BOSTON — Rick Porcello did not have his fastball command early and the Tampa Bay Rays attacked Friday night.

Shane Peterson hit a two-run homer in the second inning and Logan Morrison clubbed a grand slam in the third as the Rays beat Boston 10-5 at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox scored three in the ninth to make it appear closer.

Porcello (1-1) exited in the fifth after allowing back-to-back home runs to Brad Miller and Steven Souza, making it 8-0. The four home runs was the most allowed by Porcello in a game.

Rays starter Chris Archer (2-0) continued his solid April. Friday’s outing was his shortest, but he still held Boston to one run over 52/3 innings. Andrew Benintendi’s RBI single in the fifth was the one run Archer Allowed.

Archer snapped a personal 11-game losing streak to the Red Sox while lowering his ERA to 2.21.

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Boston (5-5) outhit Tampa Bay 14-12 but squandered chances (12 left on base) and Tampa Bay (6-5) feasted on Porcello.

Porcello gave up a first-inning double to Evan Longoria, but stranded him by striking out Miller, looking at a 95 mph fastball.

But too many fastballs missed their mark. Morrison doubled to the triangle with one out in the second inning. Porcello struck out Derek Norris but Peterson, one of the five left-handers in the lineup, jumped on a 2-2 inside fastball. The homer made it 2-0.

With one out in the third, the Rays loaded the bases – two walks sandwiched around Brad Miller’s bloop single. Morrison came up and Porcello fell behind 2-0 on a fastball and change-up.

Porcello came back with another change-up and Morrison sent it deep into the Boston night, landing in the right-field seats.

Archer retired nine of the first 10 batters but faced a bases-loaded two-out jam in the fourth. With the count full, Archer got Pablo Sandoval to ground out.

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Porcello retired six straight before facing Miller with one out in the fifth. His homer, followed by Souza’s, made it 8-0.

Boston scored one with a two-out rally in the fifth – Dustin Pedroia’s double and Benintendi’s RBI single to right. Mookie Betts doubled to left put runners on second and third, but Hanley Ramirez flied to center.

Ramirez singled home a run in the seventh.

In the ninth, RBI by Betts, Ramirez and Xander Bogaerts made it interesting, but not close enough.

NOTES: Jackie Bradley Jr. could be activated as early as next Thursday from the disabled list, Boston Manager John Farrell said. Bradley, who suffered a sprained right knee April 9, was running and taking batting practice with a brace before Friday’s game.

Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-6411 or:

kthomas@pressherald.com

Twitter: @ClearTheBases


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