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Red Sox and Rays meet in series rubber match

Red Sox and Rays meet in series rubber match

Yahooa day ago

Tampa Bay Rays (36-31, third in the AL East) vs. Boston Red Sox (33-36, fourth in the AL East)
Boston; Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Rays: Zack Littell (6-5, 3.68 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 52 strikeouts); Red Sox: Walker Buehler (4-4, 5.18 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 44 strikeouts)
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BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Red Sox -115, Rays -104; over/under is 9 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays meet on Wednesday with the winner claiming the three-game series.
Boston has a 33-36 record overall and an 18-17 record at home. The Red Sox have gone 15-7 in games when they hit at least two home runs.
Tampa Bay has a 13-11 record in road games and a 36-31 record overall. The Rays have a 23-6 record in games when they have more hits than their opponents.
The teams square off Wednesday for the sixth time this season. The Red Sox lead the season series 3-2.
TOP PERFORMERS: Ceddanne Rafaela has 10 doubles, two triples and six home runs for the Red Sox. Trevor Story is 12 for 38 with two doubles and two home runs over the past 10 games.
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Junior Caminero has 15 home runs, 12 walks and 41 RBIs while hitting .252 for the Rays. Yandy Diaz is 13 for 39 with two doubles, two home runs and six RBIs over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Red Sox: 5-5, .263 batting average, 5.04 ERA, outscored opponents by one run
Rays: 7-3, .249 batting average, 3.46 ERA, outscored opponents by 19 runs
INJURIES: Red Sox: Wilyer Abreu: 10-Day IL (oblique), Josh Winckowski: 60-Day IL (elbow), Nick Burdi: 15-Day IL (knee), Justin Slaten: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Liam Hendriks: 15-Day IL (hip), Alex Bregman: 10-Day IL (quadricep), Triston Casas: 60-Day IL (knee), Masataka Yoshida: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Kutter Crawford: 60-Day IL (knee), Tanner Houck: 15-Day IL (flexor), Chris Murphy: 60-Day IL (elbow), Patrick Sandoval: 60-Day IL (elbow)
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Rays: Jonny Deluca: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Ha-Seong Kim: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Hunter Bigge: 15-Day IL (lat), Shane McClanahan: 60-Day IL (tricep), Richie Palacios: 10-Day IL (knee), Alex Faedo: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Nathan Lavender: 60-Day IL (elbow)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Last Night in Baseball: Marcelo Mayer's first multi-homer game powers Red Sox
Last Night in Baseball: Marcelo Mayer's first multi-homer game powers Red Sox

