Tyler Glasnow struck out nine in five shutout innings as the Tampa Bay Rays completed a two-game series sweep of the host Boston Red Sox with a 5-0 victory on Wednesday night.
Glasnow (10-7) allowed just two hits en route to his second scoreless start of the season, pushing Tampa Bay (97-62) to its third win in four games to keep its slim American League East title hopes alive.
A quartet of Rays relievers — Andrew Kittredge, Jake Diekman, Chris Devenski and Robert Stephenson — preserved the shutout with a scoreless inning apiece. Stephenson struck out the side in the ninth.
Leading Tampa Bay’s 10-hit offensive attack, Josh Lowe went 3-for-3 with a home run and three runs to join the 20-homer, 30-stolen base club. Isaac Paredes also went deep as part of a 2-for-4, two-RBI effort.
The Rays finished 11-2 against Boston this season. Glasnow started three of those games, going 2-0 while allowing just two runs in 16 1/3 innings for an ERA of 1.10.
The Red Sox (76-82) have lost four straight games and six of their last seven. They were limited to just three hits, including a double from Alex Verdugo, in their final home contest of the season.
Boston starter Brayan Bello (12-11) opened the game with a 1-2-3 first, but Lowe led off the second with a solo shot to open the scoring.
In the fourth, consecutive singles by Randy Arozarena, Lowe and Paredes loaded the bases and set Tampa Bay up to take a 3-0 lead. Harold Ramirez’s sacrifice fly made it 2-0 before Manuel Margot ripped a two-out RBI double.
Paredes hit his 31st homer of the season in the sixth, sending a two-run shot over the left field wall after Lowe’s leadoff single to center.
The Red Sox could not capitalize after loading the bases with one out in the second, as Glasnow got Enmanuel Valdez to ground into an inning-ending double play.
Bello worked six innings but surrendered five runs on nine hits.
–Field Level Media