As for the game, for most of it things looked like April & May. Starter Hunter Dobbins came off the injured list and lasted just 1 2/3 innings before being knocked out with a knee injury. Then in the top of the third, a two out error and a passed ball led to three unearned runs scoring to give the Rays a 4-1 lead. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fourth for two runs but couldn't deliver the knockout blow. The Sox had chances to do it but failed each time. Then with one out in the ninth, Sox manager Alex Cora sent in Roman Anthony to pinch hit. Anthony walked and the red hot Ceddanne Rafaela mashed a a two run home run to win the game. The Sox had won their eighth game in a row and second straight over the Rays 5-4 at Fenway Park.
The Rays jumped on Dobbins in the top of the first inning as Yandy Diaz walked to start. Jonathan Aranda took strike three but Jake Mangum and Junior Caminero stroked back to back singles to load the bases. Josh Lowe beat out a double play ball to score Diaz and put the Rays up just 5 batters into the game. Taylor Walls struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 1-0.
Rasmussen got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran lined out to first to start. The returning Alex Bregman grounded out to third but Masataka Yoshida doubled to left. Carlos Narvaez grounded back to the mound to end the inning.
Things went south in the top of the second inning as Jose Caballero grounded out to second to start. Chandler Simpson hit a routine grounder to first but Dobbins fell down grabbing his knee and screaming after stepping on the back. Dobbins had to be carried out on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to Mass General's ICU. Jorge Alcala came in ice cold and Danny Jansen doubled to center only for Diaz to ground out to short to end the inning. The Sox had lost their starter just 2 innings into the game.
The Sox rallied in the bottom of the second as Wilyer Abreu got a base hit to center to start. Trevor Story walked but Marcelo Mayer struck out swinging. Abraham "El" Toro beat out a double play ball and Ceddanne Rafaela drilled a base hit to right to score Abreu. Duran flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.
Everything fell apart in the top of the third as Aranda doubled to left to start. Mangum got a base hit to left to move Aranda to third but Caminero popped up to first. Lowe popped up to first but Mangum stole second. Walls walked to load the bases and chase Alcala. Brennan Bernardino came in and Caballero hit a routine grounder to first.....booted by Toro for an error to score Aranda. Back to back passed balls on Narvaez scored both Mangum and Walls before Simpson walked. Jansen flied out to right to end the inning but the game was over with the Sox down 4-1 on 2 passed balls and an error.
The Sox rolled over in the bottom of the third with Joe Boyle now on the mound. Bregman took strike three, Yoshida flied out to left and Narvaez popped up to second to end the inning.
Diaz grounded out to second to begin the top of the fourth but Aranda got a base hit to left. Mangum flied out to right and Caminero struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox suddenly rallied in in the bottom of the fourth as Abreu walked to start. Story got a base hit to right and Mayer doubled to center to score Abreu. El Toro made up for his error by grounding out to second to score Story, moving Mayer to third. Naturally Rafaela hit a bullet right to Walls, who doubled off Mayer to end the inning with the Sox down 4-3.
Lowe grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth before Walls grounded out to short. Caballero struck out swinging to end the inning. Duran popped up to second to start the bottom of the fifth before Bregman grounded out to third. Yoshida grounded out to short to end the inning.
Greg Weissert took over on the mound for the top of the sixth and Simpson doubled to center to start. Jansen struck out swinging but Simpson moved to third on the grounder to second by Diaz. Aranda popped up to short to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the sixth as Narvaez walked to start. Abreu lined out to right but Story got a base hit to right. Mayer flied out to center and El Toro hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.
Justin Wilson came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Mangum walked to start. Caminero struck out swinging and Lowe forced Mangum at second. Walls got a base hit to left but Lowe was thrown out by Narvaez trying to steal third to end the inning. Kevin Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Rafaela grounded out to second to start. Durran grounded out to first but Bregman doubled to center. Yoshida grounded out to short to end the inning.
