BOSTON — The Rays battled back, as has been their practice of late, to pull even with the Red Sox in the seventh inning on Tuesday.
Then they rallied again even later, scoring four in the ninth to beat the Red Sox, 8-4.
The Rays loaded the bases in the ninth off Boston closer Matt Barnes on a leadoff double by Randy Arozarena, who rejoined the team after missing the weekend series due to family COVID-19 issues, then walks by Wander Franco with one out and Austin Meadows with two.
Francisco Mejia delivered the big hit, lacing a single to right that cleared the bases, with help from a misplay by right fielder Hunter Renfroe, the ex-Ray. Brandon Lowe singled in another run.
The Rays extended their win streak against the Red Sox to six games and — in improving their record to 69-44 (and a season high 25 games over .500) — they expanded their American League East lead to five games. The Red Sox, who had lost 10 of their last 12 games, dropped to 65-50.
The Red Sox took a 1-0 lead when Rafael Devers opened the second against Luis Patino with a 390-foot homer on the first pitch.
The Rays came right back to tie when Lowe did the same on Eduardo Rodriguez’s first pitch of the third. That was Lowe’s team-leading 25th homer of the season, and his fifth in his first 40 career at-bats (over 12 games) at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox reclaimed the lead in the fourth when Patino made a pair of mistakes. With one on and two outs, he walked Kevin Plawecki on four pitches. Then he left a 2-2 fastball over the plate to Renfroe, who muscled it into a 420-foot blast to center for a 4-1 lead.
The Rays got one back in the sixth, but had a chance for more. Mike Zunino started the rally by legging out a leadoff double and went to third on a groundout by Arozarena.
After Nelson Cruz walked, Franco lined a single to center. Though Zunino was deked by rookie center fielder Jarren Duran and headed back to third, he was able to score as the ball dropped, ending Rodriguez’s night.
But the Rays got no more then, as Hirokazu Sawamura came in and retired Yandy Diaz and Austin Meadows.
The Rays did get even in the seventh.
After Manuel Margot singled with one out and Lowe doubled, Ji-Man Choi pinch-hit against right-hander Garrett Whitlock, and snapped an 0-for-19 skid with a double to left-center off the Green Monster.
Choi, now 6 for 7 as a pinch-hitter, looked a bit awkward sliding into second and had to leave the game with what the Rays said was left hamstring soreness. Arozarena walked, but the Rays didn’t get any more.
Patino gave the Rays a solid six innings, allowing the four runs on the two homers, six hits total, with three walks (one intentional) and seven strikeouts, throwing 103 pitches (60 strikes). And All-Star reliever Andrew Kittredge gave them two more sharp innings, going through the Boston order.
