Boston Red Sox tops Tampa Bay Rays 2-0
Game Summary
Boston Red Sox defeated Tampa Bay Rays 2-0.
A classic pitchers' duel: 19 combined strikeouts between the two staffs.
Key Players
Nick Fortes led Tampa Bay Rays's offense, going 2-for-3. Tampa Bay Rays reliever Mason Englert threw 3.1 IP, 0 ER, 3 K and anchored the pitching staff.
Ceddanne Rafaela led Boston Red Sox's offense, going 3-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI. Boston Red Sox starter Connelly Early threw 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 8 K and earned the win.
Pitching Report
Tampa Bay Rays starter Jesse Scholtens: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 K, 4 BB (91 pitches). Failed to complete five innings, leaving extra burden on the bullpen. 2 HR allowed is a troubling rate of long-ball damage. The bullpen (1 pitchers) was scoreless over 3.3 IP with 3 K — a flawless relief effort.
Boston Red Sox starter Connelly Early: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 1 BB (96 pitches). Quality start. K/IP of 1.14 reflects dominant strikeout stuff. The bullpen (2 pitchers) was scoreless over 2.0 IP with 4 K — a flawless relief effort.
Hitting Analysis
Tampa Bay Rays: 4 H, 0 RBI (team AVG 0.133).
Multi-hit games: Nick Fortes (2-for-3).
Cleanup cold: Junior Caminero (0-for-4), Jonny DeLuca (0-for-4). The silence from the heart of the order proved costly.
Boston Red Sox: 5 H, 2 RBI (team AVG 0.172). Includes 2 HR. Drew 4 walks, boosting on-base production.
Multi-hit games: Ceddanne Rafaela (3-for-4, 1 HR).
Cleanup cold: Masataka Yoshida (0-for-4), Trevor Story (0-for-4). The silence from the heart of the order proved costly.
Turning Points
Boston Red Sox's pitching staff threw a shutout, blanking Tampa Bay Rays's lineup.