Jordan Hicks took over on the mound for the top of the eighth and Caminero grounded out to second to start. Simpson grounded out to second and Jansen took strike three to end the inning. Narvaez grounded back to the mound to begin the bottom of the eighth and Garrett Cleavinger was brought in to face Abreu. Sox manager Alex Cora countered by pinch hitting Rob Refsnyder. Refsnyder and Story both struck out swinging to end the inning.
Chris Murphy (2-0, 0.00 ERA) came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Story made an absolutely amazing catch and throw to rob Diaz of a hit to start. Aranda flied out to center and Mangum took strike three to end the inning. Pete Fairbanks came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and things looked bleak when Mayer grounded out to second to start. Then Cora made a bold move by sending in rookie Roman Anthony ice cold to pinch hit for El Toro. The gamble worked as Anthony walked and Rafaela mauled a walkoff two run bomb to win the game. The Sox had stunned the Rays 5-4.
Hero of The Night is obviously Ceddanne Rafaela. He drove in 3 runs including the walkoff home run to win the game.
The Good:
Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 2 with a walk and 2 runs scored.
Trevor Story was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.
Roman Anthony walked and scored as a pinch hitter.
Brennan Bernardino tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings.
Greg Weissert tossed a scoreless inning.
Justin Wilson pitched a scoreless inning.
Jordan Hicks pitched a scoreless eighth inning.
Chris Murphy got the win with a scoreless ninth inning.
The Bad:
Jarren Duran was 0 for 4.
Rob Refsnyder struck out as a pinch hitter.
The Ugly:
Alex Bregman was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.
Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4.
Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 3 with 2 passed balls but drew a walk.
Marcelo Mayer was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.
Abraham Toro was 0 for 3 with an error but drove in a run.
Hunter Dobbins allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings before leaving with injury.
Jorge Alcala was charged with 3 earned runs but none of them were earned.
Final Thoughts:
Is it time to start believing in this team? After the Sox took 7 of 9 from the New York Yankees and the Rays, including the three game sweep, Fenway Park was rocking. Then the Sox traded Rafael Devers and after winning 3 of the next 4 games, they started their 1-8 slide. Now after winning 8 games in a row, Fenway is alive again. Beating up on bad teams is one thing, winning two in a row against a playoff position team like the Rays is another. Not only that, the Sox went into this series 2-32 when trailing after 7 innings and won both games in the later innings. Rafaela was snubbed for the All-Star game and he's put them on his back with Devers traded and Alex Bregman out until today. Someone had to step up and he did. Its unfortunate that Dobbins got hurt again but kudos to the bullpen to limit the damage. Because of El Toro's error and the two passed balls, all three runs allowed by Alcala were unearned. The bullpen essentially didn't allow an earned run after Dobbins left and it was a big part in the win. The much maligned Jordan Hicks pitching a clean inning with Weissert and Wilson overcoming men on base, the Sox had little margin for error and still found a way. The bad news was the Sox had to deplete their bullpen in tonight's game, the good news is Garrett Crochet is going tomorrow afternoon. Before the series started I wanted the Sox to take 3 out of 4 and tonight's game was the one I'd thought they'd lose. Instead, they've won the first two games and have Crochet and the rejuvenated Brayan Bello ready for the final two. A series sweep is a tall task but just got a little bit more believable. Can they not trade anyone please? Rumors are swirling about the San Diego Padres desperately wanting Jarren Duran and Aroldis Chapman is the most sought after reliever in baseball. If I was Craig Breslow, I'd be looking to deal some of the prospects for a second starter. If Dobbins' knee injury is serious, the Sox are looking at a rotation of Crochet, Giolito, Buehler, Bello and Fitts. Buehler and Fitts have been inconsistent and they need something more solid. Still, the team as it is now is rolling and it just got Bregman and Yoshida back. The Sox look to make it 9 in a row tomorrow afternoon when they send ace Garrett Crochet (9-4, 2.39 ERA) to the mound against Shane Baz of Tampa. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.
