Shane Baz gave up two runs and two hits in seven innings, while Jose Siri hit a home run and drove in four runs, leading the Tampa Bay Rays to an 8-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night.
Baz (3-3) struck out six batters and walked one, setting a team record with his fifth straight start allowing three hits or fewer over five or more innings.
Siri was part of Tampa Bay’s three home runs in a four-run fifth inning and added a three-run bloop double to left in the eighth, increasing the Rays’ lead to 8-3.
Junior Caminero, Josh Lowe, and Brandon Lowe also hit home runs for the Rays. Tampa Bay is six games behind Minnesota for the last AL wild card spot and needs to pass Boston, Seattle, and Detroit as well.
“We’re not dead,” Baz said. “I don’t think anybody in this locker room is acting like it. We’re still playing hard, and we’re going to continue to play hard.”
Triston Casas and Romy Gonzalez homered for Boston, which is five games behind the Twins with only 11 games left in the season.
“It’s not a lack of effort,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “It’s not happening for us right now.”
After Caminero hit a solo homer in the fourth inning, Josh Lowe and Siri homered in the fifth against Nick Pivetta (5-11), giving the Rays a 3-2 lead.
Caminero mentioned he told Siri—who raised his batting average from .189 to .192 after going 2 for 4—before the game that he would hit a home run.
“I like how the vibe felt today,” Caminero said through a translator. “A lot of good energy among ourselves.”
Pivetta experienced cramping in his neck and shoulder area after striking out Logan Driscoll but stayed in the game after being checked. He then allowed Siri’s 339-foot homer down the left-field line and Yandy Díaz’s double, which ended his night.
Cora expects Pivetta to make his next scheduled start.
Bailey Horn came in to replace Pivetta and gave up Brandon Lowe’s two-run homer that made the score 5-2.
