UNITED STATES NEWS

Rays tie record with 13-0 start, rally to beat Red Sox 9-3

Apr 13, 2023, 12:55 PM | Updated: 3:18 pm

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — After going unbeaten against four teams with losing records, the Tampa Bay Rays headed to Toronto to try setting Major League Baseball’s post-1900 record for consecutive wins at a season’s start.

“We’re a small-market team and people around the league not all the time have great things to say about us, but we play together,” Manuel Margot said through a translator after the Rays beat the Boston Red Sox 9-3 Thursday for a 13-0 start.

Tampa Bay rallied in a seven-run fifth inning that Harold Ramirez began and capped with doubles, and the Rays matched the 13-win start of the 1982 Atlanta Braves and 1987 Milwaukee Brewers.

The only longer opening streak was 20-0 by the 1884 St. Louis Maroons of the Union Association. The Rays have won all but two of the games by four or more runs and have outscored opponents 101-30 with the most runs in the big leagues and the fewest allowed.

“When you do something like that you’re playing really well,” manager Kevin Cash said. “There’s not one part of our game right now that we don’t feel good about.”

Playing before a crowd of 21,175, the largest at Tropicana Field since opening day, the Rays set a team record for winning streak at any point in a season by topping a 12-game run in June 2004. The streak includes series against Detroit, Washington and Oakland.

Boston, held to four hits, has lost 13 consecutive games at the Trop.

“They pitch when they need to pitch. They put the ball in play and they drive guys in,” Christian Arroyo said.

Rays starter Jeffrey Springs left two pitches into the fourth inning with what the team said was ulnar neuritis, inflammation of the ulnar nerve that causes numbness or weakness. He was relieved after throwing a 79.8 mph changeup and a 83.5 mph to Justin Turner, then looking at his hand and elbow.

“The pitch prior, kind of just felt a little bit of something in the elbow, forearm area,” Springs said. “It was kind of hard to pinpoint.”

He said the sensation felt like a shock rather than pain and he planned to get imaging on Friday. Cash said Springs is likely to miss at least one start.

“Hopefully, it’s just a nerve thing that kind of flared up,” Springs said. “I didn’t feel anything pop or anything like that.”

Tampa Bay trailed 3-1 in the fifth against the Red Sox. Ramirez started the big rally with a double off Corey Kluber (0-3) and broke open the game with a three-run double against Richard Bleier.

Francisco Mejía cut the deficit with a run-scoring single and Brandon Lowe greeted Bleier with a tying RBI single.

Randy Arozarena singled for a 4-3 lead, Wander Franco was hit by a pitch and Margot dropped down a run-scoring bunt single.

“I noticed the third baseman, he was playing back,” Margot said of Bobby Dalbec.

Ramirez then lined a double into the left-field corner for an 8-3 advantage.

“When Harold led off with a double, it sparked the lineup. It kind of let everyone breathe a little bit,” Brandon Lowe said.

Lowe added a seventh-inning home run off Kutter Crawford, his fifth this season.

Yandy Díaz tied the score 1-1 in the first with his fourth this season for the Rays, who lead the major leagues with 32. Only the 2019 Seattle Mariners and 2000 St. Louis Cardinals with 33 each homered more through 13 games.

Kevin Kelly (1-0) pitched 2 2/3 innings for the win.

Braden Bristo, a 28-year-old right-hander, pitched three hitless innings with four strikeouts and a walk in his major league debut after seven seasons in the New York Yankees minor league system.

Rob Refsnyder homered in the first, the first run off Springs in three starts this season.

Kiké Hernández hit into a run-scoring groundout in the fourth, an inning that included Triston Casas’s 14-pitch walk against Garret Cleavinger. Justin Turner had an RBI single in the fifth on a soft fly to center that dropped just in front of center fielder Josh Lowe.

TURNSTILES

The Rays entered averaging 16,770 at hom, ahead of only Oakland, Miami and Kansas City.

SLUMPING

Yu Chang is 0 for 12 this season and 0 for 22 since Sept. 22.

