Rays’ Romero fans Ortiz for first career save
Missed chances keep Red Sox tied with Jays for first.
ST. PETERSBURG — To earn his first major league save, Enny Romero emerged from the bullpen with a one-run lead and one job — set down Boston slugger David Ortiz for the final out.
Romero did it, getting Big Papi to look at strike three Thursday to give the Tampa Bay Rays a 2-1 win over the Red Sox for a four-game split.
“In a one-run ballgame, I figured at some point we would see David Ortiz come to the plate,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said.
After Tyler Sturdevant struck out Hanley Ramirez and Jackie Bradley Jr. to begin the ninth, Romero was summoned for a lefty-vs.-lefty matchup.
Romero sent Ortiz to the ground with a high-and-tight 1-2 fastball, then got him on a called third strike.
Romero, 25, said he threw a cutter to close out the save. He was in his 65th career game over three seasons.
A day earlier, the 40-yearold Ortiz reached 30 home runs and 100 RBIs for the season. Ortiz was rested for the final day of an 11-game trip on which Boston went 7-4.
T h e R e d S o x , w h o remained tied with Toronto for the AL East lead, lost the final two games of the series.
“There are times you look back, today being one of them, that you could have capitalized on situations and had a different outcome,” Boston manager John Farrell said.
Mikie Mahtook ended a stretch of 34 hitless at-bats Rays manager
with a go-ahead double in the seventh off Drew Pomeranz (10-10), who is 2-3 since being traded from San Diego to Boston.
“I t wa s a r e l i e f , ” s a i d Mahtook, whose streak was seven shy of the club record set by Luke Scott in 2012.
Mookie Betts was thrown out by Mahtook from left field trying to stretch a single into a double in the eighth.
J a k e O d o r i z z i ( 9 - 5 ) improved to 6- 0 in eight starts since the All-Star break. He gave up one run and five hits in seven innings.
Pomeranz struck out a c areer-high 11 in six-plus innings.
After Betts put the Red Sox up 1-0 on a sacrifice fly in the sixth, Odorizzi avoided a big inning by getting an inning-ending double play from Bradley with the bases loaded.
“Outstanding damage control,” Cash said.
Tampa Bay tied it at 1 in the bottom of the sixth when Evan Longoria doubled and scored on Brad Miller’s single. Miller has 31 RBIs since the All-Star break.
Red Sox knuckleballer Steven Wright (13-5) is scheduled to start tonight at home against the Royals after missing the past 21/2 weeks with a strained right shoulder.