SOX HANG ON
Vazquez homer in 7th just enough as Red Sox edge Rays.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Chris Sale pitched six strong innings and Christian Vazquez hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the seventh inning as the Red Sox survived for a 5-4 win Tuesday night at Tropicana Field.
The Red Sox took a 2-0 lead five batters into the game against Tampa Bay starter Yonny Chirinos.
Rafael Devers singled with out then took third on a two-out single to center by J.D. Martinez. Devers scored on a wild pitch and Martinez on a single by Andrew Benintendi.
Chirinos did not allow another run. He retired nine in a row before Martinez singled with two outs in the sixth inning. The Rays went to lefthander Colin Poche.
Benintendi singled to extend the inning but Brock Holt popped up to left field.
Sale retired the first eight Rays in order on 34 pitches. He then got ahead of Mike Zunino with two called strikes but couldn’t put away the .176 hitter.
Zunino worked the count even then fouled off three pitches before Sale missed wide with two sliders.
Sale also got up 0 and 2 on the next hitter, Travis d’Arnaud. His third pitch was a slider on the inside corner, but d’Arnaud was able to keep his hands inside the ball and drive it over the fence in left field for his 11th home run.
Sale put runners on base in each of the next three innings but did not allow another run.
He stranded two in the fourth
inning by striking out Willy Adames on a slider. The Rays stranded a runner at second in the fifth inning when Austin Meadows grounded to second.
In the sixth, Sale had a runner at first with two outs when manager Alex Cora came to the mound. After a brief chat, the manager let Sale stay in the game and he retired Guillermo Heredia on a soft liner to shortstop.
Sale threw116 pitches, his most since May 11, 2018, when he threw 116 at Toronto. He has dropped his earned run average to 4.00 by allowing two runs over 12 innings in his last two starts. Sale has given up six hits, walked five, and struck out 22 in those games. His return to form would make a considerable difference for the Sox.
Sale was rewarded for his determination when Vazquez led off the top of the seventh and hammered a fastball over the fence in left field for his 16th home run.
Red Sox pinch hitters are 21 of 57 (.368) this season with five home runs and 15 RBIs. Vazquez is 3 of 8 with two of the homers.
Brandon Workman was in line to pitch two innings for his sixth save of the season, but, as has become expected for the 2019 Red Sox, he experienced trouble in the ninth.
With two outs and two on, Ji-Man Choi singled to left — his grounder dribbling through where Xander Bogaerts would have normally been playing at shortstop if not for the shift — to make it, 5-3.
With Marcus Walden warming, d’Arnaud worked a walk to load the bases and his night was over.
Walden faced Tommy Pham and walked him on four pitches, making it a one-run game, but Meadows grounded to first to complete the win.