Watch CBS News

Lowe's 2 HRs, Snell's Start Carries Rays Past Red Sox, 6-1

BOSTON (AP) — Brandon Lowe hit a pair of solo homers, Blake Snell baffled Boston's lineup and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Boston Red Sox 6-1 Sunday to take three of four from the World Series champions.

Guillermo Heredia and Yandy Díaz also hit solo shots, and Lowe added an RBI single for Tampa Bay, which at 40-24 matched its season-high at 16 games over .500. Díaz had four hits.

Snell (4-5) became the third Rays starter to hold Boston to two runs or fewer in the series after Yonny Chirinos and Ryan Yarbrough.

Snell battled through two tough opening innings, allowing one run and five hits over six innings with seven strikeouts. With runners on second and third in the first, the AL Cy Young Award winner stuck out the next three batters swinging with sharp, breaking curveballs.

Eduardo Rodriguez
Eduardo Rodriguez #57 of the Boston Red Sox is taken out of the game against the Tampa Bay Rays (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

Boston starter Eduardo Rodríguez (6-4) gave up four runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts.

Tampa Bay's first four batters singled, and the Rays took a 2-0 lead on Lowe's RBI single and Travis d'Arnaud's sacrifice fly.

Heredia homered into the Green Monster seats in the second.

Boston got the first two runners on in the opening two innings but scored just a run on Marco Hernandez's RBI single in the second.

Lowe hit Rodríguez's first pitch of the sixth into the center-field bleachers. Díaz led off the seventh with a drive into the Monster seats and Lowe connected off Marcus Walden later in the inning for his 13th home run this season.

After Lowe's second, some fans tried to change the mood in Fenway Park, chanting "We Want the Cup!" ahead of the Bruins' Game 6 against St. Louis in the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday night. They broke into "Let's Go Bruins!" cheers later.

ROAD SUCCESS

Tampa Bay has a 23-1-0 road record following a 5-2 trip.

NICE START

Tampa Bay reached 40 wins in its initial 64 games for only the second time in its history after doing it in 62 games in 2010.

NOT THIS TIME

Boston had gone 9-1 in Rodríguez's previous 10 starts.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Rays: OF Tommy Pham returned to the lineup after leaving Saturday's first game of the DH when he was hit by a pitch on the right wrist.

Red Sox: Slugger J.D. Martinez missed his fourth straight game with back tightness. Manager Alex Cora said that he was "feeling better, but he's not ready to play." . Cora also said RHP Nathan Eovaldi had "a little bicep soreness" and was going to back off as he continues rehab from surgery to remove loose body in his right elbow in late April. ... 3B Rafael Devers and LF Andrew Benintendi both had the day off.

UP NEXT

Rays: RHP Charlie Morton (7-0, 2.30 ERA) brings the longest active unbeaten streak in the majors at 20 starts into Monday's series opener at home against Oakland. He is 10-0 since last August.

Red Sox: LHP Chris Sale (2-7, 3.84) looks to build off his strong start the last time out Monday against Texas. He had a complete-game victory over Kansas City Wednesday and recorded his second immaculate inning of the season, joining Lefty Grove (1928) as the only to do it twice in a year.

(© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.