Rays Lose Odorizzi In Sweep By Red Sox

ST. PETERSBURG (620 WDAE) -- The Tampa Bay Rays had a fifth inning they'd likely want to forget Wednesday.

Not only did the Rays lose starter Jake Odorizzi due to injury, but the Boston Red Sox blasted the Tampa Bay pitching staff for five runs in the frame, busting open the game as helping cap off a two-game sweep with an 8-2 decision at Tropicana Field.

Odorizzi (6-5) left the game after being hit on the right foot by a line drive off the bat of Eduardo Nunez, being replaced by left-hander Dan Jennings.  Jennings followed up by allowing a base hit first to Andrew Benintendi and then Mookie Betts singled in Nunez to extend Boston's lead to 2-0.

Hanley Ramirez was then intentionally walked to load the bases and Boston added on thanks to a passed ball by Wilson Ramos that made it 3-0, and after a groundout by Mitch Moreland and another intentional walk, this time to Xander Bogaerts, a second baseball got by Ramos -- this one scored a wild pitch -- and Betts was home to make it 4-0.

Brock Holt then grounded into a fielder's choice that erased Ramirez at the plate, though both he and Ramirez ended up in scoring position, and both scored on a single by Sandy Leon that made it 6-0.

Tampa Bay finally got on the board against Porcello in the bottom of the sixth, as Adeiny Hechaverria hit his first home run as a member of the Rays and second of the year, followed by a solo shot by the struggling Brad Miller.

But Boston would get both runs back in the top of the eighth, as another error, this time by Trevor Plouffe on a throw to Sergio Romo trying to cover first base on a Leon grounder allowed Holt to make it 7-2, and two batters later, Ramos allowed a Romo pitch to get past him that would let the Boston catcher set the score at 8-2.

The Red Sox initially got on the board in the third, when Odorizzi could not catch a flip from Plouffe on a ground ball from Moreland that should have gotten Tampa Bay out of the inning unscored upon.

The loss pushes the Rays back to a single game over .500 at 58-57.

The Cleveland Indians next come to the Trop to begin a four-game series, as Blake Snell (0-6, 4.98 ERA) again looks for his first win of the season, taking on Danny Salazar (4-5, 4.32 ERA).  First pitch is scheduled for 7:10, with coverage on WDAE starting at 6:00 with The Inside Pitch presented by Sykes Lakeland. 


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