadoff single. Richie Palacios singled home Rosario.
O’Neill knotted the game with one swing of the bat in the bottom half of the opening frame, launching a three-run homer over the Green Monster in left. Abreu’s one-out single and Rafael Devers’ double down the right field line two batters later set the table.
Tampa Bay starter Zach Eflin (3-4) stranded Abreu in scoring position following a double to lead off the Boston third.
The visitors slid back in front on Jose Siri’s sacrifice fly to left in the fourth. Caballero dropped a leadoff double beyond first base and then swiped third base.
Crawford settled in for the remainder of his six-inning outing and maintained the one-run margin by retiring the final seven batters he faced, including the last two by way of the strikeout.
From that same point, the Red Sox didn’t move another runner into scoring position until after Vaughn Grissom singled with one out in the seventh and advanced on a fielder’s choice, but Rafaela lined out to end the frame.
In the Rays’ eighth, Josh Lowe lined a leadoff double to left off Greg Weissert and scored on Rosario’s wall-ball double to left two batters later.
Eflin scattered six hits and allowed three runs over five innings. He fanned two without issuing a walk. Jason Adam walked O’Neill to open the ninth, then struck out the next three batters for his third save.
Crawford yielded four runs on seven hits and a walk. He struck out six.
–Field Level Media
