ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The Rays teed off Martin Perez Friday night, beating the Red Sox 7-3 at the Trop.
Yandy Diaz blasted a two-run homer in the first off Perez, and in the third Wander Franco drove in two more with a two-RBI double.
Boston was able to get on the board in the fourth, with a pair of RBI singles from Christian Vazquez and Bobby Dalbec to make it 4-2. But Tampa Bay answered in the bottom half of the inning with two runs of their own, as Mike Zunino and Randy Arozarena both crushed solo homers to make it 6-2.
Perez ended his night tossing just four innings, allowing seven hits on six runs as he struck out just three batters. The lefty threw 72 pitches, 45 strikes, 23 sinkers, 17 four-seam fastballs, 15 changeups, 13 cutters, and four curveballs. The veteran was issued the loss as the Venezuelan falls to 7-7.
Hunter Renfroe made it 6-3 in the top of the fifth with an RBI single.
Yacksel Rios had duties of the fifth and sixth out of Boston’s bullpen. Wander Franco tripled off of him before scoring on a wild pitch in the fifth to make it 7-3.
Hirokazu Sawamura and Josh Taylor tossed a pair of scoreless frames out of the pen for Boston, but the Sox would fall as former Red Sox Jeffrey Springs would toss a 1-2-3 ninth for the Rays.
(Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)