Rays at Red Sox
The surging Tampa Bay Rays look to remain hot at the plate when they visit the American League East-leading Boston Red Sox on Friday for the opener of their three-game series. The Rays have scored 47 runs during a six-game winning streak - their longest since July 2014 - after collecting 13 hits in Thursday’s 9-5 victory at Baltimore and have crossed the plate at least eight times in a franchise-record five straight contests.
Tampa Bay’s C.J. Cron launched his fourth homer in four contests Thursday and has driven in 10 runs in that span while Wilson Ramos also went deep in the latest win and is 11-for-28 with eight RBIs during his seven-game hitting streak. Blake Snell attempts to keep his strong run going on the mound when he takes the ball for the Rays against Drew Pomeranz, who is making just his second start of the season. Boston endured a three-game losing streak during its latest road trip but finished it with back-to-back one-run wins at Toronto after Thursday’s 5-4 triumph. Tampa Bay will be happy not to have to face the injured Xander Bogaerts (ankle), who is 12-for-27 with nine RBIs against the Rays this season, but Hanley Ramirez has recorded three multi-hit performances in his last five games and is batting .329 overall.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Tampa Bay), NESN (Boston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays LH Blake Snell (3-1, 2.54 ERA) vs. Red Sox LH Drew Pomeranz (0-0, 7.36)
Snell has strung together three outstanding performances - including his season-high seven-inning effort on Saturday, when he held Minnesota to one run and five hits while registering six strikeouts. The 25-year-old native of Washington gave up three runs and 11 hits while striking out 25 across 19 1/3 frames in his last three starts and hasn't issued a walk in the last two. Ramirez is 4-for-9 lifetime versus Snell, who limited the Red Sox to three hits over 5 2/3 innings of a no-decision on March 30.
Pomeranz returned from the disabled list on April 20 at Oakland after battling a forearm injury and allowed three runs on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings in his 2018 debut. The 29-year-old from Tennessee went 17-6 (2-1 versus Tampa Bay) with a 3.32 ERA in 32 starts last year during his first full season with the Red Sox. Brad Miller is 10-for-19 with a homer and six RBIs against Pomeranz, who is 4-2 with a 3.59 ERA in nine career games (eight starts) versus the Rays.
WALK-OFFS
1. Boston UTIL Brock Holt doubled on Thursday to extend his hitting streak to nine games but left the contest with hamstring tightness.
2. Tampa Bay INFs Daniel Robertson (11-for-24) and Joey Wendle (12-for-24) are riding six-game hitting streaks.
3. Red Sox LF Andrew Benintendi recorded two hits Thursday after going 0-for-14 over his previous four games but is 2-for-23 versus the Rays in 2018.