Rays at Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox will try to match their longest winning streak of the season and continue their progress in the American League East when they begin a condensed four-game series with the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. The Red Sox capped a three-game sweep and won their fourth straight overall with a 7-5 triumph at Kansas City on Thursday.
Mookie Betts homered and red-hot Rafael Devers drove in two more runs as Boston stayed within five games of the second-place Rays. Devers, the AL Player of the Month for May, has eight RBIs during the winning streak and 18 over his last 15 contests. He and his teammates will take aim at right-hander Yonny Chirinos and a Tampa Bay team that took the last two games of a three-game set at Detroit, capped by Thursday's 6-1 victory. Catcher Travis d'Arnaud slugged his first two home runs of the season and five pitchers scattered eight hits as the Rays improved to 20-9 on the road.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Tampa Bay), NESN (Boston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Yonny Chirinos (6-2, 3.25 ERA) vs. Red Sox RH Rick Porcello (4-5, 4.76)
Chirinos gave up four runs and a season-high nine hits in 5 1/3 innings in a loss to Minnesota his last time out. That rocky outing came five days after he blanked Toronto over five frames while striking out seven. The 25-year-old faced the Red Sox four times (two starts) as a rookie last season, finishing 0-1 with a 4.24 ERA.
Porcello is looking to bounce back after giving up five runs and nine hits in 4 2/3 innings in a loss at Yankee Stadium on Saturday. That ended a streak of seven straight starts in which the 30-year-old lasted at least six innings, a run that began after he was chased after 5 2/3 frames at Tampa Bay on April 20. Porcello is 14-10 with a 3.42 ERA in 29 career starts against the Rays and has had his issues with outfielder Avisail Garcia (9-for-24, two home runs).
WALK-OFFS
1. Rays LF Tommy Pham (leg) returned from a five-game absence Thursday and went 0-for-5.
2. Red Sox C Christian Vazquez had a two-run triple in Thursday's victory, his first three-bagger since 2017.
3. The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday before a matinee finale Sunday.