Boston @ Tampa Bay preview
Tropicana Field
Last Meeting ( May 16, 2024 ) Tampa Bay 7, Boston 5
The Tampa Bay Rays will play an 11th straight game against an American League East foe on Monday evening when they open a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Rays are a combined 6-4 against the New York Yankees, Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays in the 10-game stretch. They took three of four last week from the Red Sox and have had the upper hand over the past five-plus seasons against Boston.
Manager Kevin Cash's squad sports a 57-31 mark against the Red Sox since 2019, although Boston claimed the most important triumphs when it won three of four games in the 2021 AL Division Series.
Last week in their first matchups between the teams in 2024, Tampa Bay overcame an awful gaffe before posting a series win.
With two outs and Jason Adam trying to close a series-clinching win, the reliever yielded a walk to Rob Refsnyder and a single to Rafael Devers, prompting a mound visit from Rays pitching coach Kyle Snyder.
However, the Rays were out of visits -- a fact noted on the Fenway Park scoreboard -- and Adam was removed for swingman Erasmo Ramirez, who prevented further embarrassment by getting a game-ending comebacker.
"Hundred percent on me. I let the mound visits slip in my mind," Cash said. "I screwed up, and I'm glad that it didn't cost us a ballgame."
With left-handed reliever Colin Poche (back) on the injured list, the Rays made a trade Saturday for southpaw Richard Lovelady. He specializes in retiring left-handed hitters, with a .235 career average against him.
Garrett Cleavinger currently is the only bullpen option from that side.
Tampa Bay's seven-game road trip ended on a sour note as the Blue Jays topped the Rays 5-2 on Sunday.
Isaac Paredes homered with two outs in the ninth to keep the Rays from being blanked for the second time this season as Tampa Bay lost for the first time in the past five games.
"Awesome, we're rolling," said catcher Ben Rortvedt, who had one of his team's four hits. "We didn't end the road trip the way we should have, but we feel good."
Boston snapped a four-game losing streak Sunday by way of six excellent innings of one-hit, one-run ball from starter Nick Pivetta and homers from Tyler O'Neill and Devers in an 11-3 win at the St. Louis Cardinals.
O'Neill, a former Cardinals player, rocked a 439-foot shot in the first inning. Devers stepped up in the sixth, tying Bobby Dalbec's franchise record with a homer in his fifth straight game.
"Pretty special weekend for me and my family," O'Neill told The Roku Channel. "Circled this one on the calendar for a long time coming."
Monday's meeting will be a rematch between Tanner Houck and Taj Bradley, who squared off Wednesday in the Rays' 4-3 victory.
Houck (3.15, 2.17 ERA) allowed three runs, only one earned, and five hits in 5 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts en route to dropping his fourth straight decision.
Across 58 innings, the right-hander has allowed 14 earned runs and 48 hits. He has surrendered one home run, and his 1.02 WHIP and .219 batting average against are elite.
In six career appearances (four starts) against the Rays, Houck is 0-4 with a 5.91 ERA.
Bradley (1-1, 2.45 ERA) won Wednesday's game with five innings of two-run ball on four hits with six strikeouts.
The right-hander is 3-0 with a 4.20 ERA in three career starts against the Red Sox.
--Field Level Media