BOSTON (Neth.) – Christian Vazquez homered, Xander Bogaerts had three basehits and JD Martinez had extra basehits for the seventh consecutive game to help the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 9-2 on Wednesday-evening to sweep three games in the series.
Nathan Eovaldi (1-1) gave up one run, three hits and three walks in seven innings, plus seven strikeouts. The Red Sox, who were swept by Baltimore in the inaugural series, outperformed the defending American League champion Rays by a combined score of 26-9.
Prior to the series, the Rays had won seven games in a row at Fenway Park and 13 of the last 14.
Ryan Yarbrough (0-1), who threw 5 2/3 innings without giving up a run in his first start this season, retired the side before Bogaerts hit a one-run RBI single and scored on Vazquez’s hit in the fourth.
Boston added six in the fifth – all with two outs – due to errors by the Tampa-defense.
Martinez is the first Red Sox player to have at least one extra basehit in the first six games of the season since David Ortiz started 2005 with six in a row.
For the Rays, the Cubans Yandy Díaz 4-0; Randy Arozarena 4-1 with a run scored. The Dominicans Manuel Margot 2-0; Francisco Mejía 3-1 with one run; and Willy Adames 3-0.
For the Red Sox, the Dominicans were Rafael Devers 3-0 with a run scored and Franchy Cordero 1-1. Puerto Ricans Vázquez 4-2, with a run scored and an RBI; and Kiké Hernández 5-2 with a run scored.