BY COMFORT OGGBONNA
Willson Contreras hit a two-run home run and Sonny Gray continued his dominant season on the mound as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 6-1 on Sunday, extending their winning streak to 13 games.
The victory matched the second-longest winning streak in franchise history, equaling a 13-game run set in July 1948. Boston’s club record remains a 15-game winning streak established in June 1946.
Gray improved to 12-1 after allowing one run on five hits over six innings. The right-hander struck out five batters while walking four and recorded his ninth consecutive quality start. He has not surrendered more than three earned runs in an outing since April 14, continuing one of the most consistent stretches by any pitcher in the league this season.
Tampa Bay struck first in the second inning when Victor Mesa Jr. produced an inside-the-park home run to give the Rays a 1-0 lead. The advantage was short-lived, however, as Boston responded in the bottom half of the inning when Andruw Monasterio drove in the tying run with an RBI double.
The Red Sox took control in the third inning, scoring three runs without recording a hit. Jahmai Jones crossed the plate on a passed ball before Wilyer Abreu scored on a fielder’s choice. During the play, Rays infielder Junior Caminero’s throw struck Abreu in the back as he slid into home plate, allowing all runners to advance safely.
Later in the inning, Willson Contreras scored from third base on a groundout by Romy Gonzalez, extending Boston’s lead to 4-1.
Contreras added to the Red Sox advantage in the fifth inning when he connected on the first pitch he faced, launching a 414-foot, two-run homer to the triangle in deep center field at Fenway Park to make it 6-1.
Rays starter Shane McClanahan fell to 8-6 after allowing six runs, four of them earned, on five hits over five innings. He struck out three and walked three in the loss.
The defeat ended Tampa Bay’s series in Boston on a disappointing note as the Rays now turn their attention to a four-game road series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Right-hander Nick Martinez (8-2, 2.65 ERA) is scheduled to start the opener against Toronto right-hander Dylan Cease (6-4, 2.56 ERA).
Boston, meanwhile, will look to continue its winning streak as it opens a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles. Left-hander Payton Tolle (5-6, 3.11 ERA) is expected to start for the Red Sox against Orioles right-hander Shane Baz (4-9, 4.19 ERA).
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