ROSTER MOVES

Red Sox: RHP Zack Kelly was placed on the 15-day IL after leaving Wednesday night’s game with an elbow injury, and RHP Kutter Crawford was recalled from Triple-A Worcester.

Rays: RHP Taj Bradley, who won his major league debut on Wednesday, was optioned to Triple-A Durham. … Bristo’s contract was selected from Durham and RHP Shane Baz (Tommy John surgery) was transferred to the 60-day IL.

UP NEXT

Red Sox: RHP Tanner Houck (2-0) starts Friday’s homerstand opener against Los Angeles Angels and LHP Patrick Sandoval (1-0).

Rays: RHP Drew Rasmussen (2-0) starts Friday’s series opener at Toronto, which goes with RHP José Berríos (0-2).

___

AP MLB: https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

United States News

FILE - A general view shows the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, Monday, Aug. 21, 2023. ...

Associated Press

First congressional hearing on Maui wildfire to focus on island’s sole electric provider and grid

Hawaii’s top public utility officials and the president of Hawaiian Electric are expected to testify Thursday in a congressional hearing about the role the electrical grid played in last month’s deadly Maui wildfire. Members of a U.S. House Energy and Commerce subcommittee are expected to question the utility officials about how the deadliest U.S. wildfire […]

2 hours ago

FILE - The fire-damaged Wellspring Health Access clinic is cordoned by tape, May 25, 2022, in Caspe...

Associated Press

The woman who torched Wyoming’s lone, full-service abortion clinic is about to be sentenced

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A woman who says anxiety and nightmares led her to set fire to Wyoming’s only full-service abortion clinic, setting back the facility’s opening almost a year, is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday. Lorna Roxanne Green could be sentenced to 20 years in prison for burning the Wellspring Health Access facility in […]

2 hours ago

FILE - New York State Attorney General Letitia James speaks during the New York State Democratic Co...

Associated Press

NY Attorney General Letitia James has a long history of fighting Trump, other powerful targets

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Letitia James fixated on Donald Trump as she campaigned for New York attorney general, branding the then-president a “con man” and ″carnival barker” and pledging to shine a “bright light into every dark corner of his real estate dealings.” Five years later, James is on the verge of disrupting Trump’s real […]

3 hours ago

FILE - President Joe Biden leans in to hear a question as he speaks with reporters before walking t...

Associated Press

House Republicans are set to make their case for Biden impeachment inquiry at first hearing

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have insisted for months that they have the grounds to launch impeachment proceedings against President Joe Biden. On Thursday, they will begin formally making their case to the public and their skeptical colleagues in the Senate. The chairmen of Oversight, Judiciary, and Ways and Means will hold the opening hearing of […]

3 hours ago

President Joe Biden landed at Sky Harbor International Airport where he will honor late Senator Joh...

Brandon Gray

President Joe Biden arrives in Arizona, will honor John McCain in Tempe, road closures expected

President Joe Biden arrived Wednesday night in the Valley where he will honor the late Senator John McCain Thursday in Tempe. 

3 hours ago

Associated Press

Gang violence in Haiti is escalating and spreading with a significant increase in killings, UN says

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Gang violence in Haiti is escalating and spreading from the capital Port-au-Prince through the center of the country to its two other major cities, Gonaives and Cap-Hatien, with a significant increase in killings, kidnappings and rapes in the past few months, the U.N. chief said in a report circulated Wednesday. Secretary-General […]

4 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

SCHWARTZ LASER EYE CENTER

Key dates for Arizona sports fans to look forward to this fall

Fall brings new beginnings in different ways for Arizona’s professional sports teams like the Cardinals and Coyotes.

...

re:vitalize

When most diets fail, re:vitalize makes a difference that shows

Staying healthy and losing weight are things many people in Arizona are conscious of, especially during the summer.

...

Ability360

At Ability360, every day is Independence Day

With 100 different programs and services, more than 1,500 non-medically based home care staff, a world-renowned Sports & Fitness Center and over 15,000 people with disabilities served annually, across all ages and demographics, Ability360 is a nationwide leader in the disability community.

Rays tie record with 13-0 start, rally to beat Red Sox 9-3