Fox Sports

time31 minutes ago

  • Fox Sports

Last Night in Baseball: Marcelo Mayer's first multi-homer game powers Red Sox

There is always baseball happening — almost too much baseball for one person to handle themselves. That's why we're here to help, though, by sifting through the previous days' games, and figuring out what you missed, but shouldn't have. Here are all the best moments from last night in Major League Baseball: Mayer goes deep twice, Red Sox win The Red Sox have been having plenty of issues in 2025, but even if their season doesn't end up going anywhere because of them, there are still plenty of reasons to watch. For one, their "Big Three" prospects are now all MLB rookies, on the big-league roster at the same time: Kristian Campbell, Roman Anthony, and Wednesday night's hero Marcelo Mayer. Mayer, in a game the Red Sox won just 4-3 over the Rays, hit two homers – his first multi-homer game, and his second and third homers of the season. Mayer was called up and made his debut on May 24, so he's just 15 games in at this point, but after those two shots, he's up to a line of .250/.313/.523, good for an OPS+ of 129. Not a bad start for a 22-year-old who spent just 43 games at Triple-A before coming to the bigs. Whether Mayer sticks in the majors in the long run in 2025 is still a bit up for debate, as he was brought there to fill in for the injured Alex Bregman, who is expected to return from his quad strain in July. The more he hits over the next few weeks, the more difficult it will be to send him back to Worcester rather than finding at-bats for him in Boston's lineup, however. Cutch passes Clemente on Pirates' all-time HR list Andrew McCutchen was originally drafted by the Pirates back in 2005, and then spent his entire pro career with them as a homegrown star until he was dealt to the Giants before the 2018 season. Cutch would then be traded to the Yankees prior to signing first with the Phillies and then the Brewers, before reuniting with his original club before the 2023 season. A series of one-year deals have kept him in Pittsburgh since, and while he's not the offensive force he once was, he can still put up a quality season, and move himself up the franchise's all-time lists in the process. On Wednesday, McCutchen hit his sixth homer of the year, no. 241 in a Pirates uniform, and it pushed him past Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente into sole possession of third-place on the Pirates' all-time homer list. Given McCutchen is 38 years old, that's probably as far as he's going to get in the rankings: Ralph Kiner is in second with 301 long balls, and Willie Stargell is very comfortably in first with 475. Still! Third place is nothing to sneeze at, for any organization, never mind one that had Stargell, Kiner, Clemente, Barry Bonds and Dave Parker – the only one of those that isn't a Hall of Famer is the one who happens to be MLB's all-time home run leader. Luzardo gets back on track Jesús Luzardo started the season 5-0 with a 2.15 ERA over his first 11 starts, striking out 77 batters in 60 innings of work. He was basically as good as that ERA said, too, but things came undone in the next two starts. Luzardo allowed 21 hits and 20 earned runs over just 5.2 innings against the Brewers and Blue Jays. His earned run average shot all the way up to 4.46 for the season. On Wednesday, though, Luzardo returned to form, and kept one of MLB's best offenses quiet. Luzardo held the Chicago Cubs to just one run over six innings, and more impressively, struck out 10 batters for the fourth time this season. It'll take a little longer to fully undo the damage from those two starts – his ERA dropped to 4.23 – but at least he helped the Phillies win a ballgame again. Judge homers for third straight game Aaron Judge's solo home run in the seventh inning added some cushion to the Yankees lead over the Royals, as they were already up 5-0. His 25th shot of the year came on the heels of a two-homer game Sunday against Boston and a 469-foot shot in the series opener against Kansas City on Tuesday night. For those keeping score at home, that's four homers in three games, and the two-time MVP has eight RBIs over those contests, as well. This marks the first time this season that Judge has hit home runs in three consecutive games. He's inching closer to becoming the AL's homer leader, too, as he's now within one of Seattle Mariners' catcher Cal Raleigh. Buxton out-Judges Judge Remember that mention of Tuesday's 469-foot Aaron Judge homer from a couple of paragraphs back? As discussed in this space on Wednesday, that was the third-longest homer of the season. Emphasis on the past tense there now, as the Twins' Byron Buxton knocked it to fourth place with one swing of the bat the very next day. Buxton's blast went 479 feet, the second-longest home run of the season by anyone, trailing behind only Mike Trout's mammoth 484-foot shot from April. Here's one of the beautiful things about baseball: being big and strong can add to your power, yes, but it's not the only reason that someone can hit a titanic homer. Judge is listed at 6-foot-7 and 282 lbs. Trout is 6-foot-2, 235 lbs., and built like a linebacker. Byron Buxton is also 6-2, but listed at 45 lbs. less than Trout. And yet! Thanks to his wrists and a beautiful, efficient swing, Buxton hit a ball five feet short of Trout's impossible shot, and 10 feet further than Judge's eye-popping dinger. That's baseball, baby. Rockies almost win, until they didn't (again) It's been a bad week for the Rockies. They came off of a sweep of the Marlins only to be swept by the Mets, and now the Giants are one game away from a four-game sweep of Colorado. On Tuesday, the Rox blew it in the ninth, but on Wednesday, it only took until the eighth for things to fall apart. The Rockies entered the top of the eighth up 6-3, but then they loaded the bases and walked Casey Schmitt, making it 6-4. Mike Yastrzemski followed up with a double that scored Heliot Ramos and Dominic Smith – 6-6. Things got worse before the inning was over. Schmitt, still on third, attempted to score on a sacrifice bunt by Tyler Fitzgerald. He was originally called out, but the Giants challenged, and the call was overturned: 7-6, Giants. San Francisco would score three more in the top of the ninth, with Schmitt and Yasztremski responsible for two of those runs via singles, and the Rockies couldn't muster enough offense in the bottom of the frame to come back. They're now 12-55, with the most losses for any team through 67 games. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience Marcelo Mayer Boston Red Sox Major League Baseball recommended Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

Red Sox rookie Marcelo Mayer is starting to heat up at the plate
Red Sox rookie Marcelo Mayer is starting to heat up at the plate

