Devers homers in 6th straight game as Red Sox top Rays 5-0

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Rafael Devers set a team record by homering in his sixth straight game, Tanner Houck allowed two hits in seven innings and the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-0 Monday evening.

Devers had shared Boston’s mark of a five-game streak with six other players, including Hall of Famers Ted Williams and Jimmie Foxx.

Houck (4-5) allowed a single in the third inning to Yandy Díaz and a hit to Josh Lowe in the seventh. He struck out five and was charged with a walk – which happened when Devers was ruled to have violated defensive change rules for an automatic ball on Jonathan Aranda’s groundout to second on a groundout by 3-2.

Ceddanne Rafaela also scored for the Red Sox, who got back to .500 at 24-24.

Justin Slaten had a three-hitter as Boston improved to 6-22 at Tampa Bay since the start of the 2021 season.

Rays starter Taj Bradley (1-2) retired eight of his first nine batters before Jarren Duran opened the fourth with a triple and scored on a Wiyer Abreu double. Devers gave Boston a 3-0 lead by extending his hitting streak to 10 games with his 10th homer, a two-run opposite-field drive to left.

Rafaela was hitless in 17 at-bats before his two-run drive in the fifth inning against Bradley made it 5-0.

Bradley allowed five runs, six hits and struck out 10 over a career-high seven innings. It was the right-hander’s third start this year after starting the season with a right pectoral strain.

TRAINERS ROOM

Rays: Opening Day starter Zach Eflin was placed on the 15-day injured list with lower back inflammation and is expected to miss two to four weeks. …2B Brandon Lowe (right oblique strain) returned after missing 37 games and went 0 for 3.

FOLLOWING

Boston RHP Cooper Criswell (2-1, 2.76 ERA) and Rays RHP Zack Littell (2-2, 3.44 ERA) are Tuesday night’s starters.