Lowe hits 30th homer as Rays beat Red Sox 7-3 to finish 41-40 at Steinbrenner Field
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Brandon Lowe hit his 30th home run of the season as the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Boston Red Sox 7-3 Sunday night, avoiding a series sweep.
The Rays (76-80) snapped an eight-game losing streak against Boston. Despite the loss, the Red Sox (85-71) maintained their one-game lead in the race for the American League’s second wild card, as Cleveland and Houston also lost Sunday.
Due to damage sustained by Tropicana Field from Hurricane Milton in October, the Rays played their home games this season at Steinbrenner Field, the New York Yankees’ spring training facility. Tampa Bay finished with a 41-40 home record, securing its ninth straight winning record at what has become their temporary home.
The game got off to a rough start for Boston rookie Connelly Early. Tampa Bay capitalized in the first inning when Chandler Simpson led off with a single, followed by walks from Yandy Diaz and Junior Caminero. Christopher Morel then drove in two runs with a double, and the Rays added a third run on a Boston error.
Brandon Lowe provided insurance with a solo homer in the seventh off Steven Matz, marking the second time in his career he has reached 30 or more homers in a season. The Rays broke the game open in the eighth inning, scoring four runs against Boston rookie Payton Tolle.
Boston’s aggressive baserunning, which had fueled rallies earlier in the series, backfired in this game. Romy Gonzalez was thrown out at the plate trying to score from first base on a ground ball by Nathaniel Lowe. In the fifth inning, Jarren Duran was picked off first base after drawing a walk.
The Red Sox went 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position but struck out 14 times. Meanwhile, Lowe was back at the plate with runners on base three times and struck out each time, stranding eight runners.
Reliever Garrett Cleavinger (2-6) earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief. Early (1-1) took the loss, allowing three runs on three hits while striking out four and walking two.
**Key Moment:** In his second relief appearance, Payton Tolle entered the game with Boston trailing by one run and allowed four runs in the eighth inning.
**Key Stat:** The Rays announced a sellout crowd of 10,046, marking their 61st sellout of the season and bringing total attendance to 786,750.
**Up Next:**
– Rays right-hander Ryan Pepiot (11-11) will start Tuesday’s game at Baltimore.
– Red Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito (10-4, 3.46 ERA) faces the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto on Tuesday.
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