In a game that felt like a throwback to Boston's storied past, the Red Sox used old-school power and precision pitching to cool off the red-hot Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night. Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela delivered back-to-back solo home runs, while lefty Connelly Early turned in a dominant performance to lead Boston to a 2-0 victory, snapping Tampa Bay's seven-game winning streak.
The Red Sox managed just four hits on the night, but they made each one count. Abreu broke a scoreless tie in the third inning, jumping on an 86 mph slider from Rays starter Jesse Scholtens and sending it into the right-field seats above Tampa Bay's bullpen for his sixth homer of the season. One inning later, Rafaela wasted no time, hammering Scholtens' first-pitch slider 379 feet off the seats atop the Green Monster for his third home run of the year. The back-to-back blasts came at a perfect time for a Boston lineup that had been homerless in its previous two games.
On the mound, Early (3-2) was in complete command. The left-hander allowed just four hits and one walk over seven innings, striking out eight while throwing a career-high 96 pitches. It was a bounce-back outing for Early, who had tied his shortest start of the season last week in Houston when he exited after just four innings. The Red Sox bullpen took it from there, with flame-throwing closer Aroldis Chapman striking out two in a perfect ninth inning to earn his eighth save in as many chances. Tampa Bay didn't have a base runner after the sixth inning and was shut out for the first time this season.
The Rays' Scholtens (3-2) was pulled after 4⅔ innings, having allowed just the two solo shots while walking four and striking out four. It was a tough-luck loss for a pitcher who had been solid all season, but the Red Sox pitching staff simply refused to give Tampa Bay any breathing room.
The game carried extra significance as the Red Sox celebrated the 125th anniversary of their first home game—a 12-4 victory on May 8, 1901. Several Boston legends were in attendance, including Carl Yastrzemski, Wade Boggs, Carlton Fisk, Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz, and Jim Rice, adding a touch of history to an already memorable night at Fenway Park.
The series continues Saturday with the third game of the four-game set, featuring Rays right-hander Nick Martinez (3-1, 1.71 ERA) against Red Sox lefty Payton Tolle (1-1, 2.04). If Friday night was any indication, Boston's blend of power and pitching could make for a thrilling weekend of baseball.