Xander Bogaerts belted a grand slam
Video: Bogaerts gets hit in the head by a pitch. Watch the video below.
With the win, the Red Sox pulled out of last place for the first time since June 9, moving a half-game in front of the Rays. In fact, Boston is now just a game behind the third-place Orioles.
It was a game that swung back and forth. The Rays led 3-0 in the first and 3-1 after six. Boston scored three in the bottom of the seventh to take the lead, but that was short-lived as the Rays rallied back for three in the top of the eighth, backed by a two-run double from Grady Sizemore.
“You know, we really did it two times, and the second time was a little more special because it happened with two outs and Xander came through with a big hit that just capped a really nice night for him,” said Red Sox interim manager Torey Lovullo.
The game-winning rally started with two outs and nobody on, when Jackie Bradley Jr. was hit by a pitch. Mookie Betts and Dustin Pedroia followed with singles, bringing Bogaerts — Boston’s best all-around hitter this season — to the plate. Bogaerts jumped on a 2-2 slider from Brandon Gomes and ripped it over the Green Monster.
“The home run pitch was actually a halfway decent pitch,” Gomes said. “He just put a good swing on it. But I have to make pitches earlier than that. It should never have gotten to that situation.”
Rays ace Chris Archer held the Red Sox to three hits and a run over five innings, walking five and striking out three. Archer left with a 3-1 lead but lost a chance to get the win when Tampa Bay’s bullpen gave up three in the bottom of the seventh.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Bogaerts making push for 200: Bogaerts also delivered the key hit in Boston’s three-run rally in the seventh, an RBI double high off the Green Monster. With 13 games left in the season, Bogaerts is 18 hits away from 200. The last Red Sox players to reach the 200-hit plateau were Jacoby Ellsbury and Adrian Gonzalez in 2011.
Xander Bogaerts doubles off the Green Monster to knock in Mookie Betts and cut the Red Sox deficit to one run in the 7th. “I mean, it’s just nice to contribute to the team, help us win,” Bogaerts said. “I threw away that ball in the seventh inning. I was really mad. It’s part of the game, you learn and you move on. I was happy after I got that double to help us get back into the game.”
Archer reaches 200 innings: When Archer recorded his fifth out of the game, he reached his goal of 200 innings. He became the seventh pitcher in team history to reach the blue-collar goal that says so much about a starter.
Chris Archer reaches 200 innings on the season after he gets Brock Holt to hit into a 6-3 double play in the 2nd. E-Rod settles down nicely: After that bumpy first inning, Eduardo Rodriguez got into a strong rhythm and didn’t allow the Rays to mount any damage for the rest of the night. Making possibly his final home start of the year, Rodriguez went six innings while allowing six hits and three runs. Heading into the start, Lovullo said that Rodriguez had about 10-14 innings left this season.
Eduardo Rodriguez strikes out four and allows three runs over six innings in his outing against the Rays
“For me, in the first inning, all my pitches were in the middle of the plate,” said Rodriguez. “I tried to go outside, and they’d go to the middle. Same with the inside corner. After that, all my pitches were working pretty good to both sides of the plate.”
The Red Sox pay tribute to David Ortiz for joining the 500 home run club with an on-field ceremony before their game vs. the Rays.
