The visiting Tampa Bay Rays secured a 4-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday, claiming two of three games in a rain-shortened series at Fenway Park. A three-run burst in the first three innings provided all the support Nick Martinez needed as he tossed 5⅔ innings of one-run ball.
Junior Caminero opened the scoring with a solo home run in the first inning, and a two-run third inning extended the lead for Tampa Bay. Martinez (4-1) allowed seven hits and struck out three, earning his fourth win of the season. The Rays also took Thursday’s series opener before Saturday’s game was postponed due to rain.
New Hampshire native Mickey Gasper recorded his first three hits of his Red Sox career, finishing 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles. Both teams finished with eight hits.
Boston first baseman Willson Contreras exited the game in the first inning after being hit by a pitch, suffering a right hand contusion. Andruw Monasterio replaced him and went 2-for-3 with a double.
Tampa Bay wasted no time getting on the board. In the second at-bat of the game, Caminero golfed a low pitch into the Green Monster seats in left-center field for a solo homer. Red Sox starter Payton Tolle (1-2) and Martinez settled in before the Rays added two runs in the third.
Nick Fortes led off the third with a single to center and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Taylor Walls. Chandler Simpson then hit a ground ball that shortstop Trevor Story misplayed with a backhand, allowing Fortes to score. Ben Williamson followed with an RBI single to right, making it 3-0.
Cedric Mullins added a fourth run in the sixth with a squeeze bunt that scored Williamson, who had walked to start the inning. Jonathan Aranda’s pinch-hit single set up the insurance run. Martinez stranded baserunners in each of the first five innings before the Red Sox broke through in the bottom of the sixth. Story led off with a double to left, and Gasper’s second hit of the day—a single to right—scored Story to cut the deficit to 4-1.
Bryan Baker pitched the ninth for his 10th save of the season, sealing the win for Tampa Bay.
