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The Rays defeated the Red Sox for the second night in a row.
Early and Often
After a three-game stretch without breaking five runs, the bats came out hot for Tampa. With runners on the corners Randy Arozarena stepped to the plate against Rich Hill and took one for a ride to straight away center.
Randy rakes (and breaks) pic.twitter.com/dRr71Vb26U
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) September 6, 2022
A two-run Triston Casas home run in the top of the second brought the Sox back within one. Tampa responded with a Harold Ramirez single scoring Manuel Margot and Arozarena from third and second, making it a 5-2 game.
The score stayed steady until the bottom of the sixth, when the Rays went back to the long ball again. Catcher Christian Bethancourt and second baseman Yu Chang went back-to-back, both sending rockets out to left field.
Oh my goodness
Oh my dang
Oh my goodness
Back-to-back homers by Bethancourt and Chang pic.twitter.com/sqZMpUk3Eo— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) September 7, 2022
A RBI double from Francisco Mejia gave Arozarena his third run of the night in the seventh. Tommy Pham crushed a two-run homer in the eighth finishing out the scoring. Reliever Garrett Cleavinger took the win for the Rays while Hill took the loss for the Sox.
Where The Rays Stand
The Rays are currently tied for the wild card lead in the American League along with the Seattle Mariners. The Rays are 76-58 and 7-3 in their last ten games.
After finishing off their three-game series with the Sox at home Wednesday, they will get a travel day to New York Thursday. There they will battle out a three-game series with the division leading Yankees Friday. The Rays sit just 4.5 games back of the Bronx Bombers, who have lead the loaded AL East since the first month of the season.
Following their visit to New York, the Rays will cross the border to Toronto and play a four-game stretch against the Blue Jays. The Jays are only a game-and-a-half back in the Wild Card chase. Consequently, the next eight games for the surging Rays are pivotal in the post season chase.
