ST. PETERSBURG (620 WDAE) -- The Tampa Bay Rays wasted a 5-2 ninth-inning lead, then saw the Boston Red Sox explode for seven runs in the 15th inning to take a 13-6 decision Friday at Tropicana Field.
Both Tampa Bay and Boston manufactured runs in the first inning, with Boston's run coming on a RBI single by Andrew Benintendi, scoring Xander Bogaerts. The Rays countered as Kevin Kiermaier singled off Sale, took second on a groundout by Steven Souza Jr. and scored on a base hit by Evan Longoria.
Boston broke the tie in the fourth, as Mitch Moreland's solo homer off Matt Andriese, his 15th of the year, made it a 2-1 game. But Sale (16-8) again couldn't shut down Tampa Bay's offense, walking Trevor Plouffe and allowing a two-run blast to Ramos, his eighth of the year, giving the Rays the lead 3-2.
Hechaverria added on to the lead in the sixth with a solo blast off Sale, his seventh of the season, for a 4-2 advantage, and Ramos added on in the eighth with a solo blast off Matt Barnes, number nine of 2017.
After Andriese exited with runners on the corners and one away in the fifth, Sergio Romo finished the inning without allowing the tying run to score, and he Dan Jennings and Chaz Roe combined to work a scoreless sixth. Steve Cishek followed suit with a perfect seventh and Tommy Hunter's had a perfect eighth, but Alex Colome could not shut the door in the ninth. He walked Moreland to start the inning, and a wild pitch moved him into scoring position. Rafael Devers then chopped one off Danny Espinosa's glove for an error, allowing Moreland to score. Christian Vazquez singled Devers to third and Sandy Leon's infield single made it 5-4. Jackie Bradley Jr. lined a ball that was caught by a diving Kevin Kiermaier for the first out, but Bogaerts singled in pinch-runner Rajai Davis to tie the game.
The game remained 5-5 until the top of the 14th, when Austin Pruitt allowed three straight singles to Mookie Betts, Moreland and Devers to bring in a run to make it 6-5.
But Kiermaier tied the game up in the bottom of the 14th off Brandon Workman, though Tampa Bay could not get the winning run across.
Boston then put things away in the 15th by sending 12 men to the plate against Pruitt and Chase Whitley. Pruitt allowed a walk to Bradley, single to Bogaerts, and a fielding error by Brad Miller which allowed Boston to break the tie for good. Whitley then gave up a RBI single to Benintendi, a run-scoring single by Moreland, a ground ball by Devers misplayed by Logan Morrison for a run, a two-run double by Deven Marrero, and a RBI single by Bogaerts to cap the scoring.
Tampa Bay can even the series with a win Saturday, as Alex Cobb (11-9, 3.59 ERA) takes on Rick Porcello (9-17, 4.64 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 6:10, with coverage on WDAE beginning at 4:00 with The Inside Pitch presented by Sykes Lakeland.