Red Sox score 3 runs in 7th to hold of Rays 4-3, earn season-high 7th straight victory

BOSTON (AP) — Ceddanne Rafaela hit a go-ahead, two-run double during a three-run seventh inning and the Boston Red Sox earned their season-high seventh straight win by beating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 on Thursday.

Boston starter Walker Buehler gave up three runs off five hits, including two home runs, over six innings. Chris Murphy (1-0) and Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth, and Aroldis Chapman struck out two in the ninth to pick up his 16th save and 1,300th strikeout.

Junior Caminero hit a two-run home run and Ha-Seong Kim added a solo homer for the Rays.

Tampa’s Taj Bradley allowed one run off two hits over six innings, striking out five. But reliever Bryan Baker (3-3), who was making his Rays debut after being traded by the Baltimore Orioles, surrendered all three Boston runs in the seventh.

Boston struck first when Roman Anthony lined a two-out RBI single into right field in the third inning.

Boston Red Sox’s Marcelo Mayer scores on a two RBI single by Ceddanne Rafaela, as Tampa Bay Rays catcher Matt Thaiss, right, covers home during the seventh inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park, Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

The Rays responded when Kim took Buehler to a full count and drove his 89-mph slider just over the top of the Green Monster for his first homer of the season to put the Rays in front 2-1.

Caminero made it 3-1 in the sixth, connecting on Buehler’s first pitch of the inning for a solo home run, his 23rd this season.

Key moment

Trailing 3-1, the Red Sox opened the seventh by drawing back-to-back walks off Baker. That was followed by an RBI double by Marcelo Mayer and the two-run single by Rafaela to put the Red Sox in front.

Key stats

Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Jake Mangum pauses as the Boston Red Sox take the lead during the seventh inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park, Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Tampa Bay rookie Chandler Simpson extended his hitting streak to 14 games, the longest by a rookie in Rays history.

Up next

RHP Drew Rasmussen (7-5, 2.78 ERA) is scheduled to make his first start against Boston since July 14, 2022. LHP Garrett Crochet (9-4, 2.39) has won three of his last four starts.