BOSTON — Yonny Chirinos pitched two-hit ball for eight scoreless innings Friday night and the Tampa Bay Rays stopped Boston’s four-game winning streak, beating the Red Sox, 5-1.
Kevin Kiermaier homered and drove in four runs, and Ji-Man Choi also homered for the Rays, who didn’t need much offense to back Chirinos in the longest outing of his career.
Chirinos (7-2) had never gone more than 7 1-3 innings before stifling the Red Sox. He cruised through the first five innings on 50 pitches and didn’t allow a baserunner or hit until the sixth.
Chirinos struck out six and walked two before Emilio Pagan took over in the ninth. Boston broke up the shutout with doubles by Andrew Benintendi and Xander Bogaerts.
The Rays tagged Rick Porcello (4-6) for four runs on eight hits in six innings in the opener of a four-game series at Fenway Park.
Chirinos didn’t allow a baserunner until walking Brock Holt to start the sixth. Jackie Bradley Jr. followed with a single and Boston loaded the bases with one out, but Chirinos got out of the jam by striking out Benintendi and Rafael Devers.
Choi led off the second with his sixth homer and Tampa Bay added two runs in the fourth after Brandon Lowe and Avisail Garcia started the inning with consecutive singles. Kiermaier drove in both with a single, then delivered an RBI single in the sixth after the Rays opened with back-to-back singles again off Porcello.
Kiermaier hit his seventh home run in the ninth.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rays: Recalled right-hander Casey Sadler from Triple-A Durham and optioned right-hander Hunter Wood to the Bulls.
Red Sox: Activated first baseman Mitch Moreland (lower back) from the 10-day injured list. Moreland started at first base but left after the sixth with tightness in his right quadriceps. Optioned right-hander Ryan Weber to Triple-A Pawtucket.
UP NEXT
Starters for both clubs were still to be determined for a doubleheader Saturday, with games scheduled for 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Left-handeer David Price (3-2, 2.83 ERA) is scheduled to start the second game for Boston.
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