Rays at Red Sox
The Tampa Bay Rays bolted out of the gate and had a chance to put the defending World Series champions in a deep hole last weekend, only to get swept at home in a three-game set by the struggling Boston Red Sox. Tampa Bay has an opportunity to exact some revenge on its American League East rivals when it opens a 10-game road trip with the first of three in Boston on Friday night.
“It’ll be a big test for us,” Rays infielder Kevin Kiermaier said of the rematch with the Red Sox. “It’s an important series for us getting revenge and proving to ourselves we can still beat the best teams in baseball. And we will." Tampa Bay absorbed another blow to its lineup in Wednesday's 10-2 loss when Joey Wendle fractured his right wrist when he was hit by a pitch. The bats are finally starting to heat up for the Red Sox, who rebounded from a doubleheader loss to Detroit by erupting for 18 runs in back-to-back wins to salvage a split of the four-game series. Reigning AL MVP Mookie Betts had two hits for the fifth time in eight games in Thursday's 7-3 victory and is 11-for-26 with a homer and four doubles in that span.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Tampa Bay), NESN (Boston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Charlie Morton (2-0, 3.38 ERA) vs. Red Sox TBD
Morton registered a season-high nine strikeouts in a no-decision versus Boston last weekend but surrendered an early grand slam to Andrew Benintendi and wound up charged with five runs and as many hits over six innings. He also did not factor in the decision in his previous turn at Toronto, allowing one run on four hits over 4 2/3 innings after winning two of his first two starts. Morton is 3-1 with a 5.06 ERA against the Red Sox but Benintendi is 4-for-11 with a pair of homers and Xander Bogaerts 6-for-14 against him.
Boston initially had lefties David Price and Chris Sale lined up to pitch the first two games of the series, but Sale was pushed back a day after Monday's rainout and manager Alex Cora wants Price to pitch in front of him. With rain in the forecast Friday, it looms as a bullpen game and the most likely candidate for the opener role is right-hander Marcus Walden, who pitched two scoreless innings Sunday at Tampa Bay and tossed just five pitches on Tuesday. Cora said after Thursday's win that weather will determine his starter.
WALK-OFFS
1. Rays OF Tommy Pham is 12-for-27 over his last seven games.
2. Red Sox rookie INF Michael Chavis homered for the second time in three games on Thursday
3. The Rays assigned LH Ryan Yarbrough, who won 16 games as a rookie last year, to Triple-A Durham.