BOSTON _ The Rays got their long Saturday in the park off to a good start, beating the Red Sox, 9-2, in the opening game of a day-night doubleheader.
Ryan Yarbrough gave the Rays the extremely strong start they needed by working a career-high 7 2/3 innings, allowing them to preserve most of the relievers for the second game. Austin Pruitt, called up as the 26th man for the doubleheader, was expected to work the bulk of the innings in the nightcap. The Sox were starting former Rays ace David Price.
The win was the Rays' fourth straight, following four straight losses, improving their record to 39-23 and moving them, at least temporarily, into a tie for first place in the AL East with the Yankees, who play later Saturday in Cleveland.
Catcher Travis d'Arnaud provided the early offense, with a three-run homer in the second inning. That after hitting two homers, his first since before his April 2018 elbow injury, in Thursday's game.
The Rays added a run in the second on a single by Brandon Lowe. Another in the fifth on a passed ball in what otherwise was a wasted opportunity as they had the bases loaded before and after the errant pitch and got nothing else. And then four in the ninth, starting with Lowe executing the first-and-third bunt play, scoring d'Arnaud. Ji-Man Choi, Yandy Diaz and Kevin Kiermaier followed with RBI singles.
Yarbrough was coming off a rough Sunday outing against the Twins, which he acknowledged was a bit humbling after two strong outings after his return from Durham.
He was sharp from the start Saturday afternoon, allowing just four hits with no walks and striking out seven while throwing a career high 110 pitches. Emilio Pagan finished the eighth and Casey Sadler worked the ninth.
Consider this as well: The Rays had gone 195 games, going back to April of last season, without a pitcher working as many as 7 2/3 innings, and they just did on back-to-back days, against the Red Sox, and in Fenway Park. Yonny Chirinos' eight innings on Friday was the longest start by a Ray since Jake Faria went eight against Detroit on April 30, 2018.
The Rays did lose outfielder Tommy Pham, who was hit by a pitch in the second inning and left the game in the third, but were relieved that X-rays were negative and it was considered only a bruise with no extensive time off needed.
And the Rays made their share of mistakes, having runners thrown out at first, Willy Adames, who rounded too far on a popup that wasn't caught; Yandy Diaz, who tried unsuccessfully to turn a single into a double; and third, as Pham tried to move up on a run-scoring single. They also made two errors, by middle infielders Lowe and Adames.
.jpg?w=600)
