Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays Match Player Stats On Sep 01, 2021

Boston rookie Jarren Duran delivered a two-out, tiebreaking single in the ninth as the Red Sox ended the majors' longest winning streak at nine, nipping the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 on Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Duran grounded a hard single to right to plate Rafael Devers with the game-winning run off Pete Fairbanks (3-5) as Boston broke a three-game skid.

For the Red Sox (76-59), Christian Vazquez went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs, Alex Verdugo singled, tripled and scored, and Devers recorded two singles.

In dealing a season-high 95 pitches over six innings, starter Chris Sale allowed two runs on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

Garrett Whitlock (7-2) pitched two scoreless innings and Adam Ottavino (11th save) tossed a perfect ninth.

Wander Franco lashed an opposite-field home run for Tampa Bay, extending his on-base streak to 32 games.

He went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs for the Rays (84-49), who lost for the first time since Aug. 20.

The Rays were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

Making his fourth start since joining the rotation, Drew Rasmussen hurled four-plus innings and allowed one run and three hits. The right-hander struck out five without a walk.

The visitors put themselves in good position in the second inning when Verdugo slashed a one-out sinking liner up the middle that became his second triple after Manuel Margot's failed diving catch.

Vazquez then singled Verdugo home for a 1-0 lead.

Sale used a pair of double-play grounders to end the first and second frames, but rookie standout Franco got him in the third.

Batting righty, the switch-hitting Franco smoked a letter-high 95-mph fastball deep the other way with Nelson Cruz on first following his second single. The drive landed a couple of rows into the stands for the shortstop's seventh homer and a 2-1 lead.

Right fielder Randy Arozarena preserved the lead in the fifth when he fielded Kyle Schwarber's single and unleashed a rocket home to easily get Vazquez, who was so far out that he gave himself up without an attempt to score.

However, Vazquez notched his third hit of the night in the seventh when he lofted his sixth homer on a curveball from Collin McHugh to tie the game 2-2.

Boston threw out two Rays runners at home on contact plays with drawn-in infields in the seventh and eighth to keep the game tied.

--Field Level Media