Red Sox lose more ground to 1st-place Rays
Franco, Zunino hit Tampa past struggling Boston
BOSTON — Wander Franco hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the sixth inning, Drew Rasmussen threw four strong innings in a spot start for Tampa Bay and the Rays added to their lead in the AL East with an 8-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday.
Mike Zunino added a three-run homer in the eighth, driving the ball well over the Green Monster and out of Fenway Park, as the Rays took two of three games at second-place Boston and extended their lead in the AL East to five games.
Kevin Kiermaier went 3 for 3 with a walk and scored twice for Tampa Bay, which rebounded from a blowout loss a night earlier with its sixth win in seven games against Boston.
One day after setting a season high in runs, hits (19) and walks (nine) in a 20-8 rout of the Rays, the Red Sox’s offensive woes returned Thursday as Boston lost for the 11th time in 13 games.
The Red Sox had just two hits — an RBI double by Rafael Devers in the fourth inning plated Boston’s only run and a single in the fifth inning by Kevin Plawecki was the last hit by the Red Sox against the Rays, who got five shutout innings from four relievers after Rasmussen left.
Rasmussen (1-1) was supposed to “open” for the Rays in his third start of the season and delivered much more. He allowed one run on one hit and two walks with four strikeouts before Collin McHugh (4-1) took over in the fifth.
Rasmussen didn’t allow a hit until Devers drove a double to center with two outs in the fourth, scoring Kiké Hernández after a leadoff walk.
Tanner Houck (0-3), recalled from Triple-A Worcester after Boston’s blowout victory Wednesday night, allowed four runs on six hits and struck out eight in five-plus innings.
Houck pitched into the sixth, when the Rays broke the 1-all tie with three runs. Brandon Lowe led off with a single and Franco followed with a drive to left-center field that hit to the left of the yellow line separating the Green Monster from home-run territory, and the carem took it to top of the wall in center, near the flagpole. Umpires ruled it homer after meeting.
Franco initially stayed on second until the umpires called the hit a home run after a brief conference in the infield, and Tampa Bay led 3-1. A bases-loaded balk later in the inning by reliever Hansel Robles pushed another run across. That run was charged to Houck.
Tampa Bay blew it open with four more runs in the eighth, when Zunino hit a threerun shot, his 23rd homer of the season.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: 1B/DH Kyle Schwarber (right hamstring strain) was scheduled to begin a rehab assignment for Triple-A Worcester on Thursday night. Acquired just before the trade deadline in a deal with Washington, Schwarber has yet to play for Boston. Manager Alex Cora said the Red Sox expect to have Schwarber “sooner than later,” but stopped short of saying whether it could be this weekend against Baltimore.