Junior Caminero collected three hits, including a home run, and drove in three runs on Saturday to lead the visiting Tampa Bay Rays to a 7-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox.
Caminero hit a two-run homer in the third — his sixth home run of the season — and collected his other RBI on an infield single in the fifth. Tampa Bay’s Brandon Lowe also had three hits in the win.
The Rays (80-81) took control by scoring four runs on five hits in the fifth. That stretched their lead to 6-1.
Tampa Bay starting pitcher Shane Baz (4-3) limited the Red Sox to two runs on three hits in six innings. He recorded seven strikeouts and walked one. Trevor Story had two of Boston’s five hits.
Triston Casas hit a solo home run for the Red Sox (80-81). It was his 13th home run of the season.
The Red Sox were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. The loss extended Boston’s losing streak to three games.
Boston starting pitcher Kutter Crawford (9-16) allowed six runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked four and struck out six.
The Red Sox opened the scoring when Casas homered in the first, but the Rays took a 2-1 lead on Caminero’s home run in the third.
In addition to Caminero’s RBI single, Tampa Bay’s four-run fifth featured an RBI single from Jonathan Aranda and a two-run single from Josh Lowe.
Boston made it a 6-2 game in the sixth. Jarren Duran was hit by a pitch, took third on Story’s single and scored on a Baz wild pitch.
Tampa Bay finalized the scoring in the seventh, when Lowe scored on Christopher Morel’s infield single.
The Rays received two scoreless innings from Drew Rasmussen, who pitched the eighth and ninth,
Each team concludes their season Sunday when they play the final game of the three-game series.
–Field Level Media