TAMPA, Fla. — Trevor Story hit a tiebreaking single in a three-run ninth inning and the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-3 on Saturday night to keep pace in a crowded American League playoff race.<\/p>\n
Boston remained two games behind the New York Yankees for the top AL wild card and is a game ahead of Cleveland and Houston for the second of those three spots. <\/p>\n
Tampa Bay has dropped four consecutive series, and eight straight games to the Red Sox.<\/p>\n
Rays third baseman Junior Caminero committed his second error of the game in the ninth. Ceddanne Rafaela reached second when Caminero mishandled a grounder, setting up Story\u2019s go-ahead single off Jesse Scholtens (0-1).<\/p>\n
Masataka Yoshida added an insurance run with a single, and Romy Gonzalez drove in another with a sacrifice fly.<\/p>\n
Alex Bregman and Yoshida each had two hits and an RBI, and Nathaniel Lowe added a sacrifice fly.<\/p>\n
Garrett Whitlock (7-3) worked a scoreless eighth for the win. Aroldis Chapman earned his 31st save. <\/p>\n
Kyle Harrison, acquired from San Francisco in June as part of the trade package for Rafael Devers, made his first start for the Red Sox. The left-hander allowed one run on four hits and struck out five over five innings.<\/p>\n
Yandy Diaz extended his recent tear with two hits for the Rays, including an RBI single that tied the score in the seventh. Nick Fortes doubled in a run and Jake Mangum singled in another.<\/p>\n
Jarren Duran produced Boston\u2019s first run in the third by hitting a single, stealing second and coming around on two wild pitches.<\/p>\n
The Red Sox improved to 12-4 in their last 16 road games.<\/p>\n
Boston rookie left-hander Connelly Early (1\u20130, 0.87 ERA) starts the series finale Sunday night against RHP Joe Boyle (1-3, 4.64).<\/p>\n
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