Rick Porcello followed up Chris Sale and David Price with a strong effort of his own on the mound and Xander Bogaerts knocked in a pair of runs as the Red Sox edged Tampa Bay, 3-2, at Tropicana Field on Saturday.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Two constants endure through the third game of this nascent Red Sox season.
Boston’s starting pitching remains a tough nut to crack and Xander Bogaerts continues to scald the baseball at the plate, a winning combination for the second straight night.
Rick Porcello followed up Chris Sale and David Price with a strong effort of his own on the mound and Bogaerts knocked in a pair of runs as the Red Sox edged Tampa Bay, 3-2, at Tropicana Field.
It was an important first outing for Porcello after a difficult 2017. His 38 home runs allowed led the big leagues and tied the club record set by Tim Wakefield in 1996. Porcello turned the page by scattering six hits and striking out four over 5 1/3 innings, extending the longest scoreless string by Red Sox starters since 1940 to 18 frames before Joey Wendle’s sacrifice fly in the sixth.
“That’s what we expect from them – not only from those three, but from the rest of the guys,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We understand that this rotation can be special, and they’re working at it.”
“Chris set the tone to start the year and then David led last night,” Porcello said. “I just want to keep on rolling and do my job.”
Bogaerts became the first Red Sox player in the franchise’s 118-year history with multiple extra-base hits in each of the season’s first three games. He smoked a solo homer to left with one out in the top of the second and lined his fifth double of the season into the left field corner in the sixth, chasing in J.D. Martinez to make it 3-0. Bogaerts added a single to right in the eighth, moving to a robust 8-for-12 in the series.
“We know we have a lot of great hitters on this team who can heat up pretty quick, and it’s going to be really fun once that starts all clicking together,” Bogaerts said. “Right now, the pitching is really keeping us in the games.”
Boston went the creative route to plate its middle run, that coming in the fourth inning. Hanley Ramirez doubled to left and broke for third two outs later, bringing an end to a span of 157 games with just one stolen base. The Rays paid for their negligence in holding Ramirez on when Eduardo Nunez reached on an infield error, allowing Ramirez to stroll across the plate.
“Pay attention to details,” Cora said. “That’s important. We talk about winning games and stealing games – I don’t want to say we stole this one, but that was a big stolen base by Hanley.”
And unlike on Opening Day, when the Red Sox bullpen contrived to blow a four-run cushion in a 6-4 loss, Boston’s relievers did just enough to hold the lead on Saturday. Heath Hembree retired the first four batters he faced and Bobby Poyner celebrated his big league debut by stranding an inherited runner on an infield pop-up to end the seventh. Carlos Gomez smashed a hanging breaking ball from Poyner for a solo homer on the first pitch of the eighth to make it a one-run game, but Carson Smith and Craig Kimbrel combined to record the final five outs.
Bogaerts provided one last key contribution on the defensive side to snuff out what could have been a Tampa Bay rally in the ninth. Mallex Smith drew a leadoff walk from Kimbrel on a borderline pitch down in the zone, putting one of the game’s fastest players at first base. Pinch hitter C.J. Cron’s looper was caught just above the infield dirt by Bogaerts, and he fired across to double a straying Smith off the bag.
“That was the initial thought – let it fall,” Bogaerts said. “As the ball was coming, I was like, ‘Bogie, you’re not that good. Just catch the ball.’ If he’s off the base, throw it over there. Don’t risk it.”
Smith was only the second baserunner to reach safely against Kimbrel in his last 11 outings against the Rays. He’s now struck out 26 of 34 men he’s faced across 11 hitless innings.