Boston clips Tampa Bay for Patriots’ Day victory

The Boston Red Sox capitalized on a key second-inning error, scoring three runs in the frame to take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish in a Patriots Day victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Souza with two outs in the seventh, then retired Logan Morrison on a basesloaded flyout. Craig Kimbrel struck out the side in the ninth for a save on the third straight day, his sixth this season.

Boston trailed 2-1 in the second when Miller dropped an easy toss from shortstop Tim Beckham for what would have been an inning- ending forceout on Marco Hernandez’s grounder. Benintendi’s single to center put the Red Sox ahead, andMookie Betts singled for a 4-2 lead.

Blake Snell (0-2) gave up four runs — one earned — and seven hits in five innings. The Rays completed a 1-6 trip that followed a franchise-best 5-2 start.

Some of the Rays were playful in their clubhouse early in the morning, with Morrison joking to teammates about the starting time: “11 o’clock. Let’s play baseball.”

Brad Miller and Souza hit consecutive run-scoring grounders in the first. Both runs were unearned because Hernandez, Boston’s third baseman, dropped a foul popup by Kevin Kiermaier, who then singled.

Hanley Ramirez’s RBI single in the bottom half cut the lead in half.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: Ramirez was back in the starting lineup at DH after coming out of Sunday’s game with a left hamstring cramp. ... LHP Eduardo Rodriguez was placed on paternity leave after his wife, Catherine, gave birth to a boy Sunday. He will miss his scheduled start in Toronto on Tuesday.

SPECIAL UNIFORM

The Red Sox wore white home jerseys with “Boston” across the front instead of “Red Sox.” It also included a patch that read “Boston Strong.” The jerseys and patch were created after the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013.

EARLY SIGNING

Ramirez was on the field signing autographs for a while about 30 minutes before the first pitch.

UP NEXT

Rays: RHP Matt Andriese (0-0, 4.50 ERA) is set to start tonight when the Rays opena three-game series at home against Detroit. RHP Michael Fulmer (1-0, 2.25) is scheduled for the Tigers.

Red Sox: Brian Johnson (0-0) is likely to be called up from Triple-A Pawtucket to take Rodriguez’s turnwhen Boston opens a series at Toronto, which starts RHP Marcus Stroman (1-1, 1.76).