Ceddanne Rafaela powers Red Sox to series-opening win vs. Rays

Ceddanne Rafaela's two-run single in the bottom of the seventh inning highlighted a 2-for-3 night, leading the Boston Red Sox to a 4-3 win over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays in the opener of a four-game series on Thursday night.

Rafaela made an impact on both of Boston's run-scoring frames, hitting a one-out single and scoring its first run in the third inning before his decisive knock in a three-run seventh.

Boston starter Walker Buehler worked around two home runs to finish six innings, allowing just three other hits. Chris Murphy (1-0) and Garrett Whitlock pitched in front of Aroldis Chapman, who clinched the team's seventh straight win by striking out two to post his 16th save of the season.

Junior Caminero and Ha-Seong Kim (two RBIs) provided the homers for Tampa Bay, which had a 7-4 advantage in hits.

Tampa Bay's Taj Bradley finished his six-inning start with three straight scoreless and hitless frames before the Red Sox tagged the bullpen for three runs in a span of four batters before an out was recorded in the seventh.

Reliever Bryan Baker (3-3) issued back-to-back walks to Trevor Story and Romy Gonzalez, setting up Marcelo Mayer's RBI double opportunity to make it a one-run game. Rafaela flipped the score back Boston's way with a two-run single up the middle.

After Buehler benefited from an inning-ending double play in the first and escaped a two-on, two-out jam in the second, Roman Anthony staked the hosts to a 1-0 lead when he dropped an RBI single in front of Tampa Bay right fielder Josh Lowe in the third.

Boston's lead was quickly erased, though, as Kim lined a two-run home run into the second row of the Green Monster Seats, scoring Lowe ahead of him with one out in the fourth.

Caminero made it a 3-1 Rays lead in the sixth, leading off with a no-doubt solo shot to left.

--Field Level Media