CBS News

timean hour ago

  • CBS News

Red Sox rookie Marcelo Mayer is starting to heat up at the plate

Red Sox rookie Marcelo Mayer is starting to find his groove at the plate. He had two big swings in Wednesday night's win over the Rays, as he sent a pair of souvenirs into the Fenway Park crowd. The third baseman accounted for half of Boston's four solo home runs in the 4-3 victory, which propelled the Red Sox to the team's second straight series win. After hitting the first Fenway homer of his career in the second inning, Mayer went yard again in the bottom of the fourth. "They felt really good. To get the first one at home was special," Mayer said after the win. "Then obviously to get the second one, anytime you can help the team out offensively it means a lot." Mayer hit his first career homer last Friday night at Yankee Stadium. But that 410-foot shot came in a Boston loss and in enemy territory. Wednesday night's dingers were much more enjoyable for Mayer. "It's always better to hit a homer at home, compared to on the road. I'd much rather get cheered than booed," he said. "It was awesome. I love this place and love the energy Fenway Park brings. It's something I'll remember for the rest of my life." Marcelo Mayer heating up at the plate It's been less than three weeks since Mayer was called up on May 24, but he already looks a lot more comfortable at the dish. Both of Wednesday night's homers were towering blasts to right field, which looks like it will become a sweet spot for the 22-year-old. Mayer launched the first pitch he saw from Rays starter Zack Littell in the second inning -- an 87 mph slider -- 418 feet to right to put Boston on top, 2-1. The ball left his bat at a scorching 108.7 mph for Mayer's hardest hit ball of the season. 418 ft for Mayer! 😤 — Red Sox (@RedSox) June 11, 2025 Two innings later, he took the Tampa righty deep again, crushing a 1-1 splitter 410 feet to nearly the same spot to make it a 3-1 game. That ball left his bat at 104.9 mph. MARCELO x 2 — Red Sox (@RedSox) June 12, 2025 In the first two games of the series, Mayer hit some monster fouls to right field. He straightened those moonshots out on Wednesday, and became just the 10th Red Sox player to have a multi-homer game within their first 15 games. At 22 years and 182 days old, Mayer is the third-youngest player on that list, trailing only Billy Conigliaro (21 years, 244 days) and Ted Williams (20 years, 247 days). "The process always stays the same. I feel more comfortable every single day I'm here. Obviously, a little bit of adjustments on me that have helped me be more on time," said Mayer. "The biggest thing is getting a good pitch to hit and a pitch you can do damage on. Thankfully I was on time and he put it in a good spot for me to do damage. It always feels good to hit a homer." After hitting .222 in his first seven games in the big leagues, Mayer has slashed .294/.400/.882 over his last eight with three homers and a double. He's scored eight runs over the stretch, and has logged at least one hit in four of his last six games. The future is now for the Red Sox, with Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Kristian Campbell -- Boston's "Big 3" of prospects -- all on the Major League club. Growing pains and ups and downs are to be expected, as we've seen with Campbell's lengthy slump and Anthony's cold start. But Mayer is beginning to heat up at the dish, and is starting to showcase his full potential at the big league level for Boston.

Red Sox acquire reliever Jorge Alcala from Twins to help bolster bullpen
Red Sox acquire reliever Jorge Alcala from Twins to help bolster bullpen

CBS News

time3 hours ago

  • CBS News

Red Sox acquire reliever Jorge Alcala from Twins to help bolster bullpen

The Red Sox acquired reliever Jorge Alcala from the Minnesota Twins Wednesday night in hopes the hard-throwing righty can help bolster the Boston bullpen. The 29-year-old Alcala is a seven-year MLB veteran who has spent his entire career with Minnesota. He turned in a solid 2024 season when he had a 3.24 ERA, held opponents to a .190 batting average, and struck out 58 over 58.1 innings. But he's struggled with his command this season, and currently owns an 8.88 ERA while opponents are batting .302 against the reliever. The Twins decided to move on from Alcala after he allowed nine runs over two innings in his last two relief appearances. He surrendered six runs (five earned) off five hits (including a homer) over 1.2 innings in a 16-4 loss to the Rangers on July 10, which was Alcala's final appearance for Minnesota. For his career, Alcala owns a 4.32 ERA with 193 strikeouts over 187.2 innings. All 166 of his appearances have come out of the bullpen. Alcala's go-to pitch is his fastball, which he throws 44 percent of the time and averages 97.1 mph on the radar gun. Opponents are hitting just .205 off that pitch this season, according to Baseball Savant. He's also had success with his curveball, holding opponents to a .143 average with the pitch, but he's only thrown the pitch at a 15.1 percent clip this season. Alcala has run into issues with his slider though. He's thrown it 21.8 percent of the time this season, with opponents hitting .389 off the pitch. Opponents hit just .204 off his slider last season, so the Red Sox are hoping a change of scenery will get him back to his 2024 form and give Alex Cora another arm to help an already overworked bullpen. Red Sox relievers have already tossed 266.1 innings this season, which is the fifth-most in the Majors. Righty Greg Weissert has already made 33 appearances, tied for the second-most in baseball, while Brennan Bernardino is tied for 16th with 31 turns out of the Red Sox bullpen. Garrett Whitlock's 33.2 innings are tied for the eighth-most in baseball. Boston sent infielder/outfielder Andy Lugo to the Twins in return for Alcala. Lugo signed with the Red Sox as an international free agent in 2021, and played in 44 games for High-A Greenville this season. Right-handed pitcher Brian Van Belle was designated for assignment to make room for Alcala on Boston's 40-man roster.

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